Does WWE Believe in Punk as their Champion?

[DethMetal]

This question came into my head when I found out at "Over the Limit" that Cena v. Big Johnny was the main event and not Punk v. Bryan.

Cm Punk has been WWE champion since November, making him champion for about half a year now. Since then, he has put on classic matches with guys like Alberto Del Rio, Chris Jericho, and Daniel Bryan.

However, Punk hasn't exactly been the main event as of late. His matches are in the first hour of RAW a lot of the time, and he hasn't main evented a pay per view this entire year. Usually, the main event match goes to Cena (not knocking Cena, just an observation). Since he's become champion, CM Punk has lost some of his steam and has been almost exclusively on the midcard of the show.

So, from what you've seen in the last six months, does WWE have faith in CM Punk as their top guy?

 

[dakikko049]

Im pretty sure they don't have faith in him. This year's main event has just been the story of John Cena, and not the battle to be champion. I don't get why they do this, Cena is there so the kids will watch, so why not just put Punk in the main event, it'll make it seem like Punk matters, whereas if they just give him shitty half-assed feuds then nobody'd going to give a damn, and it's annoying. If Big Show and Cena continue to end every Raw then I'm certainly not going to buy any PPVs.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think that WWE has been a bit shy about really and truly giving Punk top spot. It's understandable when you take things into consideration. John Cena has been THE guy in WWE for so long and there's a reason why: because the guy gets the job done almost each and every time. WWE has a proven, winning thing going with Cena and it can be a bit scary to rock the boat when you have something that's a guaranteed success.

Also, early in Punk's run, his segments weren't drawing all that well. Some of his segments early on in his WWE Championship run were some of the worst drawing segments of Raw. However, Vince is someone that's changed his strategy to some degree. If this had been 5 years ago, he'd have taken the title off of Punk as quickly as possible after such poorly rated segments. Vince has come to realize, I think, that it's going to take time to build up a new face in the scene after fans have been used to seeing the title on the likes of Cena, Orton or Triple H for so long over the years. Waiting has paid off because fans are buying into CM Punk as WWE Champion. It's taken a little time, but Punk is now incredibly over and his segments frequently draw well. They don't always draw big time but not every wrestler has great segments that draw. Cena's match against Otunga on Raw this past Monday, according to what I read, lost somewhere around half a million viewers or more. Not only that, but his merchendise is a big seller for WWE and his matches are often show stealers. His matches against Ziggler, Henry, Jericho, Bryan or whomever have always flat out delivered, some of them are even legit match of the year candidates.

The WWE hasn't taken the title off of Punk, so that does suggest to me that Vince is pleased with the job he's been doing. The fact that Punk has been champ for 6 months is an indicator that WWE does see him as someone they can get behind. They might not be completely ready to pull the trigger with him and put him on the same pedestal as John Cena, but I have a feeling that the time is coming. I think that the WWE brass can see and they know what Punk brings to the table. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't have even bothered to re-sign him last year and would've let him go off to TNA or back to ROH or wherever.

Most of us think that Punk is ready and has been ready for a while. If WWE didn't very much sense the same thing, Punk wouldn't be in the spot he's been in for as long as he's been in it.

 

[Slyfox696]

The question isn't so much if the WWE has faith in Punk as much as it is does the WWE have as much faith in Punk as they do Cena. And it seems the answer, so far, has pretty clearly been "no". Cena is the guy getting the top billing, Cena is the guy working the big programs, Cena is the guy being asked to draw the big shows. Meanwhile, the smarks wet dream feud of Punk vs. Jericho not only was pushed to the background, it also was not very good.

The fact is Punk has not had a good run with the title, but since Cena is still there and Cena has elevated to being above the titile, the WWE doesn't mind keeping the title on Punk as he does still get good pops. Right now, the WWE is basically using Cena to get the mainstream drawing appeal and Punk to get the IWC/smark drawing appeal.

 

[Foshinzo]

I think that enough of the right people know he's a draw, but there are probably some people that just don't want to lose their spot. *cough* HHH *cough*

I'm just kidding. Trips may be his biggest supporter, for all I know. Still, I do believe that enough people believe in him that he will take the reigns from Cena, when the time comes. I think that the WWE has realized that neither Orton nor Sheamus are big-time babyface draws, though I'm sure they'll still try with them, and they know the audience wants to cheer for Punk.

The only thing they've done wrong with Punk is not push him to the moon, which is what they should have done. He has certainly lost a lot of steam. I know it's a typical IWC remark, but that's because it's obviously what Punk needed. People want a new SCSA, and in his own way, Punk could have been that; the tweener-top babyface.

Still, I think he's one Cena title feud from being back on top. Just drop the cute stuff, reignite his rivalry with Cena, and he'll be back to his Money in the Bank form, like that. I've still got my fingers crossed that those two will main event 29. All you have to do with Punk is give him one big feud, and he'll find his way back to the top. He's too good for WWE to ruin, I feel.

 

[#heel420]

He had great momentum after MITB last July. But as usual WWE dropped the ball with the whole Summer of Punk angle. After Kevin Nash & Triple H really started getting involved the whole time I was wondering what will this accomplish any way. Not to mention the fact that HHH didn't even put Punk over at Night of Champions, which really slowed his momentum. And Even though he's the WWE Champion he hasn't closed a ppv since Elimination Chamber. And I would be okay with that if the matches were bigger than the title. I was disappointed to see a wannabe version of Austin-McMahon go on last instead of the possible match of the year. So to answer the question I believe that WWE thinks he can't carry the company like others have.

 

[Y-2-Jay]

He had great momentum after MITB last July. But as usual WWE dropped the ball with the whole Summer of Punk angle. After Kevin Nash & Triple H really started getting involved the whole time I was wondering what will this accomplish any way. Not to mention the fact that HHH didn't even put Punk over at Night of Champions, which really slowed his momentum. And Even though he's the WWE Champion he hasn't closed a ppv since Elimination Chamber. And I would be okay with that if the matches were bigger than the title. I was disappointed to see a wannabe version of Austin-McMahon go on last instead of the possible match of the year. So to answer the question I believe that WWE thinks he can't carry the company like others have.

Since EC? He hasn't closed a PPV since TLC 2011.

My opinion is the same as others in here WWE see's Cena as the top guy while Punk can draw the smarks in who like seeing matches like him and Bryan while the other fans can watch Cena and his feuds in the main event.

 

[thebromm]

I don't really see how the question is relevant in a way. What is the difference whether Punk is on first or last? Or where Cena is? Fact is John Cena is the top draw and top dog no matter what we think of the character itself. Look throughout the history of the WWE. Many many times the world championship while in Hulk Hogans possession was not on last. They'd put Perfect or Hart or some of the other great undercard talents on last. I'm not saying John Cena is undercard because he obviously is not. The last match wasn't drawing people but it got to the point where people at those shows would leave remember the great matches that were on last and not neccesarily the world title match.

These days it seems CM Punk is not only the world champion but also putting on the best matches of the night. Does it really matter what part of the show a guy wrestles? In this day and age a title run of 3 months is considered lengthy. Todays 3 month title run would be equivalent to a 9 month title run in the 90's for no other reason then they played hot potato with the strap for so damn long now. Punks reign is at this point 6 months which in the grand scheme of things equivalent to about a year or a little over. His pay per view title defenses have been very good to great matches each and every time out. From Dolph Ziggler to Chris Jericho and now to Daniel Bryan. Do you really think WWE hasn't noticed the quality of these matches? Do you think if WWE and more importantly Vince McMahon didn't have faith in CM Punk he would have held onto the title this long? Vince McMahon, like him or not, is going to do what he thinks is right for business. If he thinks CM Punk being WWE Champion and John Cena being on last is the best course to take then thats what he's going to do.

Another thing I think people need to look at is the demographics of their time slot. Currently they are on from 9 to 11. John Cena is so far over with children, as he should be. CM Punk, dating back to last summer was billed as the anti-Cena. He's over with everyone that dislikes John Cena. By all rights a 10 year old child should be in bed no later then 10 PM in most cases. Has anyone thought that perhaps putting a CM Punk that hasn't dropped a pipebomb in so damn long on in the first hour is an attempt to forge a relationship between CM Punk and the kids that are WWE's cash cow? Thats the way I look at it anyhow. I love CM Punk. I think if they took the muzzle off him and said to him "Say whatever you want but don't cross the line and alienate the kids in that first hour" his popularity would skyrocket with kids. As much as John Cena is todays Hulk Hogan and I do not disagree that he should be CM Punk can genuinely be that kind of role model. No drugs, cigarettes or alcohol. What better role model can you possibly get?

Again, if it wasn't right for business, CM Punk would NOT be the WWE Champion. Plain and simple, end of story.

 

[BellaEaglesArmy]

That's only because John Cena has been main eventing all these PPV's. He's still the face of the company. Just because CM Punk is not main eventing these PPV's doesn't mean WWE doesn't have faith in him. CM Punk is a legit main eventer now and he will be until he retires. Over the last year I think WWE has earned a lot of respect for Punk and have a ton of faith in him now. I do agree that the WWE Champion should be closing some of these PPV's but this just goes to show that WWE feels that John Cena is bigger then the WWE Title. And that is very annoying.

 

[Headman]

That's only because John Cena has been main eventing all these PPV's. He's still the face of the company. Just because CM Punk is not main eventing these PPV's doesn't mean WWE doesn't have faith in him. CM Punk is a legit main eventer now and he will be until he retires. Over the last year I think WWE has earned a lot of respect for Punk and have a ton of faith in him now. I do agree that the WWE Champion should be closing some of these PPV's but this just goes to show that WWE feels that John Cena is bigger then the WWE Title. And that is very annoying.

Actually it does mean they don't have faith in Punk, because if they did he'd atleast be able to main event an episode of monday night raw. And you're wrong about him being a legit main eventer. Main eventers actually headline the show. He's a worker who can be used in main events, but he himself is not a main eventer. CM Punk against anyone other Cena has never drawn a dime. If the WWE had faith in him they'd give him a chance to prove otherwise.

 

[vikesfan]

I cant figure why he still has the title. His segments always flop in the viewer #s and the Raw ratings have gone way done since hes been champ. I can see why.Hes boring and way overhyped.

Didnt he say he was gonna change WWE? He must not have meant the ratings.

 

[The Liar]

I cant figure why he still has the title. His segments always flop in the viewer #s and the Raw ratings have gone way done since hes been champ. I can see why.Hes boring and way overhyped.

Didnt he say he was gonna change WWE? He must not have meant the ratings.

He's only as good as what WWE management gives him. Let's take a look at what he's done since winning the title back in November:

-He started out feuding with The Miz and Alberto Del Rio, two of the most boring main event heels I have ever seen. He did his best to make those weeks of Raw interesting despite not having much to work with.

-After that, he began to feud more seriously with Johnny Ace, and I think he's played a better foil to him than anyone else. Their segments on Raw in January were really strong, mostly because of Punk.

-He had a mini feud with Dolph Ziggler, which was good for what it was.

-He then entered a long program with Chris Jericho, which in my mind was very good. Unlike Miz and Del Rio, Jericho is a very engaging heel and their rivalry provided many weeks of entertaining moments on Raw. Who could forget Punk's A+ selling of emotion when Jericho verbally attacked his family? How about the times when Jericho poured alcohol all over him? I thought this was a great rivalry, and made for much better television than Rock/Cena.

-Since then, he has began a feud with Daniel Bryan. It's not his fault the WWE is so consumed with their soap opera that these guys don't get any airtime.

 

[rerun406]

"Jericho is a very engaging heel and their rivalry provided many weeks of entertaining moments on Raw. Who could forget Punk's A+ selling of emotion when Jericho verbally attacked his family? How about the times when Jericho poured alcohol all over him? I thought this was a great rivalry, and made for much better television than Rock/Cena."


^ strongly agree with above .. I really don't understand the blanket statements about Punk and the Jericho feud not being so great

Jericho might have been made to look weak because he lost the big matches with Punk

but as far match quality IMO both the WM and Extreme Rules Punk-Jericho matches were VERY solid. Sure at Mania Punk was over looked by the Rock-Cena, and Taker-HHH matches, but that'll happen because Punk's match wasn't given as much build and The Rock returning was easily the biggest angle going into WM

but again match quality wise is where Punk came through ... as Rock-Cena IMO was a major disappointment, with the only real highlight Rock pinning him cleanly

Cena might get the main event spot vs The Rock, but all that turned out to be was just a huge hyped up pile of fluff as the match wasn't so great, and The Rock just went back to Hollywood

and even now Punk's feuding with Bryan where on the contrary Cena's gonna main event vs Big Show at the next PPV

so while Punk might not be in the close out position @ PPV's or MNR

I'd take the position Punk's in with being Champ and getting the better quality matches

minus the brief feud with Lesnar, I'd take Punk settling for not main eventing ... because he's still putting on very entertaining matches

**take the last PPV Over The Limit .. headlined by Cena-Johnny Ace

but Punk-Bryan was far and away the better match.

 

[cult_of_icecream_bar]

If they didnt have faith in him,they'd drop the title off him long ago.They are slowly building him up as the top draw of the company.As pointed out earlier,early punk segments drew poor,but now he's genuinely over.He's pretty much replaced orton as second to THE GUY.It's no secret vince doesn't like undersized indy darlings.But the fact,the title's still on him massively proves their faith.And i saw some reports that in the south american tour punk sold the highest merch.So they are having faith in him.

 

[akathelaw]

CM Punk needs monster heels that can legitimately challenge for the WWE title. They need to appear as though the title is THEIRS and it's only a matter of time until they attain it in a title win over Punk. Jericho did a pretty good job of looking that way, but honestly his humiliating attacks on Punk made it appear like Punk would get retribution.

The main event in WWE is a mess right now because there are upper midcarders who just aren't ready for the top spot. Would anyone buy Swagger in a WWE title match? It would be a HUGE upset if Swagger won, so this does not help Punk since we need to see him overcome huge adversity. The best choices for a WWE title feud against Punk are probably Big Show, Henry, maybe Damien Sandow? Not the greatest choices but honestly who else is there? You can't blame Punk for not feeling like "the man" when his competition isn't there.

 

[rerun406]

"The fact is Punk has not had a good run with the title,"

^ that IMO is what I mean by a blanket statement. so it's now a "fact" that Punk's run with the title isn't good? What makes it so? Stating an opinion as a fact doesn't make it a fact

not trying to flame here, I'd just like some actual hard evidence about Punk's alleged "not so good title run" what other criteria are you using?

-ratings for the last couple RAW's have been down, but Punk isn't headlining RAW

-crowd energy, if the crowd seemed indifferent towards Punk that could be a sign and argue Punk isn't a credible/likable/believable champion

-match quality admittedly very subjective, not everyone is going to like the same things, but I like Punk's flow if you will in the match, as take the finish at No Limit vs Bryan.

and just because Punk isn't in the so called big programs doesn't necessarily mean he's getting completely shafted.

take the last PPV, if having to switch opponents w Cena meant Punk got the Main Event spot, is Punk really better off Main Eventing with Johnny Ace? Dunno about everyone else, but I got bored with the Laurinaitis match after 3 minutes.

So already stated, but IMO just because Punk isn't closing out the PPV's his run with the title shouldn't be shrugged off, as Punk has been a very consistent performer while holding the title and even if a certain feud (Del Rio, Y2J) doesn't meet the expectations of everyone at least we'll know the match itself should be solid and compelling.

**as Jericho bringing up Punk's family history on the Road to Wrestlemania, might have been a bad choice, but at least the match was reasonably good

 

[Slyfox696]

^ that IMO is what I mean by a blanket statement. so it's now a "fact" that Punk's run with the title isn't good? What makes it so?

The fact it has been completely unmemorable and he's basically taken a backseat to Cena since Survivor Series? His feud with Jericho was unimpressive and their match at WM was average.

What's been GOOD about his title run?

-ratings for the last couple RAW's have been down, but Punk isn't headlining RAW

That's kind of my point.

-crowd energy, if the crowd seemed indifferent towards Punk that could be a sign and argue Punk isn't a credible/likable/believable champion

Punk gets good pops, but what has there been to be excited about? Cena had Rock and Lesnar, and every week the anticipation for the next show was high. When has Punk had that?

and just because Punk isn't in the so called big programs doesn't necessarily mean he's getting completely shafted.

But it does mean he hasn't had a good run.

So already stated, but IMO just because Punk isn't closing out the PPV's his run with the title shouldn't be shrugged off, as Punk has been a very consistent performer while holding the title and even if a certain feud (Del Rio, Y2J) doesn't meet the expectations of everyone at least we'll know the match itself should be solid and compelling.

**as Jericho bringing up Punk's family history on the Road to Wrestlemania, might have been a bad choice, but at least the match was reasonably good

But nothing that has happened has been exciting or memorable. I haven't seen Over the Limit, but just judging by the reaction around here, even the anticipation to the Daniel Bryan match was greater than the match itself.

Just like Punk's other runs as champion, nothing has stood out. Nothing memorable or exciting has happened.

 

[scomvp316]

Its a travesty that WWE doesn't believe in Punk. Granted Cena is the "Yes Man" for the company and most times going above and beyond what all the other talent wants to do for PR. That in itself is the only reason cena is the top guy. The marketing machine is behind him and everyone gets the scraps. Punk relates more to the fans than Cena. Merchandise sales Punk has come a long way be the top guy but barely over Cena. The bottom line is WWE only believes in Cena much like what they did with Hogan. Name of the game is wrestling and Punk is the best wrestler in the company right now. Keep one thing in mind VKM is a businessman way before he is a wrestling promoter. This love affair with being a entertainbment company has cost this company alot of fans and that has affected the bottom line. WWE will never ever be considered by the mainstream a entertainment company. If any fan or any WWE official thinks they will one day be on equal ground with the likes of LionsGate and Dream Works they are just kidding themselves. Until WWE acknowledges they are a wrestling company first they will never ever be a billion dollar sales company ever again!

 

[rerun406]

First of all, thanks for getting back to me .. anyway to the responses

IMO what has been good about Punk's reign's are his matches... yeah Punk did take the back seat @ Survivor Series

but I believe Punk made well for himself in winning the title at that event with a pretty solid match over Del Rio (who himself has flirted in and out of the main event) shame Del Rio isn't as over with the crowd, because his ring work/move set is put together pretty well

So while Punk didn't main event Survivor Series, he still had a pretty good match to win the title while Cena did next to nothing in that tag match with The Rock vs Truth & Miz

and if the Punk-Jericho match @ Wrestlemania was in your opinion average, but I thought it was still a pretty good match, nice transitions between Walls of Jericho .. and I liked how it finished. I won't prop it up as a Top 10 all time WM match, but for what it was it still impressed and compared to the over hyped Once In A Lifetime main event

again match quality is very subjective, but for an unimpressive feud I thought the matches were all right

and some memorable moments

- Jericho pouring beer on Punk and later smashing a glass bottle over his head
- Punk doing a sobriety test on RAW, and tricking Jericho

the Y2J feud might not have been executed to the best of ability, but it still had a couple memorable moments and at least the matches weren't duds

Well if Punk isn't main eventing RAW, he can't take all the blame for ratings being poor **curious if that comment about the Otunga-Cena losing a good # of viewers is true, because both of those matches IMO more or less went the same way with the exact same result

for me the anticipation with Punk is no 5 moves of Doom and an actual exciting match, where the finish isn't terribly predictable. Plus he's a breath of fresh air ... and that alone for a WWE Champ means quite a bit. as a Champ Punk's matches haven't been too too predictable, yes he's won, but the finishes have been pretty unique and that deserves some credit

Cena did have the Rock & Lesnar I'll give you that, but IMO that got old and ran it's course... plus I was more curious to see what Lesnar & Rock brought to the table oppose to Cena

**the stuff with Lesnar-Cena though was very interesting while it lasted, though one win by Cena and just like that both men are on to other things

but regarding Punk and being exciting/memorable, this feud with Bryan could be it, especially the energy the crowd brought into their match.

having seen the match at Over the Limit I would agree that the anticipation probably did outshine the match a bit, but fault people for building it up too high

**same thing happens to me with certain movies, fights and what not .. you set really high expectations for something, and when that thing (in this case wrestling match) doesn't meet your high expectations it's considered a disappointment that's kinda what I feel is going on with Punk.

by having these really high expectations, the fans set themselves up to be let down.

 

[Con T.]

Why should they?

Can anyone give me any proof, whatsoever, that Punk is a draw, in any way, shape or form? People point to that "momentum" that Punk had in July, and you know what that led to for the MiTB pay per view? It did 185,000 buys, 20,000 more than the year before. The next pay per view, Summerslam, which included the rematch of the best match of 2011?

Yeah, that did 301,000 buys, 39,000 less than the year before.

The Nexus, in fact, were a higher draw than CM Punk. This was during his hot period, guys, this was when Punk was being booked the way you wanted. After that, he was put against Triple H, a legitimate draw in wrestling, and that did another bad buy rate. Really, I've yet to see anything that would even insinuate Punk's a good draw.

Your champion is supposed to be the biggest draw in your company. Does the WWE trust him a that? No; why should they?

 

[Jenna.]

Well if they didn't have faith in him then they wouldn't have had the belt on him for THIS long. I just believe like others have said, he's not the face of the company. Cena is. Essentially it's like Cena is still the WWE champion without the belt.

As much as I like Punk, I don't think he has done enough to actually wrestle the top dog position in the WWE from Cena. (I'm not sure you can blame that on him or the WWE) When Austin was the top dog, Rock wrestled that position away through promos and catchphrases and putting on remember worthy matches. After that it was a question of who's the number 1 wrestler in the WWF/E. Punk hasn't done that. He had a hot summer last year and then his momentum died. Again Idk if it's cuz he started slacking or is it because the WWE dropped the ball.

In order for the WWE to completely have faith in him, I think they should have him have a really hot feud with Cena again, to test his market. A lot would have to go into that. I mean the WWE and Punk would really have to invest in elevating his character the way Cena's character is elevated.

 

[Con T.]

See, there's a problem with that, Jenna; Cena and Punk, in spite of the great chemistry that they have, can't feud again. At least not now

Here's why; for that to happen, one of them is going to have to turn heel. At this point, it'd be dumb to turn Cena heel. He's still the top draw of the company; apparently, Sheamus is gonna be the guy after John, but he just isn't ready yet, and everyone can tell it.

No big deal; just turn Punk heel, right? Can't do it, unfortunately. In spite of how much more of a natural heel Punk is, he's always going to et cheered by the smarks. The IWC, while a minority, is a very vocal minority at house shows, tapings, everywhere really.

No problem, just do a feud like last year, right? Except, those come once in a lifetime. There was a desperation to Punk and Cena's feud last year, with made it really seem this could be the last time they fight. You simply just can't do last year's feud again; it is once in a lifetime.

So, while the Cena feud may be good in theory, in execution, it doesn't work now

 

[Jenna.]

See, there's a problem with that, Jenna; Cena and Punk, in spite of the great chemistry that they have, can't feud again. At least not now

Here's why; for that to happen, one of them is going to have to turn heel. At this point, it'd be dumb to turn Cena heel. He's still the top draw of the company; apparently, Sheamus is gonna be the guy after John, but he just isn't ready yet, and everyone can tell it.

No big deal; just turn Punk heel, right? Can't do it, unfortunately. In spite of how much more of a natural heel Punk is, he's always going to et cheered by the smarks. The IWC, while a minority, is a very vocal minority at house shows, tapings, everywhere really.

No problem, just do a feud like last year, right? Except, those come once in a lifetime. There was a desperation to Punk and Cena's feud last year, with made it really seem this could be the last time they fight. You simply just can't do last year's feud again; it is once in a lifetime.

So, while the Cena feud may be good in theory, in execution, it doesn't work now

I really don't think anyone needs to turn heel to be honest. I mean we saw the same scenario this year in a sense with Rock and Cena Two faces. Same thing with Rock Austin for the most part going into their WM feuds they were both faces. If done right, it could work. Punk could be disgruntle at the fact that he's still not the face of the company after all these months of "carrying" the company. A lot of things could work.

 

[DetectiveZelix]

I'd have to agree with Jenna here. Punks the perfect man to display those characteristics while Cena can act cocky and tell Punk to prove that he can be the next face above or even equal to Cena. They've been trying to incorporate reality into WWE's fueds so why not use the fact that Cena, title or no title is still above the rest while Punk is climbing and doing all it takes to get there but Cena and the WWE's Board of Directos that all favor Cena are in his way

 

[Con T.]

I really don't think anyone needs to turn heel to be honest. I mean we saw the same scenario this year in a sense with Rock and Cena Two faces. Same thing with Rock Austin for the most part going into their WM feuds they were both faces. If done right, it could work. Punk could be disgruntle at the fact that he's still not the face of the company after all these months of "carrying" the company. A lot of things could work.

Big difference between Rock and Austin; both of these men were faces, but the crowd was legitimately torn on who to cheer for. It was a case where all the fans were torn; it was both their favorites, and damn it, they had to choose, but I was going to be awesome.

In this match, there won't be any choosing; the kids will cheer Cena, and the adults will cheer Punk, as it always has been. Cena may not have played heel, but by the time they got to MiTB, The WWE knew Cena was getting booed out of the building. He was your defacto heel; there wasn't a choice to be made, and there won't be one if they fight again. Kids aren't going to be torn between Cena and Punk; you know they'll cheer Cena. The opposite applies to Punk.

By the way, that angle you described? It's been done, and it drew a really large house. There was a battle between a guy who felt unappreciated, because he went for years without a loss, and he wrestled the guy that he resented for being the face of the company.

That feud was Hulk and Andre.

Andre turned heel for that

Also, Zeelix, a word of warning; the angle you described; that's going to turn Cena heel. It's been done, Rock and Austin the first time, where Rock was selected as the corporate champ. Unless you want to sink your biggest cash cow, I suggest you don't pull the trigger on that angle