How Would You Book A Punk/Austin Feud?

[SPR*VLN]

We've all been hearing rumors of a potiential Steve Austin & CM Punk rivalry months before WM28. Cutting to the chase, after watching RAW and seeing Jericho pouring beer in Punks face I thought to myself it would've been cool if we saw Steve Austin doing that to Punk. But we all know Austin wouldn't return as a heel, then again even if they tried to make him heel everyone probably would still be behind him.

If there were going to be a Steve Austin/Punk fued I'd like to see Punk as the heel bashing Austin for being a alcoholic. That's just me. I'm curious to hear, how you would book it?

 

[ForzaItalia]

I don't think there needs to be a clear heel/face in the Punk/Austin feud. If anything, it would be identical to Rock/Cena where fans can pick a side on who to cheer for. I think you need to have both guys take personal shots at each other just like Rock/Cena. You have Punk be that cocky guy he has always been saying Austin is washed up, he is only one suplex away from being put in a wheelchair. And then Austin fires back with all this other stuff about how Punk is nothing but a whiny little child that is spoiled when he doesn't get what he wants. And you would have Austin go over Punk at WM29, which would see the two hugging it out in the end and cue the "You still got it chants" for an awesome sendoff for an awesome wrestler.

 

[NotoriousMEAT]

There's a couple ways to go about it, all of which would be acceptable. My favorite though.. would be for Punk to keep the WWE Championship until WrestleMania XXIX. I know it's a stretch, especially in today's wrestling. A 500+ day title reign, almost 17 months. It' be historic. But totally doable. You wouldn't have to worry about the fans turning on Punk and complaining about same old crap like they did with Cena's long reigns. I don't think they'd get sick of it.

Now whether somebody like Vince or Laurinitis brings Stone Cold in to try and dethrone Punk, Punk himself makes the challenge, or Stone Cold confronts him first isn't really what matters. Just make it happen, and it'd be huge. With Rock beating Cena this year, I think a majority of the people who would say they'd never give Austin the belt after all Punk's done.. wouldn't be able to say that. It'd be exciting, it'd be tense, and a feud for the ages. The battle of generations, the alcohol vs straight edge, and differing point of views could all just be the cherry on top that would keep it interesting throughout the feud, and avoid getting a bit stale like Cena/Rock did towards the end.

 

[SomeAreSet]

CM Punk's self-righteous "I'm better than you because I'm straight-edge" gimmick has already been done,and IMO it's played out,and since Punk and Austin have on many occasions talked about how much they like each other's work and admire each other,it wouldn't make sense to go with an angle where they suddenly hate each other. Plus,for Austin to do what Jericho has already done would be repetitive. I wouldn't want Austin disrespecting Punk's beliefs because their feud won't be personal.

If I were to do it,I'd have a special Raw episode where Austin makes a return. Austin comes out near the end of the show and talks about how he misses the energy and the love he gets from the WWE fans. The fans obviously chant "ONE MORE MATCH! ONE MORE MATCH!" and Austin says that his neck's been feeling good for a while now and he thinks he really can do one more match. Then CM Punk's music hits. He comes out and they banter a little before Punk says "Let me get to the point. You're arguably the greatest superstar in WWE history,and I am the best wrestler in the world. How about we give the people what they want? Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. CM Punk at WrestleMania!"

Austin ponders for a bit,then says "If you want Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. CM Punk at WrestleMania,gimme a HELL YEAH!" *crowd goes 'HELL YEAH!'* "OH HELL YEAH! Now,normally I'd hand you a beer so we can have a toast,but considering you're straight edge and all,I'll just shake your hand." The two of them shake hands,Punk leaves the ring and Austin throws back Steveweisers to end Raw. Then in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania,they air videos showing Austin training and getting back into fighting shape,talking about his neck,etc. Meanwhile Punk does his thing,winning matches,doing a couple of promos about how much he respects Austin,but he wants to prove that he is better than Austin in the ring and at WrestleMania,he will. They have a couple of face to face confrontations where they try to verbally one up each other. Punk will say something like "You can train all you want,but the fact is that you haven't been in the ring for so long,and I'm in the best shape of my life. Frankly,I'm afraid you're going to be out of your depth at WrestleMania." Then Austin looks pissed and tries to go for the Stunner but Punk catches his leg and kicks Austin in the head. "Too slow,old man."

On the go home show,Punk is in a match with someone and pulls off the win,but when he turns around,Austin is there and boom,Stunner on Punk. "Looks like the rattlesnake's got some life in him yet!" and that sets the stage for WrestleMania.

 

[Guyzwitgunz]

Yep, I'd go about it with either Punk as a heel, or both as faces. Austin as a heel would be very different and a surprise, but I honestly would see it flopping if it went that way. as someone suggested, Punk should keep the WWE title for this feud. This would make it extra special (this would undoubtably be the main event and anything to make it more special and interesting is good for business). Punk cuts a promo about having beat every challenger and being the longest reigning champion in years - Austin comes out (they could feature him a little before this to drop some hints) and says he'll give Punk the biggest challenge of his life at 'Mania. If Punk turned heel he would obviously go against what he said about respecting Austin, and would start attacking him personally.

As to who should win? I say Punk. Then have Austin officially retire from competition after an epic match.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

CM Punk's self-righteous "I'm better than you because I'm straight-edge" gimmick has already been done,and IMO it's played out,and since Punk and Austin have on many occasions talked about how much they like each other's work and admire each other,it wouldn't make sense to go with an angle where they suddenly hate each other. Plus,for Austin to do what Jericho has already done would be repetitive. I wouldn't want Austin disrespecting Punk's beliefs because their feud won't be personal.

If I were to do it,I'd have a special Raw episode where Austin makes a return. Austin comes out near the end of the show and talks about how he misses the energy and the love he gets from the WWE fans. The fans obviously chant "ONE MORE MATCH! ONE MORE MATCH!" and Austin says that his neck's been feeling good for a while now and he thinks he really can do one more match. Then CM Punk's music hits. He comes out and they banter a little before Punk says "Let me get to the point. You're arguably the greatest superstar in WWE history,and I am the best wrestler in the world. How about we give the people what they want? Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. CM Punk at WrestleMania!"

Austin ponders for a bit,then says "If you want Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. CM Punk at WrestleMania,gimme a HELL YEAH!" *crowd goes 'HELL YEAH!'* "OH HELL YEAH! Now,normally I'd hand you a beer so we can have a toast,but considering you're straight edge and all,I'll just shake your hand." The two of them shake hands,Punk leaves the ring and Austin throws back Steveweisers to end Raw. Then in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania,they air videos showing Austin training and getting back into fighting shape,talking about his neck,etc. Meanwhile Punk does his thing,winning matches,doing a couple of promos about how much he respects Austin,but he wants to prove that he is better than Austin in the ring and at WrestleMania,he will. They have a couple of face to face confrontations where they try to verbally one up each other. Punk will say something like "You can train all you want,but the fact is that you haven't been in the ring for so long,and I'm in the best shape of my life. Frankly,I'm afraid you're going to be out of your depth at WrestleMania." Then Austin looks pissed and tries to go for the Stunner but Punk catches his leg and kicks Austin in the head. "Too slow,old man."

On the go home show,Punk is in a match with someone and pulls off the win,but when he turns around,Austin is there and boom,Stunner on Punk. "Looks like the rattlesnake's got some life in him yet!" and that sets the stage for WrestleMania.

That's Awesome! You're Awesome!

But I would have some questions to this. Why would Punk and Austin all of a sudden respect each other and mesh lips when they have been ranting about one another, and taking potshots for some time now?


Wouldn't it be best that Punk comes out ala Cena at the end of Raw and GLASS SHATTERS, walks Stone Cold, Turnbuckle Pose, Stunner?

A whole month full off groundwork has been covered by their twitter alone. Get these two brawling at a Raw and thats it.

 

[Shotaro]

That's Awesome! You're Awesome!

But I would have some questions to this. Why would Punk and Austin all of a sudden respect each other and mesh lips when they have been ranting about one another, and taking potshots for some time now?


Wouldn't it be best that Punk comes out ala Cena at the end of Raw and GLASS SHATTERS, walks Stone Cold, Turnbuckle Pose, Stunner?

A whole month full off groundwork has been covered by their twitter alone. Get these two brawling at a Raw and thats it.

That's true, but I'd rather see it play out in the ring than listen to Cole/Lawler harp on about twitter for the duration of the brawl. I agree it should get physical early. Can you imagine the beer truck segment with Punk as the victim? It would go from being a face move to a heel move. Actually, no,it wouldn't.

I like the idea of Punk countering the stunner. If it were to happen soon, I think having them talk face to face to start it all off is the best way to go, especially since Lesnar/Cena is already so physical.

 

[THEbrawler12345678910]

i think i can c somethin like that too...with austin comin out for one special night yadda yadda and then having cm punk come out...i can c a situation where someone attacks austin and cm punk makes the save ...cm punk and austin then team up in a tag match to face whoever the attackers r at summerslam and win....austin and cm punk celebrate and austin stuns cm punk. next nite austin doesnt turn heel but says he did it because he felt good after whippin some ass n drinkin some beers, punk comes down says its cool, offers chalenge to austin, austin accepts, cm punk nails gts...there ya go from there

 

[Paul Bunyan's Axe]

Like Azzuri said, I don't think there needs to be a clear face. The feud would be great just by the two being in the same ring together. Plus, Punk is SO over with the fans right now, why turn him heel?

For the booking, I have 2 thoughts.

1. Have CM Punk the WWE champion and Austin make a surprise entrance in the Royal Rumble, win it for a record 4th time, and face Punk for the WWE title.

2. Have Austin return for one night only towards Wrestlemani and have CM Punk come out, and basically challenge him to a match.

The CM Punk vs. SCSA feud would be very interesting, likely more interesting than Cena and Rock. Not sure if the actual match would be as good as Cena/Rock, but they sure as hell can try to make it better.

 

[Terry Gyimah]

CM Punk's self-righteous "I'm better than you because I'm straight-edge" gimmick has already been done,and IMO it's played out,and since Punk and Austin have on many occasions talked about how much they like each other's work and admire each other,it wouldn't make sense to go with an angle where they suddenly hate each other. Plus,for Austin to do what Jericho has already done would be repetitive. I wouldn't want Austin disrespecting Punk's beliefs because their feud won't be personal.

If I were to do it,I'd have a special Raw episode where Austin makes a return. Austin comes out near the end of the show and talks about how he misses the energy and the love he gets from the WWE fans. The fans obviously chant "ONE MORE MATCH! ONE MORE MATCH!" and Austin says that his neck's been feeling good for a while now and he thinks he really can do one more match. Then CM Punk's music hits. He comes out and they banter a little before Punk says "Let me get to the point. You're arguably the greatest superstar in WWE history,and I am the best wrestler in the world. How about we give the people what they want? Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. CM Punk at WrestleMania!"

Austin ponders for a bit,then says "If you want Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. CM Punk at WrestleMania,gimme a HELL YEAH!" *crowd goes 'HELL YEAH!'* "OH HELL YEAH! Now,normally I'd hand you a beer so we can have a toast,but considering you're straight edge and all,I'll just shake your hand." The two of them shake hands,Punk leaves the ring and Austin throws back Steveweisers to end Raw. Then in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania,they air videos showing Austin training and getting back into fighting shape,talking about his neck,etc. Meanwhile Punk does his thing,winning matches,doing a couple of promos about how much he respects Austin,but he wants to prove that he is better than Austin in the ring and at WrestleMania,he will. They have a couple of face to face confrontations where they try to verbally one up each other. Punk will say something like "You can train all you want,but the fact is that you haven't been in the ring for so long,and I'm in the best shape of my life. Frankly,I'm afraid you're going to be out of your depth at WrestleMania." Then Austin looks pissed and tries to go for the Stunner but Punk catches his leg and kicks Austin in the head. "Too slow,old man."

On the go home show,Punk is in a match with someone and pulls off the win,but when he turns around,Austin is there and boom,Stunner on Punk. "Looks like the rattlesnake's got some life in him yet!" and that sets the stage for WrestleMania.

Personally this build-up is genius and I think this would be the way to go as far as booking an Austin/Punk feud especially leading up to a match at WrestleMania 29, it would be like Once In A Lifetime Cena/Rock, but better this time with Austin/Punk

 

[scomvp316]

After Punk beats Jericho at the June PPV of a 2 out of 3 Falls match to finally determine who's the Best In The World Punk should do a promo on Raw stating any wrestler who succumbs to alcohol is a loser and will lose to SE everytime. Have Punk at SummerSlam lost to the Rock because of Austin's interference. Build the Mania match similar to Rock/Cena and have them oppose one another at Survivor Series in a Tradition Series tag elimination match. At a Raw event sometime in december on January have Austin say he has nothing left to prove and as Punk's music hits have Punk attack Austin from behind with several cahir shots near the neck as Punk is wearing an old school DTA SCSA T-Shirt. At the Rumble as Punk is entering the match this one time have Austin Stun him twice on the floor and hit Punk in the head with a chair and lay Best In The World T-Shirt over Punk's face. This would lead to a match at Mania with Punk probably a heel

 

[midgensa]

The obvious answer is the beer vs. Straight Edge gimmick ... but that is already being done right now and has been the center of a number of feuds.

It would also HAVE to be a Face vs. Face match, so no reason to try and force someone into being a heel.

It would be very easy to do. Just simply have CM Punk start talking about how HE is the face of the company now and the Champ. How Cena got the shot with The Rock and blew it and now he wants his shot.

Punk could throw it in here or there for a few months about how he wants he shot at "a legend." Mostly with a focus on the fact that he would not "blow it" against The Rock. Have him keep calling for HIS WrestleMania match and have the crowd start getting into the Austin chants. We are not stupid ... we will all know where it is going.

And then you simply have Austin come out ... maybe as early as SummerSlam and say ... you want a legend Punk ... then here I am! Punk can give his wry smile ... accept and then we can get a fun war or words with a few stunners and maybe even a GTS mixed in and take it from there.

These two guys are really excellent at telling stories with words, actions, moves, etc. Get them in the ring together and it will take care of itself.