In Their Prime (Part II) CM Punk vs Kurt Angle

[Midnite Express 2009]

Second installment of the In Their Prime posts. This one features the reigning WWE Champion CM Punk vs Kurt Angle in both of their primes. Before I begin lemme say this. I am in NO WAY stating that Punk is past his prime. I'm simply suggesting that the current CM Punk vs Kurt Angle from let's say 2001-2004, or pre TNA Kurt Angle. So this means that I'll take one current "in their prime" WWE or TNA performer and pit him against someone who may have already had their prime.

Same situation as my previous post. Who would you book in a 1 time match against Punk & Angle and why? Who do you think you could bank on long term if it were these two at the same time and you were building a company, title or brand around? Let's see where this goes.

 

[AhSpicyDrop]

Very few can even come close to touching Angle's prime in-ring work. Everything he did was fluid and damn near flawless. It all looked like it hurt, probably because most of it really did. Angle was funny when he needed to be, a bad ass when he needed to be, and the clown when he needed to be. He could work as a heel or a face without any issue.

Punk's ring work is top notch by today's standard. His mic work is top notch, also by today's standard. But I really think if you took the current Punk back into Angle's prime he would have taken a major backseat to the Austins, Rocks, Angles, HHHs, etc. He would have never been given the chances he has right now because he wouldn't have been needed.

A match between a prime Punk and Angle would be great, but Angle with his upside of being able to sell a shit ton of tickets and merchandise as a face or heel would easily put him over in my eyes. Look at how long it took for CM Punk to make it as a star... and look at how long it took Kurt Angle(in the midst of arguably the greatest group of stars since the mid 80s). That's all you really need for this equation.

 

[Master JM]

It's a toss-up; both of these gentlemen are exceptional pro wrestlers in my eyes. It would have to come down to who the better man is.

I'll go for Angle, albeit by a small margin. Punk has had an enormous amount of success in the past 2 years alone and is the longest reigning WWE Champion in the last twenty-whatever years - therefore, you certainly can't argue that his chances of beating an in-his-prime Angle aren't high. In addition, he sells merchandise and is way over. However, Angle is just as successful in the business, boasting such achievements as 4 WWF Championship reigns, a World Heavyweight Title reign, numerous classic matches with main-event talent, and of course, being one of TNA's best (with 5 World Title reigns to boot) ever since he set foot in the company. It's very close in my eyes, really.

Still, Angle is the more seasoned mat wrestler and I could see him overpowering Punk in the end. Because I like doing this kind of stuff, I say that Kurt wins by catching Punk with an Angle Slam around the 30 minute mark. Both men are completely spent after the match.

Keep in mind that I am not 100% sure on this. Maybe 90%. I prefer Punk, but for now Angle seems like he would pull out the victory.

 

[Face/Off]

It would be a tough one as a lot of different issues would have to be taken into account but I think Angle would edge this as AhSpicyDrop has said Kurt had to work with some of the biggest names the business has EVER produced but still managed to be one of the bigger stars,. I like the character Punk has created and his relationship with Heyman, imo, has made him even better. He is a great performer, has great mic skills and his promos have been among the best in recent memory. Based on the whole face/heel side of things Angle dominates as he has been a fantastic heel and face whilst Punk as heel has been the only way I like to see him. If the wwe continue with the way they are booking Punk he could become one of the G.O.A.T. Despite holding the title for 400+ days and how good that sounds, who else would it actually look good on is the wwe title. Just my opinions, productive criticism welcomed.

 

[noly]

I would have to go with Kurt here. Just a better all around wrestler. I would say Kurt Angle wins around 21 min mark with an Ankle Lock.

 

[The Kid]

Spicy drop put it right. Angle made it big with megastars on the roster. Punk hasn't really had competition like Angle.

It'd be an amazing match and Angle would counter the G2S into an Ankle Lock.

 

[OnceMeansOnce]

This would be a great match, but Angle in his prime was on another level i think to Punk. He could be technical and he could adapt that style into a hardcore style too, like for example his match with Shane McMahon! Amazing match!! And character wise he could be both comedic and serious and play those roles well! So Angle has the edge for me against Punk.