Is anyone else confused in the Cena/Punk angle?

[whoopin' ass]

I have been watching Punk and Cena over the last few weeks and something has been nagging me - it doesn't make any sense.

The angle is supposed to be Punk wanting respect and Cena being the guy who he needs to beat in order to get that respect but Punk has beat Cena several times already for the title. Not only that, Punk has beaten several other people over the past year so he isn't some one-trick pony who wins the title and then brags about how good he is. Add to this, Punk has never been the one asking for Cena's respect - Cena has been saying Punk hasn't earned it yet.

Then look at Cena. Last year, we had Christian asking for one more match to try and win back the title he lost. This is what they used to turn him from face to heel because he kept asking for one more match when he clearly had no reason to have one. What has Cena done to get his matches against Punk? The same thing! He has been saying that Punk hasn`t earned anything until he beats Cena in an attempt to get title matches. He might as well be saying `one more match`.

Anyone else feel that this is totally out of character for Punk and Cena? Until very recently, nothing that Punk did was really `bad` to make him a heel. Even look at the match he had with Lawler a few weeks back - someone was telling lies about Punk and Punk called them out. it isn`t exactly heel action. Maybe it is just me but the whole angle seems off. thoughts?

 

[Suneeboy]

I think your reasoning is a little flawed, but I understand where you're saying "it doesn't make sense".

From my perspective it doesn't make sense simply because I'm not entirely sure why they are feuding, other than for the title. Punk has been talking about respect, and Cena has been saying he should earn it, but the problem I see is that the feud doesn't feel personal at all. I don't believe that they want to "beat" each other, I just feel like each wrestler wants the championship...which isn't enough for me.

With their history and the paths that they took, I felt in order for them to turn this feud up another notch Punk and Cena would need to hate each other, and make it feel "real". Kind like how the Cena/Brock, or Punk/Jericho feuds went earlier in the year.

I personally don't see any new intensity, and quite honestly I think there is more tension and intensity in the Sheamus/Del Rio feud as crazy as it may sound.

 

[thedon2001]

you have to remember that wins and loses don't matter. the WWE only brings up the past when they can exploit it for profit. Remember triple h and taker how they never brought up the first match during this last feud?

They haven't brought up Brock Lesnar's horrible stint with the Vikings, etc. Wrestling is all about the moment, not the past, hence why they can disregard the Cena Punk matches in the past.

 

[ITALIAN NYC]

I have been watching Punk and Cena over the last few weeks and something has been nagging me - it doesn't make any sense.

The angle is supposed to be Punk wanting respect and Cena being the guy who he needs to beat in order to get that respect but Punk has beat Cena several times already for the title. Not only that, Punk has beaten several other people over the past year so he isn't some one-trick pony who wins the title and then brags about how good he is. Add to this, Punk has never been the one asking for Cena's respect - Cena has been saying Punk hasn't earned it yet.

Then look at Cena. Last year, we had Christian asking for one more match to try and win back the title he lost. This is what they used to turn him from face to heel because he kept asking for one more match when he clearly had no reason to have one. What has Cena done to get his matches against Punk? The same thing! He has been saying that Punk hasn`t earned anything until he beats Cena in an attempt to get title matches. He might as well be saying `one more match`.

Anyone else feel that this is totally out of character for Punk and Cena? Until very recently, nothing that Punk did was really `bad` to make him a heel. Even look at the match he had with Lawler a few weeks back - someone was telling lies about Punk and Punk called them out. it isn`t exactly heel action. Maybe it is just me but the whole angle seems off. thoughts?

Completely agree with that part. When I saw punk just slap delrio so he can start the match, I thought to myself " That is not something punk would do ". The way his character is acting makes no sense at all, and for no reason at all. Cena talking about how Punk needs to beat him makes no sense at all either.

The WWE is trying to make it seem, out of nowhere mind you, that nobody respects CM punk. That by itself makes no sense at all when he had the entire WWE " universe " behind him for almost a year.

They work well together and put on great matches, but the reason is stupid and its making punk do things that just are not him. He is not a weak and scared little heel, who runs away.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I have been watching Punk and Cena over the last few weeks and something has been nagging me - it doesn't make any sense.

The angle is supposed to be Punk wanting respect and Cena being the guy who he needs to beat in order to get that respect but Punk has beat Cena several times already for the title.

Did you see how those matches ended? They were not triumphant victories, they were clusterfucks. Sure Punk held his own in every contest except Raw 1000 but none of his wins were much to go in the Classic Pinfalls DVD.

Not only that, Punk has beaten several other people over the past year so he isn't some one-trick pony who wins the title and then brags about how good he is.

Last I checked Miz, Del Rio, Jericho, Kane and DB are not exactly the top tier of talent in WWE. None of them are HHH, Cena, Orton, Sheamus, or Lesnar. Sorry, I forget to mention his victory over Lawler. Punk even had some loses in his matches that were not title matches.

Add to this, Punk has never been the one asking for Cena's respect - Cena has been saying Punk hasn't earned it yet.

Punk's whole gimmick is demanding respect from EVERYONE. It's really annoying. Do you really find this behavior endearing?

Then look at Cena. Last year, we had Christian asking for one more match to try and win back the title he lost. This is what they used to turn him from face to heel because he kept asking for one more match when he clearly had no reason to have one. What has Cena done to get his matches against Punk? The same thing!

Now your being silly. For all the complaining about Cena winning all the time you guys do, you don't think that winning should turn in to a title match? For all Cena's title wins and drawing ability you don't think he deserves a title shot? You are just coming off as really biased.

He has been saying that Punk hasn`t earned anything until he beats Cena in an attempt to get title matches. He might as well be saying `one more match`.

I don't think that is what he is saying but Punk would get a hell of a lot more respect if he beat Cena, HHH, Lesnar, Orton or Sheamus clean.

Anyone else feel that this is totally out of character for Punk and Cena? Until very recently, nothing that Punk did was really `bad` to make him a heel.

So taking out the Rock who was just saving him and Cena from Big Show, berating a 62 year old commentator and yound woman, walking out on matches, kicking the 62 year old commentator in the back of the head, whining like a cunt, interfering in Cena's match with Del Rio, walking out on matches, walking out on the fans, aligning with Heyman and whining some more are not really 'bad' heelish tactics. Are you joking?

Even look at the match he had with Lawler a few weeks back - someone was telling lies about Punk and Punk called them out. it isn`t exactly heel action. Maybe it is just me but the whole angle seems off. thoughts?

Except it is not a lie. He clearly turned his backs on his fans. You just seem to appreciate the shape of his skinny fat ass too much to realize it. He's a heel and he would appreciate it if you would figure that out.

 

[MTL722]

What has Cena done to get his matches against Punk?

The answer to that question is obvious. He's John Cena. What has The Rock done to get a title match at the Royal Rumble? What has Del Rio done to earn title shot after title shot (that one I actually don't have an answer to but its WAYYY more frustrating than than Cena getting his shots)

Cena hasnt been CLEANLY pinned by CM Punk. Until that happens (it wont) Cena is going to keep saying that Punk hasn't beat him.

What I've hated more than anything in this feud is Cena saying the "by any means necessary" mentality does not deserve respect. Really John? It kind of made me lose respect for Cenas championship mentality that he wouldn't do whatever it takes

BTW, who do people in here think has earned a shot at the WWE title other than Cena. He's had one 1-on-1 match with Punk since last year at MITB and it was a draw. The others have been triple threat matches (Del Rio and Big Show) and a DQ caused by Big show.

I personally can't think of anyone who could challenge CM Punk other than Cena

 

[JJ15776]

Even look at the match he had with Lawler a few weeks back - someone was telling lies about Punk and Punk called them out. it isn`t exactly heel action. Maybe it is just me but the whole angle seems off. thoughts?

I was kinda with you until this point. But now you're clearly just a biased Punk fan. What "lie" was told about him? Lawler observed the truth and spoke it. And kicking a commentator in the head from behind isn't a heel action? Attacking him after a match isn't a heel action? When was the last time a face did either of those? (Hint: it's only when they're turning heel.)

As for the stuff about Cena, when are all these alleged defeats Cena has had at the hands of Punk? Since last year, Cena has had two one on one matches for the title against Punk. At Raw 1000, Cena WON the match. And at Night of Champions, it was a draw. So that makes Cena 1-0-1 against Punk in one on one title matches. Even with the triple threat, during which Cena wasn't involved in the fall, they're all even. I really can't see how Cena doesn't deserve another title match, or how you can compare it to Christian.

 

[Kelso1ftw]

Well the whole Punk vs Lawler thing was to help get a bit more heat on punk, Punk's character just feels like he has been kicked out of the spotlight even though he has been the champion for 300+ days and until last sunday he hasn't main evented a PPV since December, I think it was, and he doesn't think that him and the championship should take a back seat to anyone and he is being misused basically by the company. This is where he wants his respect he wants his spot at the top because he is sick of Cena being that #1 guy. and Cena's point is... he is basically earned so much respect he doesn't need the title to headline a PPV and he has earned it over the past 10 years compared to Punk who has only been on top of the world for the past year, compared to Cena who has been on top since 05 or 06. And to Punk's heel turn he has just been slowly becoming more and more heel like ever since he attacked The Rock on Raw 1000. I just hope he doesn't become a douche bag heel like we have seen. I want to see him as a bad ass heel that isn't a coward, but is just evil and wants to do bad things compared to some of these heels.

 

[Mikechase69]

I agree this feud is pretty boring and honestly what makes no sense at all is the WWE trying to make people think Punk was just heel champion for the whole 300+ days like he cheated in every match he defended the title in. I think the true failure of this whole storyline is the fact that Punk isn't getting over as a heel.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I don't see where the confusion comes it. This is what WWE does, hell every pro wrestling company does it. It doesn't matter what Punk did in his 270ish days as a face champion anymore because he is no longer a face. All that matters is the last month or so during his heel turn.

The only reason Punk doesn't "seem heel" is because there are fans who refuse to accept it. Most of them are the asshole fans who go out and purposely cheer every heel and boo every face to try to be cool. Punk is my favorite current wrestler, but he is a heel. You may not like it, but it is the truth. Yes the WWE has had to go to great lengths to get him there, and he is still getting cheered, but he is a heel. He isn't a tweener, he isn't that anti establishment guy he was last summer, he is a full blown loudmouth, sometimes cowardly heel. He will go to every length possible to get over as a heel because Punk loves wrestling and if it means going out and kicking puppies, Punk will do. He attacked The Rock, he beat up Jerry Lawler, he has tried to walk out of matches, he wore Yankee pinstripes in Boston, and he has aligned himself with Paul Heyman, who is the biggest heel manager since Bobby Heenan. He isn't going to be a badass heel, he will be a heel that makes you hate him because that is his job.

And you know what, I hope Cena isn't out too long. I'm not a Cena fan, but look at their last three one on one matches. MITB was the 2011 MOTY, Raw 1000 was a pretty solid match, and NOC was a great match. These two can put on a show when it's just them

 

[Airklot]

This feud makes perfect sense. Sure I admit punk has been a good champion and he has yet to really cheat to win, but on the same token even the times when punk beat cena they were not clean and if you are going to be the top dog then you have to beat the top dog clean not dirty.

I know that people tend to think wins and losses don't matter because matches are scripted but that is complete bs wins and losses do matter.

The way they matter is if you are a real wwe fan and have been watching the wwe long enough then you can look at every win and loss and depending on the way the wrestler loses or wins tells you how much the wwe is really behind them or who is the better of the 2. or who is getting pushed or depushed ect ect.

The way punk got his wins over cena has been billed in away where cm punk looked strong against cena but clearly since he has never pined cena clean then wwe is not interested in putting punk on cena's level.

Now if Punk was to ever beat cena clean then that would be a different story then that would mean the wwe wants to make him as big as cena but the fact they turned him heel before facing cena cleary means they don't want to put punk on cena's level and instead make punk look strong but not strong enough to be more powerful then cena which is why he hasn't beating cena clean yet. If they wanted punk on cena's level they would have let him beat cena clean their first go around.

 

[SacredMesa]

The concept of the fued is sound, it's WWE's execution of it that has been lacking.

When Punk came out and sat on the announce table and told Lawler "I'm the champion, I should be in the main event, I should be headlining PPVs I should be the focus on the company, because that is what this title means" I think pretty much everyone who has ever held respect for the WWE title said "finally." The champion not defending his title in main events is a disgrace and a slap in the face to both the title and the one holding it. It seemed like they where finally going to address this and create a great moment.

Then Cena stepped in with his side which effectively comes down to "you have to beat me to get respect" because apparently thats more important than hold the "richest prize in the industry"...WTF no he is not, no person is bigger than the WWE championship it is the holy grail of the company that thing people have spent their entire lives to achieve, it should ALWAYS be front and center seen as the biggest thing the company has to offer.

If instead of Cena's coming out with that line of stupidity and instead came out and said "you know you're right Punk the title has not been given the proper respect it deserves and neither have you. Let's change that and at Night of Champions let's put it front and center main event CM Punk vs John Cena" and in general just put over the title as extremely important it would of came off much better. It would of been able to slow build with NoC being the place that Punk finally turned full fledged heel in order to retain the title in the main event.

Starting the build of as two guys who respect each other and want to see the title returned to it's proper place as the most important thing in the WWE only for a bought of mutual respect to end with betrayal, and in this case Paul Heyman leading said betrayal, would of been fantastic.


Right now it was rushed, poorly thought out and executed rather patheticly and it shows as neither Punk nor Cena seem very interesting in this current fued. Bad writing has ruined a perfect storm yet again.

 

[BK Styles]

I have been watching Punk and Cena over the last few weeks and something has been nagging me - it doesn't make any sense.

The angle is supposed to be Punk wanting respect and Cena being the guy who he needs to beat in order to get that respect but Punk has beat Cena several times already for the title. Not only that, Punk has beaten several other people over the past year so he isn't some one-trick pony who wins the title and then brags about how good he is. Add to this, Punk has never been the one asking for Cena's respect - Cena has been saying Punk hasn't earned it yet.

Then look at Cena. Last year, we had Christian asking for one more match to try and win back the title he lost. This is what they used to turn him from face to heel because he kept asking for one more match when he clearly had no reason to have one. What has Cena done to get his matches against Punk? The same thing! He has been saying that Punk hasn`t earned anything until he beats Cena in an attempt to get title matches. He might as well be saying `one more match`.

Anyone else feel that this is totally out of character for Punk and Cena? Until very recently, nothing that Punk did was really `bad` to make him a heel. Even look at the match he had with Lawler a few weeks back - someone was telling lies about Punk and Punk called them out. it isn`t exactly heel action. Maybe it is just me but the whole angle seems off. thoughts?

The thing with Cena being beat by Punk is this; show me one time that Punk has pinned Cena clean. With no kind of interference (John Laurinitas @ Money in the Bank 2011, Cena's MITB cash in this year) dusty finish (Summerslam 2011 - Cena's foot on the ropes, double pin from NOC this year) etc. One-on-one, Punk has yet to gain that big, no strings attached victory over the biggest star in the WWE.

Not only that, but look at who Punk has beaten in his reign. Ziggler, Del Rio, Miz, Jericho, Kane, Daniel Bryan and Mark Henry. Not a bad list, but at any point did Punk look like he'd lose to any of them? the only ones I'd say were legit threats there would be Bryan and MAYBE Jericho. No-one on there is a comparable threat to Cena.

Furthermore, Punk's heel turn makes sense if you listen to what he's saying. He's sick of not being the main event, despite being the champion. What kick-started this? Rock being in a title match at the Rumble for no reason other than him being The Rock. And who has been in the main event when Punk hasn't? John Cena. He wants Cena, the guy who in his eyes has taken the spotlight from him, to admit that Punk is the best. Cena won't do that as he believes he is better. And if Punk turns against Cena, he's turning against the biggest face character in the WWE. Having a heel Punk vs a face Cena makes more sense here than face vs face, mainly because Punk plays the heel so well, and WWE want Cena to be the good guy. Keeping Punk good will have a lot of noise in his corner and a lot of boos in Cena's.

And as far as Cena's title matches against Punk go; the first against Punk this year was his Money in the Bank cash-in. The second was a triple threat with Big Show, as Punk took both of them out in the #1 contenders match. The third was Punk choosing Cena as long as Cena would admit Punk was the best, then AJ made it official. Cena being in title matches with Punk simply cannot be compared to Christian's 'one more match' shtick.

I get what you're saying here, but I completely disagree. It does feel like it's maybe missing something (though I do believe that the feud is starting to take my interest more now) but it does make sense.

 

[Irig]

In WWE Terms Cena is FACE and Punk is a heel! But WWE has better story for Punk as a heel that makes you feel that he's right about what he's saying. At one Point when Cena was even bluffing to Punk reign as not worthy with Bret in the ring made me think a little bit. Is WWE making Cena a heel indirectly in this feud by making him to say false reports ?

The story between Punk and Cena is well done IMO. But as i said at times its confusing too. I like Punk more than Cena and nothing would make me hate him same goes for Cena fans. WWE accepts that fact and is trying to keep general audience as well as fans Happy which isn't easy by any means but so far they've done a good job.

 

[Wald]

The thing with Cena being beat by Punk is this; show me one time that Punk has pinned Cena clean. With no kind of interference (John Laurinitas @ Money in the Bank 2011, Cena's MITB cash in this year) dusty finish (Summerslam 2011 - Cena's foot on the ropes, double pin from NOC this year) etc. One-on-one, Punk has yet to gain that big, no strings attached victory over the biggest star in the WWE.

Bingo!

But I agree that the WWE have done a poor job of promoting this idea. Cena could have said he's still in the main event because Punk has never really beaten him, Punk could say he is, Cena could say he hasn't and hey presto we have a legitimate reason for them wanting to settle this in the ring.

Sadly WWE did a 'WWE Creative' on it and screwed it up. Still time to recover however. That said, the logical step here is for Punk to win at Hell in a Cell (even if it's cheap) to keep him the champ for the Rock at Royal Rumble. WWE will probably have Cena win to switch back to Punk at Survivor Series and ruin the whole angle though

 

[Darkseifer330]

Not really confusing at all. Punk wanting respect, Cena being handed title shots, main events, etc. The main idea around the feud is that Punk feels he isn't getting any respect because Cena is always in the main event and Punk wants respect or deserve more credit (which he does IMO). Sometimes it might stray like what happened these past few weeks, but if you stick to it, it's pretty understandable.

 

[King Patrick Star]

I agree to a degree. It does seem kind of off and everything you said is the only thing that really makes sense out of this storyline. Punk is the WWE Champion, which in my opinion makes him the “Champion of Champions”. Cena is whining without actually whining. The words in their promos are being twisted so that it makes it seem like Cena is the Face and Punk is the Heel in the views of women and children. If you listen closely to the words they are saying, in my opinion, it’s more like Punk is saying “I’m the WWE Champion. For some reason, I feel like Bret Hart at WM IX.” to which Cena is replying, “Yes, you’re the WWE Champion, but I am Hulk Hogan at WM IX.” It kind of reminds me of Pixar movies where it’s animated for kids, but the dialogue has underlying adult oriented content that kids wouldn’t pick up on until they are older.

Actually, after re-reading what the OP said and typing what I wrote, I do agree completely. It’s as confusing as Kane saying he’s the Tag Team Champion and Daniel Bryan saying he’s the Tag Team Champion. Don’t they know there are two Tag Team Title Belts??

 

[Mustang Sally]

Punk's whole gimmick is demanding respect from EVERYONE. It's really annoying.

That's the essence of it. Good guys have been going bad since pro wrestling was invented, but it's especially hard to manage when you've been depicting yourself as the epitome of virtue ("I'm the Voice of the Voiceless") and are now using highly questionable means to accomplish what should be done with admirable behavior and noble deeds.

All along, Punk has let us know that even while Cena is technically his enemy (as is any contender to his title), Punk still has admiration for his toughest opponent, informing us he actually likes the guy. That's being as "face" as "face" can be, no?

Now, it's changed. We're witnessing sneak attacks on unsuspecting foes, underhanded practices in the ring, and unprovoked assaults on legends (Jerry Lawler)......even as Punk continues to tell us how great he is. The company is looking to convince us to hate Punk and it's finally working, notwithstanding his enthusiastic reception in Chicago, which seemed to work against what the company was trying to accomplish.

Confused?......perhaps a little, but that's par for the course in a complex transition like this one. Punk and Cena are doing great, as they always do. Don't fool yourself: Punk needs Cena; John is the only one worthy of acting as a foil to Punk's face change. With anyone else, the program would be far less effective.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm not really seeing what's so confusing about it. Aside from feuding over the title, both of these men are feuding over pride. At the end of the day, when it comes to two combatants whether they're in movies or television or in a choreographed sport like pro wrestling; all you have left sometimes is pride.

CM Punk calls himself the best wrestler in the world. He did it while he was a face and he does it as a heel. John Cena thinks he's the best in the world because that's the mind set he has to have in order to go out there and win. When you look back over the entire course of CM Punk's run as WWE Champion, John Cena is still the "face" of the company. Realistically, that's the way it should be as Cena is someone that's been a proven long term draw for years. From the perspective of kayfabe, it gives someone that's been a very strong champion a legitimate gripe that's precipitated a logical turn in character personality.

Cena's the one that's making movies, he's the one facing The Rock, he's the one that's the "center of attention". CM Punk is the strongest World Champion the WWE has seen in years, yet Cena is still the one that the company rallies behind constantly. If you look at it from a realistic perspective, it's easy to see how that could rub someone the wrong way. If you're working hard at your job and performing excelling but you get passed over for promotions in favor of guys that you see, and many others might see, as simply being not as good as you are; that's gonna stick in your craw.

Punk's whining about not being given his due amount of respect, to me, doesn't sound so much like whining as it does about him simply stating how things look from his perspective. When you take into account that, traditionally, the top champion is simultaneously the "top guy" but that isn't the case here, then you've got the foundation for a potential big money feud.

Since Punk has been champion, how many posts have you read across the net saying that Punk should be the top guy? How many times have you read posts saying that he should be the one closing out the television shows and ppvs? How many posts have you read suggesting that Punk's been mistreated by WWE as champion? How many gripes have you read about Punk's run being irrelevant because he's not currently in Cena's spot? Throughout this current program, the WWE has been pushing a lot of the hot buttons of the IWC. It's not the first time the WWE has employed such tactics in a feud and, as usual, they're manipulating the IWC with casual ease.

 

[Raito]

Punk's whole gimmick is demanding respect from EVERYONE. It's really annoying. Do you really find this behavior endearing?

Maybe I have a chip on my shoulder but YES I DO. I don't like most people Punk has to face, and enjoy Punk interacting with those I do. This guy has been the man. He has done it. He is better than the guys I dont like, and beaten them.

"I'll kick you in the nuts and you'll smile and me and like it AND SHOW ME SOME RESPECT!"

This isn't new behavoir. This is why we have always liked him. A Punk with a chip on his shoulder is a Punk that will f*** s*** up. And for at least a year he's been in my top 2 personal draw cards.

As for the OP, I think you're giving the WWE and CM punk too little credit. Cena will be supported/hated no matter what. CM Punk likes a slow heel turn. CM Punk the Jeff Hardy hater was actually almost always in the moral high ground. CM Punk the Straight Edge Savoir generally spoke from true moral high ground. CM Punk the Nexus leader took Randy Orton and John Cena to task for their moral failings and hypocrisies. Being in the right, a POPULAR guy does not make however. Punk has always been great at drawing heat with this. And I, maybe as an asshole, do find this endearing.

 

[steven87gill]

The only reason Punk doesn't "seem heel" is because there are fans who refuse to accept it. Most of them are the asshole fans who go out and purposely cheer every heel and boo every face to try to be cool.

Wow, so fans who don't agree with Punk's heel turn are assholes then?

Nice.

Those 'asshole' fans as you so eloquently put it, make Vince a ton of money, and that's why he likes to cater to them now and then.

It's why WWE now sell 'Let's go Cena, Cena sucks' T-shirts (despite Cena allegedly not approving of it) And it's probably why The Rock beat John Cena in Miami, despite everyone and his mother predicting Cena would 'overcome the odds'.

Whining that 'it's the fans fault' is letting the creative team off the hook for bad decisions in my view.

 

[MrLamper]

I've noticed something very interesting.

If Punk remains WWE Champion up until Royal Rumble [Regardless of whether he loses it there or not] then he would have the longest title reign since Hulk Hogan won it at WrestleMania 1!

I don't know if that proves he's the best in the world, but I certainly think it proves that WWE and Vince is well and truly behind CM Punk.

If his title reign runs this long off his 2nd official reign with it, and it ended before day 380, that would be a bit of a shame in my eyes; especially with Triple H pushing for longer and more meaningful title reigns!


If anyone is interested:

Punk holding the title up to RR would put him at 435 consecutive days as champion.
The next longest is John Cena at 380 days.

The ones, in order, which are longer than CM Punk at RR - according to the wikipedia page about it and since the start of the WWE title [WWF/WWWF, etc] - would be:



Bob Backlund 672
Bob Backlund 763
Pedro Morales 1027
Bruno Sammartino 1237
Hulk Hogan 1474
Bob Backlund 2135
Bruno Sammartino 2803

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Wow, so fans who don't agree with Punk's heel turn are assholes then?

Nice.

I wouldn't call them assholes, although some of the fans certainly are. If you're someone that's ever attended a live WWE show and tried to enjoy yourself, there are often fans that make it hard to do that because they're trying to act like idiots. I was at a WWE house show in Lexington last year and a guy jumped the railing and streaked around the ringside area with "Cena Sux" spray painted across his ass while his dumbass friends were there at ringside cheering him on like he'd done something amazing. While that's an extreme example, some fans are more concerned with trying to come off as edgy by cheering for heels and booing bad guys, the traditional foundation upon which wrestling feuds are built upon, or ragginga bout this or that instead of actually trying to enjoy the age old story of good against bad like fans of past generations.

Those 'asshole' fans as you so eloquently put it, make Vince a ton of money, and that's why he likes to cater to them now and then.

It's why WWE now sell 'Let's go Cena, Cena sucks' T-shirts (despite Cena allegedly not approving of it) And it's probably why The Rock beat John Cena in Miami, despite everyone and his mother predicting Cena would 'overcome the odds'.

Whining that 'it's the fans fault' is letting the creative team off the hook for bad decisions in my view.

I don't think Vince caters to them so much as he simply pushes some of the more common hot buttons of smarks to get a rise out of them. You know why WWE started selling anti-Cena shirts? Because there was a demand for them. It wasn't something that WWE set out to do or started, but it was an opportunity and they made the most of it. Contrary to what some want to believe, not all WWE fans hate John Cena. Not all of his detractors are grown men and not all of his biggest fans are women & children. I've been to shows, and I've seen on television, people participating in the "Cena Sucks" side of the famous duel chant while wearing John Cena gear. I've seen grown men wearing Cena Sucks shirts chanting "Let's Go Cena" while 12 year old boys wearing Cena hats chant "Cena Sucks".

Sometimes, quite frankly, it is the fault of the fans. What's ultimately happening in this feud is the bread and butter of pro wrestling feuds for generations. If you were to eliminate Miss Elizabeth as a factor, then the 1989 feud of Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage, culminating at WrestleMania V, was built almost exactly like Punk and Cena. Even though Savage was champion, Savage saw that Hogan was still portrayed as the bigger star, which he was. It was part of a string of frustrations that ultimately boiled over. Savage was suspicious that Hogan was trying to make a move on his girl and, in his mind, abandoned him to get demolished in a tag match against Big Bossman and Ahkeem. Is that exactly what happened? Of course not, but perception's a whacky thing. Ignoring the legit personal issues between Bret Hart & Shawn Michaels and leaving it strictly kayfabe, there were a lot of similarities to Punk and Cena. Two guys that were at the top, had respect for what the other could do but didn't really like one another. These are only a couple of examples.

Sometimes creative does screw up, there's no denying that. Sometimes wrong choices are made, wrong guys get pushed and angles take place that really shouldn't have. At the same time, sometimes it really is the fans as they're too busy condemning something often times without even giving it a chance. If you sit and nitpick at everything, you're bound to find something to complain about.

 

[I am Mr. Excitement]

The current storyline for Punk and Cena may not make sense now but it will eventually. And I may be speaking too early but the fued between Cena and Punk will go down in WWE history as one of the greatest fueds in WWE history. This fued basically is like the Austin/Rock fued of this era. Like it or not we will probably see this same fued next year and years to come. It may not seem to make sense now but the WWE needs this fued. Just like The Rock needed Stone Cold like Edge needed Cena, like Shawn Michaels needed Bret Hart and like Hogan needed Piper, these guys are the top two in the business today and is the best fued goin on right now in WWE. But eventually what will happen is Orton will be on RAW more in the future and Punk will be on Smackdown more. Just my opinion.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

I've noticed something very interesting.

If Punk remains WWE Champion up until Royal Rumble [Regardless of whether he loses it there or not] then he would have the longest title reign since Hulk Hogan won it at WrestleMania 1!

I don't know if that proves he's the best in the world, but I certainly think it proves that WWE and Vince is well and truly behind CM Punk.

If his title reign runs this long off his 2nd official reign with it, and it ended before day 380, that would be a bit of a shame in my eyes; especially with Triple H pushing for longer and more meaningful title reigns!


If anyone is interested:

Punk holding the title up to RR would put him at 435 consecutive days as champion.
The next longest is John Cena at 380 days.

The ones, in order, which are longer than CM Punk at RR - according to the wikipedia page about it and since the start of the WWE title [WWF/WWWF, etc] - would be:



Bob Backlund 672
Bob Backlund 763
Pedro Morales 1027
Bruno Sammartino 1237
Hulk Hogan 1474
Bob Backlund 2135
Bruno Sammartino 2803

You can take out those last two for Backlund, because the WWE doesn't actually recognize those as separate reigns. In both cases, the belt was held up for whatever reasons (unplanned though), and quickly put back onto Backlund and swept under the rug.

Yes though, I hope they keep going with Punk as champ for a while still. Considering how long they had him as champ, but playing second fiddle to Cena... it seems to me at least that his reign is just finally getting started, and is totally fresh.

We're not ever going to see him get into Pedro territory (1000+ days), but a good year+ title reign will be refreshing. It's just too bad that last year, they decided to hot shot the belt around for a couple months between Punk reigns, because he could already be looking at a 400 day+ reign right now.