Is Punk's momentum gone? Is HE done?

[It's...Baylariat!]

After the shear disgrace of his match with Cena, it seems to me that Punk is now on the back burner and isn't considered an 'elite' wrestler anymore. Either Punk's still in the doghouse for his dress code incident, or the WWE brass doesn't have faith in him being a long term gimmick that can last.

So after watching Raw, is Punk done? Can he get his momentum back? And if he can, how?

 

[Toroc102]

He can get his momentum back no problem, its all a matter of if WWE lets him get it back, which I'm starting to doubt they want him to.

On that note, WOW I can't believe they squashed him, it sickens me, he just had a very good match with Cena a few weeks ago and now he gets squashed? WTF.

 

[RavensFlock1990]

Sadly it loooks like WWE has completely dropped the ball with him. Punk really stands out right now when almost everyone else (Cena,Orton,Jericho,Taker,etc.) feels like watching a robot stuck on repeat. He just feels natural as a heel and makes me think and really believe at times that "hey I wonder if he really acts that way in real life". Plus he's a solid wrestler which is also a plus.

It just confuses me how a great talent like Punk gets buried over a little dress code comment yet a guy like Orton that shits in diva luggage bags and destroys hotel rooms is constantly in the spotlight when he sucks on the mic and couldn't wrestle his way out of a wet paper bag.

So yeah his momentum is long gone but since he's a 3 time world champ that always leaves the door open for him to main event again.

 

[Dagger Dias]

So after watching Raw, is Punk done? Can he get his momentum back? And if he can, how?

Alright, so that wasn't exactly the best match he has ever had.... I still think Punk can get his momentum back and that he is not done yet. If this has to do with that dress code comment then he has been squashed by both Taker and Cena. So I would say that they are probably done "punishing" him for that.

I think he can get his momentum back by winning the next feud he is involved with, and then moving on to feud with an upper midcarder or a main eventer and have him win that feud as well. By winning both of those feuds he will be re-established as a threat to the world title and can try to go for that again. I haven't given up on Punk yet because things will probably turn around eventually.... although it may take a while, after Wrestlemania would be my guess.

 

[The Roid Rage]

C.M. Punk is not done by a long shot, and tonight was not an indicator of anything different. Him getting squashed by Cena tonight wasn't meant to take anything away from C.M. Punk and it didn't in my view. It merely showed Cena's resolve and determination. If anything it should have made Cena look better because it was C.M. Punk that he just squashed, not make Punk look weak because he got squashed.

I do think that the "self-righteous-straight-edge" thing is wearing thin with people though and that WWE has noticed it. A good tip off to that would be the introduction of Luke Gallows aka Festus. That's supposed to spark interest, and get your attention back on him. Now C.M. Punk has a minion and a bodyguard that swears by anything he says which makes him look better every time he is seen with Gallows. He serves as the testament of truth to C.M. Punk's words which is supposed to infuriate you and draw more heat onto Punk as he and his bodyguard use heel mentality and tactic to gain cheap wins, and upset victories over beloved faces.

Clearly they are trying to do what they can to keep him hot, not the opposite as inferred by the previous posters. The fact that he was on Raw, winning a Slammy, and in a match with a guy who is one day off of a title run should tell you that they aren't burying him, punishing him, or misusing him. He also has had a lot of mic time on Smack Down every week to push his agenda, raise his heat, and stay fresh in all our minds. Need I mention as did C.M. Punk that he has been World Heavyweight Champion twice in the past year??? Or how about the fact that just earlier in the year he sent Jeff Hardy packing from WWE(kayfabe) and so on and so on. C.M. Punk is doing just fine, there is no conspiracy against him, and the WWE has shown that they have every amount of faith in him. Tonight was nothing. Don't worry about it.

 

[jmt225]

CM Punk is the same guy that lost CLEANLY to Hardcore Holly. Yes, Hardcore Holly. If he can overcome that burial, then he can certainly overcome this.... lol.

Look, I did not agree with WWE's decision last night in having Punk lose that quickly, but this is in no way an indication of things to come. Why? Simple, CM Punk is by far and large WWE's most reliable wrestler. WWE doesn't ever have to worry about Punk failing a drug test, Punk missing shows, Punk hurting himself or his opponents, etc. Seriously, since Punk has made his debut, when has he had any time off? Never, that's when. The guy is the PERFECT company man. And when someone has as much talent as Punk has, and is THAT reliable, oh yeah... WWE is going to keep this guy for a very long time, and plenty of pushes and titles lay ahead for this phenomenal wrestler. There's no doubt in my mind about that.

 

[iceninja]

He didn't loose just to be punished again fo his dress code thing.
He lost because he was against Cena who just lost the title and on RAW (cenas turf) and it was for superstar of the year. Decided by wwe you would presume as it was done via matches. No way Cena was losing twice in a row for some smidge of importance in the WWE Universe.

 

[Toroc102]

I would say that up until this point, he was doing fine, normally I'm not one to overreact, but this kind of loss does nothing good for his career.

" If anything it should have made Cena look better because it was C.M. Punk that he just squashed, not make Punk look weak because he got squashed."

Cena is the top guy in the WWE, how much better does he need to look, or more accurately how much better can he look? He's already the umpteen(who knows I can't keep track anymore seems like everyone gets 5 reigns a year)champ. Main-Eventers squashing Main-Eventers does not help anyone it only hurts the loser.

"Clearly they are trying to do what they can to keep him hot, not the opposite as inferred by the previous posters. The fact that he was on Raw, winning a Slammy, and in a match with a guy who is one day off of a title run should tell you that they aren't burying him, punishing him, or misusing him. He also has had a lot of mic time on Smack Down every week to push his agenda, raise his heat, and stay fresh in all our minds. C.M. Punk is doing just fine."

Again I'll say that he WAS doing fine, but this is just a big pothole in CM Punks road. The fact that he was fresh off winning a slammy and still couldn't even put up a fight against a guy he'd just had a good match with a few weeks ago makes him seem like he is not anywhere near Cena's level. It just wasn't neccessary for them to squash him.

 

[The Roid Rage]

Cena is the top guy in the WWE, how much better does he need to look, or more accurately how much better can he look?

Good point, but I'll counter. When John Cena is coming off of a loss to a guy that hasn't even been around a year, that's when he needs to look better. When he looses his title to a nobody that's also when he needs to look better. What was done, was done to show that he is still the top guy, not anything against Punk. He was just the casualty to Super-Cena tonight, that's all there was to it. Any sentiments over Punk are wasted, as it has been made very clear that he is just fine.

The fact that he was fresh off winning a slammy and still couldn't even put up a fight against a guy he'd just had a good match with a few weeks ago makes him seem like he is not anywhere near Cena's level.

On the contrary. C.M. Punk wouldn't have even been in a match with Cena if he wasn't on his level. And the fact that Punk had just won a Slammy and lost is irrelevant to the match. And once again, you are looking at it like C.M. Punk just had nothing. No, he had plenty but as I mentioned in my last post, this was meant to be a rebound night for Cena, it was meant to keep him looking strong, since he was made to look so weak and stupid last night. In order for those kids to keep making mommy and daddy but the Cena merchandise, they have to still believe in their hero, and tonight was just apart of keeping the fans believing.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Punk is not done after his match last night with Cena. The indicator will be his next feud with whoever it may be. If he comes out looking strong, then he will be just fine. The Punk/R-Truth feud doesn't appear to be over yet so Punk can still regain momentum. They have invested too much in Punk now to bury him and he is one of their most reliable superstars.

 

[The Best At What I Do]

While I agree with Toroc102, I just pray that you are correct TheGameRage. I just finished ranting about how Cena didn't need to squash Punk like that in the slammy awards forum so I'll not do it here hahaha... but seriously his promo after the match was literally four times longer than the match itself . Anyways, Punk is a very reliable if not THE most reliable talent the WWE has and there should be no reason he's not back at the top with championship gold. He can definitely regain his momentum, but there was absolutely no need for such a squashing

 

[BooCocky]

What the fuck are you all talking about? Punk went for the GTS early and Cena reversed it into the STF... I don't really see the harm in that loss. Cena lost to Sheamus therefore he needed a win. Everytime someone loses they don't lose momentum nor are they getting buried. He'll bounce back one quick loss doesn't kill everything. Cena lose quickly at the elimination chamber and he's turned out all right this year...

 

[Smooth Sexual Chocolate]

I don't think its fair to say that Punk has lost all momentum, sure he was thrown into a two minute squash match with Cena and ended up looking like a total jobber. That's the extent of it though.

I mean not every wrestler can't be in the main event at the same time, and clearly their are some plans for punk. He seems to be in the process of forming his own stable, and instead of just throwing it together they seem to be taking their time and making sure they get it right. On top of that he was still one of only four wrestlers up for the award superstar of the year. Putting punk in with then likes of Taker, Orton, and Cena. It sure would have been a shocker for punk to pull it out, but he clearly was not in position to go over Cena and Orton in the same night.

Sure the squash of punk may have left a bad taste in your mouth, but the fact is Punk is one of the few who has been getting mike time on a regular basis, he goes over talent on Smackdown all the time, just because he's not holding the title doesn't mean he's in the doghouse.

 

[mattg0728]

I think now that DX has the unified Tag belts then I think it would be perfect for Punk and the wrestler formerly known as Festus to maybe challenge them. Punk can come out and be opposed to DX's lifestyle and how they act. It could turn out to be a good feud. I would love to see some Punk vs Michaels matches also.

 

[Toroc102]

Good point, but I'll counter. When John Cena is coming off of a loss to a guy that hasn't even been around a year, that's when he needs to look better. When he looses his title to a nobody that's also when he needs to look better. What was done, was done to show that he is still the top guy, not anything against Punk. He was just the casualty to Super-Cena tonight, that's all there was to it. Any sentiments over Punk are wasted, as it has been made very clear that he is just fine.

I guess we'll disagree on that point, even having lost to Sheamus last night, I don't think its possible for Cena to be any more over. Like you said one loss doesn't hurt anyone, especially someone thats been put over HUGE for the past 7 years. However one squash match does often lead to a gap in momentum for the loser. I'm not even saying Cena didn't have to win, obviously he is Vince's top guy, he just didn't need to squash Punk. For instance, I don't think you'll ever see Cena getting squashed ever again, that would make him look weak. Its not just about the win and the loss, but about how you win and lose.

On the contrary. C.M. Punk wouldn't have even been in a match with Cena if he wasn't on his level. And the fact that Punk had just won a Slammy and lost is irrelevant to the match. And once again, you are looking at it like C.M. Punk just had nothing. No, he had plenty but as I mentioned in my last post, this was meant to be a rebound night for Cena, it was meant to keep him looking strong, since he was made to look so weak and stupid last night. In order for those kids to keep making mommy and daddy but the Cena merchandise, they have to still believe in their hero, and tonight was just apart of keeping the fans believing.

Him being in the match made it look like he was somewhat on Cena's level, but I'm willing to guess that most people, even regular old fans thought Cena was going to win. Him getting squashed just makes it seem like he's even lower on the totem pole. Also, I think it makes him look lower on the pole than UT and Orton as well. Orton and Undertaker were able to have a relatively even back and forth match, and UT got to lose in a way that didn't make him look bad. Out of all the participants in the match I left the night feeling it was Punk--------UT--Orton--Cena, and realistically thats the way it is, Punks already been squashed by UT, and luckily he's been kept away from Orton.

All in all, I think Punk will be fine as long as he stays off of Raw, he was obviously gaining a lot of momentum on SD recently, but a loss like this always makes me question what the WWE's plans are. I've been following WWE as a smark for a long time now and a squash like this is never a good thing for the wrestler receiving it. Not only is it bad in the eyes of the viewer, but there is usually some sort of agenda behind it.

 

[xterritory]

Jeff Hardy put over CM Punk brilliantly before his departure and since he has lost his World Heavyweight championship to The Undertaker he has definitely lost a lot of momentum thanks to the way he has been booked.

A wrestler the callibre of CM Punk has now jobbed to Cena twice in the past month or so which is ridiculous considering he is a much better all round wrestler than Cena and at one point had to tap to the STF in 3 mins just to give Cena some credibility back after losing his title to Sheamus.

CM Punk is now back down to mid card maybe trying to get over R-Truth and is forced to side with a former tag team wrestler in Festus.

So yeah he has lost momentum and we are forced to see CM Punk getting used poorly until they decide to showcase him properly. I would love to see a Jericho/Punk feud on Smackdown.

 

[ahhitsreck]

Punk's momentum isn't gone, is he being booked badly? I wouldnt say so. All in all this is his job and if he has to job to Cena (who is one of WWE's biggest stars) or help R-Truth and Festus (or Luke Gallows) get over then he must do his job. He obviously still gets over pretty well as a heel so IMO he hasnt lost anything but the World Championship (which again The Undertaker is one of the WWE's biggest stars).

 

[Alex]

I see Punk doing a Jericho, going bewteen the Main Event and Midcard, to me he doesn't have the Main Event staying power, so occasionally going to the Midcard would freshen him up a bit