Is the WWE Championship "Interesting" Again?

[Dr. IaN]

Oh shut the fuck up all of you. You people never know what you want, do you?

The WWE Championship has been interesting. CM Punk is one of the best in the ring. He's one of the best on the mic. What's there not to like? Because he never did anything special or out of the ordinary with the title? Who gives a shit! You all worship Dwayne Johnson, but did he ever do anything special? Not a knock on him as champ, but he never did anything special with the title. He's great on the mic, but that's it.
Also, anyone calling him a nerd is an idiot who thinks every wrestler has to be a steroid filled junkie.

You all pleaded to have Punk and Bryan as champs. You have them, and what do you do? You bitch that they're champs. Who gives a shit if they're not doing anything that pleases you specifically. It's gotten them over. Punk sells just as much merch as Cena now. Bryan gets massive heat thanks to his arrogant gimmick. They're over, and doing a great job as champs. Everyone here is just bitching for the sake of bitching.

I couldn't agree more with you. Bryan and Punk as the champs are fun. At least to people with actual skill are holding the title. Punk has been holding the title since Survivor Series, which has been a great reign. Just because he doesn't drop a pipebomb every five seconds doesn't stop the fact that the guy is great in the ring and is over with fans. 'Super Punk'? Really? He overcomes the odds in his first really meaningful WWE title reign and people are comparing him to 'Super Cena'? I agree with some forms of Punk's booking being messed up, but it's has to be for a good reason. Let's not jump the gun on things, the WWE title is better than it was last year with that stupid "hot potato" game Cena, Punk, and ADR did.

In my honest opinion, the WWE title is getting interesting again. I"m not completely into it, but Punk is doing what he can.

 

[Champ1432]

I'm not sure exactly what people were expecting, IMO the title is interesting enough.

This seems like more typical complaints from that section of the IWC that just can't be satisfied. Everyone was pouting and whining for the IWC darlings Punk and Bryan to get pushed. Now they both have the titles and it's still not good enough. You can say Bryan has been more interesting, but I think that's just due to their characters currently. Bryan can jump around and say "YES!!" constantly because he's playing the cowardly heel. Punk, as a face, can't do that kind of thing. In fact, I would say, in general, it's easier for a heel to be "interesting" or "edgy" than it is for a face. A face can only go so far in what he says or does, where a heel doesn't have the same boundaries. Sure, there are exceptions, with people like Austin or the Rock, but those were more "badass faces", if you will. Not every face can be a badass, or that would be boring as well. I'm not saying it's impossible for a face to be interesting, just a little harder, which has a lot to do with the recent trend of heels being more popular or cheered more. Just my opinion.

Also, I think a lot of people expected Punk to deliver the type of pipe bombs he was dishing out last summer, every week. That's just not possible. Because that was so good though, people will say anything short of that is boring or dull. But it just can't be that way all the time. You can blame the booking or the writing, and there may be some valid points there. But it is partially up to the wrestler as well to make it interesting. And I'm not denegrating Punk or saying he's not doing that. I think his run has been interesting for the most part. Could it be better? Sure, I suppose. Just about anything COULD be better. But in the end, the guy who most people wanted to have the title has it, and he's getting a more than decent run in my opinon. Be happy with that. Besides, I'm sure as we get closer to Mania and his feud with Jericho heats up, it will get even more interesting.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I could be wrong here but Punk talked about making wrestling interesting again only when he was feuding with Cena and Triple H. The moment he joined forces with HHH, he changed his character a bit. In the lead up to Money In the Bank and immediately after, he was portraying the voice of the internet smarks and was supposedly trying to purge wrestling off its evils. The problem was that wrestling has few "evils" at this point. I mean, look at his promos with HHH. Sure, Punk could have been booked better but the point was that Punk had little going for him in that gimmick and so they changed it around before it started making Punk look like a dumbass.

Since then, Punk has kept the badass features of his gimmick like being anti authority but he has stopped his rants about changing wrestling. His title reign has been pretty good when you consider whom he has had to work with. The feud with Alberto was rather interesting and featured some cool moments like Punk imitating Eddie Guerrero or the way in which Punk made Del Rio agree for a title match. The feud with Ziggler has made both Ziggler and Lauraniatis look good which is quite an achievement because I thought that Lauraniatis was going to be a total failure as heel GM. The feud with Jericho will obviously be the best of the lot and it's slow build has kept me interested.

All in all, if your expectations have not been sky high, Punk has done a good job. Certainly a better job that Miz or Del Rio and dare say a better job than Cena if you only consider his last one or two title reigns.

 

[nmccarroll91]

Like so many have already said, Punk is a Great Athlete and can actually wrestle, but its obvious in recent years that to become a champion being able to wrestle isnt enough.

Now Punk has provided some of the best Promos in the past few years, but even with that and his ability in the ring there still seems to be something missing...

In 2002 they created the Undisputed Title
In 2005 the Spinner belt was introduced
And now in 2012 i honestly think its time the WWE did something to change the belts...
Maybe its time to unify the World and WWE belts? Because at the minute neither of the belts seem to mean anything to anyone...

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Maybe its time to unify the World and WWE belts? Because at the minute neither of the belts seem to mean anything to anyone...

That's what needs to happen I think. If they unify the titles, it will create interest in not only the champions but the championships themselves. They could base the entire hype of a PPV around the unification of the belts.

This would pave the way for a re-designed belt and immediately there would be interest and stories from that.

 

[Juvenal]

Punk's reign as champion hasn't been THAT bad. Its been better than Cena's reign. We usually get the same old Cena fighting against the odds against a bigger man or he simply demolishes them at the end(SuperMan).

I've been a huge Punk fan since the beginning, but I'm not gonna be biased. Punk's reign has been disappointing, but he has given us great matches! Punk/Rio at Survivor Series. Punk/Rio/Miz at TLC. The Ziggler/Punk match at the RR was eh due to the interference. The Chamber match was pretty good. But the reason why it hasn't been interesting is cause of booking!

Punk's reign has been overshadowed by Cena. With the whole feud between Kane and Rock, its been shadowing Punk. WWE also has to change the championship. Hopefully they change it after Wrestlemania or present it that day after Punk or Jericho wins the match. Would be an awesome Wrestlemania moment.

Another major thing! Punk hasn't face anyone with the same mic skills or star power as him. With Jericho in the picture, it will begin to get better.

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

Some people just don't get it. CM Punk himself said "I will make the WWE Championship "Intresting" again. But what did he do to make it intresting ? Did his promos improve ? NO... His promos started sucking. He started talking childish bullshit thats something Cena does.

Did his matches improve ? NO...His matches started being more mediocre since winning the WWE title. Point is CM Punk has done nothing different from other champions.

 

[Champ1432]

Another major thing! Punk hasn't face anyone with the same mic skills or star power as him. With Jericho in the picture, it will begin to get better.

You can say the same thing about Cena when he has the belt. Most of the time the person he would be facing isn't going to be as good on the mic or have the "star power". Not saying Cena is better than Punk, I like both. But if that's true for Punk, it's true for Cena as well, and you say Punk's reign is better than Cena's.

Also, booking does play a part in a title run's interest or success, but it is up to the wrestler as well to make it interesting. Part of the credit or blame has to go to the champ.

None of this is to tear Punk down, BTW. I personally think his reign has been fine, it's just that too many people want the Summer of Punk 365 days a year. It just can't happen.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I can't say I'm surprised by this. Even when the IWC gets what they want, it bitches and moans as much as it did when it wasn't getting what it wants. For years, people have whined about Punk not being a main eventer. What happens when he finally becomes a main eventer? People whine some more. For years, people have whined about wanting to see fresh blood in the main event scene. What happens when it comes about? The same whining & complaints are made about the fresh blood as the old blood.

Too many internet fans have impossible standards. It's just one of the many legit reasons why pro wrestling companies don't try to cater to the IWC. If every match isn't a classic, net fans shit on it. If every promo isn't a grand epic that reshapes how promos are done, it's a dud. If every feud isn't an epic encounter, it's a waste of time. It's time to stop romanticizing how you think you remember how things used to be back in the day and actually see things as they are & were. Not everything can or will work out exactly the way you think it should, so why do so many continue to believe that it should???

As for Punk's reign, I've had little to complain about overall. He's given some great matches, continues to be entertaining on the mic, is as heavily over as he was last summer and has delivered whenever and wherever. Does that mean that his title run has set some sort of unbeatable, lofty new standard? Not at all, but how could you really expect it to. After all, as I pointed out, the main event guys in the WWE are shit upon by internet fans no matter what goes down. It's sort of a right of passage I suppose. Even if CM Punk defended the title every week on Raw in a 30 minute epic against a John Cena or Edge or RVD or whomever, there'd be just as many complaints as there are now for one reason or another.

As for the quality of Punk's opponents, I admit that Del Rio just didn't rise to the occassion. As for the likes of Ziggler, he delivered great matches against Punk. We all knew it wasn't going to be his time yet going in, but it was still interesting to watch play out. Was it a grand epic? No, because both Punk & Ziggler were both firmly planted within the mid-card scene at just this time last year. Huge stars aren't built overnight. You can't just wave your hand and have the epic feeling of a Taker vs. Triple H or Taker vs. HBK. It took those men a long time to become the stars and legends they currently are.

Has Punk made the title interesting? Well, look at the response he gets whenever he comes out to cut a promo or wrestle a match. I know some people aren't into Punk as no wrestler owns a monopoly on popularity among fans. But, as usual, this seems like a case of net fans taking personal opinion & observation and blowing it to an outrageous proportion in an attempt to pass if off as the opinion of the majority of the WWE audience.

 

[Peoples_Champ]

I blame booking more than I blame CM Punk for the lack of interest in the WWE title. Punk's MITB match was July 17. After CM Punk came back from hiatus and beat Cena, he was attacked by Kevin Nash (for no reason), had Del Rio cash in to win the title immediately after (giving the new champ no steam), had two consecutive run-in double-DQs with Triple H, then regained the title on October 31.

That's 15 weeks with convoluted storylines that ended up nowhere and co-opted Punk's original momentum. In my opinion, Punk has done the best he can with the shit he's been given. His promos have had pretty good reactions and his Super Smackdown match against Daniel Bryan prove he can still have amazing matches.

It will be interesting to see if the Punk / Jericho angle deals with the two characters themselves or the title. In my opinion, they need to push the prestige of the title higher by promoting its importance to show who actually is 'best in the world.' Hopefully that will make the title more interesting again.

 

[d3thRoW]

I have to agree OP. I'm a fan of Punk, not going to bash him here as I don't think it's his fault...he has not been allowed to deliver on what he wanted to do. He did say he wanted to change the WWE and make it interesting, fun, and cool again. He did say he intended to change the look of the WWE title before he won it at MITB, as it had been "far too ugly for far too long". His return was rushed, I think everyone agrees there. The booking was bad and a lot of things just got lost in the shuffle. There was no payoff for the Nash jack-knife at SS, the conspiracy angle went nowhere, and all the momentum got sucked out of the whole thing. Obviously he can't continue to cut shoot promos every week, that's just not an option. This feud with Johnny Ace doesn't even really work without him having a stable of guys to throw at Punk. I'm going to give him credit for trying to make the most out of it all, and being as entertaining as he can be in the situation, but it has reverted back to being the same formula that has been used for the last few years. That aura of "anything can happen" we had again briefly last summer, has fizzled out again.

 

[MWRedskins]

has the WWE championship been interesting, NO and that's NOT on CM Punk no matter what anyone says. Punk is doing his job, he's having great matches and is hyping them up on the mic, but the problem is the focus seems to be more on John Laurenitus' feud with Punk than Punk's feud, PLUS WWE hasnt let Punk change the style of the belt which i think would then make this reign best, but match-wise, the title is interesting with Punk because his matches always are great and his match with Jericho could be the match of the night.

 

[Headman]

I don't buy that the WWE is intentionally booking CM Punk's reign to fail. That's like intentionally writing Lisa episodes of the Simpsons to get the show cancelled. Truth is somebody is writing this stuff thinking they're doing a good job or atleast the best they can do with that character. Same with Punk, they probably just don't know what to do with him and shouldn't have to worry since part of his re-signing was said to be a degree of creative input over his character. I think the blame falls on Punk for either being lazy, out of ideas or just not as good as advertised. Either way, there has been nothing particularly interesting about his reign thus far.

 

[Rampage Bentley]

Is the WWE Championship interesting again?

YES! Of course it is, because I actually care about it now. When Cena and ADR were fighting for it, I didn't give two shits... it was a pee break match if by some chance the divas one was decent.

CM Punk has given some awesome main events since he's been champion, and I often find myself emotionally invested in these matches in a way I haven't been for years.

Are people seriously bitching when we have Punk vs. Jericho on deck for WrestleMania? How is that not a million times more interesting than Cena vs Miz from last year? I agree with JackHammer, the IWC is filled with nothing but contrarionists. You want to hate whoever's at the top and cheer the underdog. When the underdog reaches the top, it's time to toss him out and find a new underdog.

 

[Headman]

Is the WWE Championship interesting again?

YES! Of course it is, because I actually care about it now. When Cena and ADR were fighting for it, I didn't give two shits... it was a pee break match if by some chance the divas one was decent.

CM Punk has given some awesome main events since he's been champion, and I often find myself emotionally invested in these matches in a way I haven't been for years.

Are people seriously bitching when we have Punk vs. Jericho on deck for WrestleMania? How is that not a million times more interesting than Cena vs Miz from last year? I agree with JackHammer, the IWC is filled with nothing but contrarionists. You want to hate whoever's at the top and cheer the underdog. When the underdog reaches the top, it's time to toss him out and find a new underdog.

Yes, Punk has done an amazing job defending the WWE championship on the midcard of the show. Obviously they put the most interesting and highest rated stuff in the middle of the show instead of saving it for the actual main event. Punk will join a long list of internet darlings like Benoit, Christian, (well I guess it's not a long list) to proudly defend the belt in the middle of the show (Also known as the midcard) because they are absolutely without question what the people want.

 

[GeneralKarim]

I agree that CM Punk's title reign has been lacuster, but that's not his fault AT ALL.

All I see is him doing very good segments with what material he is given.I dont see him failing at promos or failing in the ring or doing sth that is uninteresting.All i see is poor booking.

Are they really gonna just switch focus to Punk Jericho after all that stuff he did with Johnny Ace?That seems too sudden.And Now Johnny from what WZ has said will be in a RAW and Smackdown GM match each with a team of his own.

Punk besides having random matches hasnt done anything because of booking.It not like he controls the segments and how they are booked.

In my eyes the title couldn't be in a better hands at the moment.Lets hope this feud picks up some steam.And for God's sake dont make Jericho a whinny bitch...again(seewhatIdidthere).

 

[Negrodamus]

I agree that CM Punk's title reign has been lacuster, but that's not his fault AT ALL.

All I see is him doing very good segments with what material he is given.I dont see him failing at promos or failing in the ring or doing sth that is uninteresting.All i see is poor booking.

Are they really gonna just switch focus to Punk Jericho after all that stuff he did with Johnny Ace?That seems too sudden.And Now Johnny from what WZ has said will be in a RAW and Smackdown GM match each with a team of his own.

Punk besides having random matches hasnt done anything because of booking.It not like he controls the segments and how they are booked.

In my eyes the title couldn't be in a better hands at the moment.Lets hope this feud picks up some steam.And for God's sake dont make Jericho a whinny bitch...again(seewhatIdidthere).

First off Punks new contract gave him some creative control so if your going to blame booking then you have to blame Punk as well because he has the power to veto some of the angles.

Its just funny to me that when Punks reign is weak its because of booking but when Cena was stale it was him. If Punk was as good as advertised it shouldn;t matter who his program is with.

Austin and Rock were in some stupid segments but they were so good they made Karaoke look like an interesting segment that is what a real superstar can do. Can you picture Punk and Cena doing that I bet they could not make i as interesting.

Punk is great in comparison to todays standards of cookie cutter wrestlers, but really he would be in a mid card If the E still had there stars that were around back then. I do like Punk in ring but im sorry but his promos dont do anything for me. I hope Jericho can bring the best out of him as I know he is better than this.

Dont get me wrong I like Punk but he is just on a lower level than the other superstars but he has time still and can still get there because he has it.

 

[Headman]

First off Punks new contract gave him some creative control so if your going to blame booking then you have to blame Punk as well because he has the power to veto some of the angles.

Its just funny to me that when Punks reign is weak its because of booking but when Cena was stale it was him. If Punk was as good as advertised it shouldn;t matter who his program is with.

Austin and Rock were in some stupid segments but they were so good they made Karaoke look like an interesting segment that is what a real superstar can do. Can you picture Punk and Cena doing that I bet they could not make i as interesting.

Punk is great in comparison to todays standards of cookie cutter wrestlers, but really he would be in a mid card If the E still had there stars that were around back then. I do like Punk in ring but im sorry but his promos dont do anything for me. I hope Jericho can bring the best out of him as I know he is better than this.

Dont get me wrong I like Punk but he is just on a lower level than the other superstars but he has time still and can still get there because he has it.

I'm actually in agreement with your main point of this being part Punk's fault. I'd like to add that Punk hasn't been interesting (For me atleast) since his involvement with Cena ended. My conclusion, Cena made Punk interesting.

Now watch all the bad rep fly my way. lol

 

[GeneralKarim]

First off Punks new contract gave him some creative control so if your going to blame booking then you have to blame Punk as well because he has the power to veto some of the angles.

Its just funny to me that when Punks reign is weak its because of booking but when Cena was stale it was him. If Punk was as good as advertised it shouldn;t matter who his program is with.

Austin and Rock were in some stupid segments but they were so good they made Karaoke look like an interesting segment that is what a real superstar can do. Can you picture Punk and Cena doing that I bet they could not make i as interesting.

Punk is great in comparison to todays standards of cookie cutter wrestlers, but really he would be in a mid card If the E still had there stars that were around back then. I do like Punk in ring but im sorry but his promos dont do anything for me. I hope Jericho can bring the best out of him as I know he is better than this.

Dont get me wrong I like Punk but he is just on a lower level than the other superstars but he has time still and can still get there because he has it.

You really really really think Punk has creative control?He might have a say in how some very very minor things go but the main story line remains the job and fault of creative.After he won the championship he was "hot" then Triple H came with his Kevin Nash angle and basically killed the whole feud with Punk ( which was shaping to be a very good one ).

And when did I say that stuff about Cena I dont get what that has to do with my post.I think creative is at fault for most of the things that happen and Vince I guess.( way too many reports on last minute re-writes and too many good feuds dropped for no reason ).

Cena CAN cut a promo and be entertaining,you think its his PERSONAL choice whether he is a heel or not?.Not saying he isnt stale, but I think he is stale cause we see him in the same role for so long.

Punk is a bit stale now because he hasn't had sth good to do since his abruptly-ended-feud with Triple H.

I think Punk can be just as stale as Cena if he has the same persona for 6+ years.But atm we have seen him in different angles, and just now he is a Babyface champion who is clearly towned down since his feud with Triple H.(Tho im expecting fireworks when he and Jericho battle ).

He hasnt been at it for too long and all im saying is he does a good job for the segments that he is in.As I said do you see him cutting lame ass promos?No.Do you see him having poor matches?No.He does good what with what he is given.

I'm sure he is not perfect or even at the level of Cena, Rock, Austin, but give the guy some credit.He's a guy that you want to watch Raw and see what he says next and who is he going to bomb on the mic.

 

[Headman]

You really really really think Punk has creative control?He might have a say in how some very very minor things go but the main story line remains the job and fault of creative.After he won the championship he was "hot" then Triple H came with his Kevin Nash angle and basically killed the whole feud with Punk ( which was shaping to be a very good one ).

And when did I say that stuff about Cena I dont get what that has to do with my post.I think creative is at fault for most of the things that happen and Vince I guess.( way too many reports on last minute re-writes and too many good feuds dropped for no reason ).

Cena CAN cut a promo and be entertaining,you think its his PERSONAL choice whether he is a heel or not?.Not saying he isnt stale, but I think he is stale cause we see him in the same role for so long.

Punk is a bit stale now because he hasn't had sth good to do since his abruptly-ended-feud with Triple H.

I think Punk can be just as stale as Cena if he has the same persona for 6+ years.But atm we have seen him in different angles, and just now he is a Babyface champion who is clearly towned down since his feud with Triple H.(Tho im expecting fireworks when he and Jericho battle ).

He hasnt been at it for too long and all im saying is he does a good job for the segments that he is in.As I said do you see him cutting lame ass promos?No.Do you see him having poor matches?No.He does good what with what he is given.

I'm sure he is not perfect or even at the level of Cena, Rock, Austin, but give the guy some credit.He's a guy that you want to watch Raw and see what he says next and who is he going to bomb on the mic.

I don't get this idea that people are stale because they have the same persona for a long time. Ric Flair had the same persona for 30 years. If you mean they're stale because they don't jump back and forth between heel / face often enough, I'd say the problem lies with the fans. CM Punk actually is stale at the moment and he's only been a face for half a year.

 

[Nate DaMac]

I don't get it, isn't this what you guys wanted? Cena hasn't been involved in a title match since Vengeance back in October. Since then, we've seen a plethora of new champions and challengers like CM Punk, Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler, and the guys in the Elimination Chamber match. What else were you expecting? Do you actually believe for one second that there are still guys getting the shaft here?

Face it, you people don't know what the hell you want. The IWC God, CM Punk wins the title, is in the midst of a lengthy reign, and has faced several new-to-the-main-event challengers and you guys are still bitching. If after Mania, say, whatever PPV takes place in May, John Cena gets the title back and takes on even more fresh faces, you're still going to bitch.

Truth be told, I didn't see any issues with the title picture before Punk's promo. Cena had a solid feud with Miz and even made Truth look sort of credible for a while. Then his feud with Punk was pretty damn outstanding as well. I started losing interest in the title picture when mediocre talents like Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio became involved but even then, Punk made the most of it. Hopefully Jericho can hold his own weight.

The cold truth is that there's no one on the Raw roster who is truly ready to be involved in a a WWE Championship feud other than Punk, Cena, Jericho, Kane, and maybe The Miz. Unless it's focused around a combination of these guys, the program is always going to be lackluster because you need 2 great talents to have a great feud.

 

[Rampage Bentley]

Yes, Punk has done an amazing job defending the WWE championship on the midcard of the show. Obviously they put the most interesting and highest rated stuff in the middle of the show instead of saving it for the actual main event. Punk will join a long list of internet darlings like Benoit, Christian, (well I guess it's not a long list) to proudly defend the belt in the middle of the show (Also known as the midcard) because they are absolutely without question what the people want.

So you're entire point as to why Punk's reign has been lackluster is because for about two months, it was bumped to the middle of the show? Kane and Cena were the ones finishing out the show, do you think they did a better job? They must have because they were at the end and if it's not at the end it CAN'T be good...

That's honestly some of the worst logic I've ever heard.

 

[Jenna.]

I thought the same...I guess it's not his fault though. All the people he's beefed with are losers. WWE can really make this beef between Punk and Jericho pretty awesome if they do it right. I expect to see awesome promos in the next couple of weeks hopefully.

 

[BMOZ]

I don't see much of the hype, since MITB the only interest I've had in Punk is thanks to Johnny Ace Laurinitis, I thought he played his part perfect to make Punk somewhat relevant and to revisit his anti-authority figure but the brakes got put onto that fued as well, was this Punks doing?

His match at Mania will be a hit, everyone knows that, but too be honest his face character is weak and an Austin ripoff, he's a smartass to all challengers and everyone seems to blow when Cena doesn't take his oppenents seriously... Tell me whats the difference?

 

[H33LTurn]

Not in the least bit. I dont really feel that significance for the title that was once there when Cena held it. Its like they just threw the title on Punk because he was over atm. Del Rio's reign was shit, Punk's current reign is shit, and Jericho's reign already feels like its going to be insignificant since we know he'll be gone soon. Dont get me wrong, the actual match at WM will be great but it feels just like Rock vs Cena, theres no need for it to be a WWE title match for it to be significant and theres no actual reason for the title to be on the line.