Welp KB, it's been over four-and-a-half months since CM Punk won the WWE Championship back from Alberto Del Rio at Survivor Series. I think it's safe to say the WWE has gotten behind CM Punk as a top babyface in the company. Hell, on a card with two 30+ minute matches, his WrestleMania WWE Championship match with Jericho was given more time than Batista-Cena at WrestleMania 26.
With this milestone for Punk in mind (four-and-a-half months is an odd benchmark for a title reign, but what-the-heck-ever), I have a couple questions: How much longer will his reign last? Who will he finally drop the title to? Have you actually enjoyed his reign?
I'MMA ANSWER FIRST, YEAAAAAAH BOY!
Considering it's rumored that The Rock and Brock Lesnar might face off for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania, perhaps he'll have lost it by WrestleMania. However, there doesn't seem to be anyone likely to unseat him on RAW in the meantime. If Cena and Brock go right into a feud following last week's encounter, that would preoccupy them for at least a couple pay-per-views. In the meantime, I expect Punk to wrap up his feud with Jericho and then move onto Lord Tensai, as I think Johnny foreshadowed last week. Perhaps they'll give Dolph Ziggler a reign, albeit a brief one, just to help establish him for later. Maybe they'll decide against Wade Barrett-Randy Orton on SmackDown once Barrett returns and win Money in the Bank and instead go for Barrett-Punk. I think the matches would be better and also I'm not too keen on seeing more Barrett-Orton after the end of 2011. Their matches weren't bad, not just so good that I'm dying to see more.
Regardless of who he loses the title to, Punk seems to have occupied Cena's old role. John's now busy fighting legends and probably won't be as consistent in the WWE Championship picture as he once was. CM Punk's now the guy who WWE will test out new main eventers with, while relying on him as a fallback WWE Champion if such a new person doesn't work out. That isn't to discredit his own reigns, as I'm sure he'll have plenty of quality matches and storylines.
Even though Michael Cole is generally a dipshit, I agree with his statement from last week: the outlook on WWE is different. We now essentially have four characters (Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, The Rock and John Cena -- possibly Punk and Austin) who are blatantly poised for some combination of matches at WrestleMania. The calendar year of WWE feels like a storyline in it of itself, all of it building up to a conclusion at the next WrestleMania, albeit with some filler thrown in. It won't be entirely like other years where they attempt to hash out big storylines just a month before the big storyline. What will likely be the two or three main events for next year are possibly already planned. It feels like the Attitude Era when WWE was capable of more respectable long-term planning. Though it'd work out better if people would STOP GETTING FREAKING INJURED! Seriously, from November to February it didn't feel like early WrestleMania season, it felt like the winter of injuries. Fuck. Quit breaking things, WWE wrestlers. Especially you Barrett. You're essentially the reason why we got Team Johnny vs. Team Teddy instead of Money in the Bank. Prick.
Just kidding, accidents happen, it's cool my Welsh bro.