Of These Three, Who Has The Best Career?

[klunderbunker]

I'm watching Judgment Day 2008 and the SD tag title match is Kane/Punk vs. Miz/Morrison. I thought it was very weird to see everyone but Kane be a glorified midcarder at this point. That's not the point of this though. What is the point is this: of the participants in this match (not Morrison because he's not even close), who has had the biggest career to this point: Miz, Punk or Kane?

Kane is a two time world champion, has been around for about 13 years as Kane, has held almost every title in the company if not all of them, he's been in some very big matches and angles and has been a mainstay in at least the upper midcard for about 13 years.

Punk is a three time world champion, a two time MITB winner, head of two stables, an incredibly good heel, he's had some awesome feuds and awesome matches and has won a great deal of titles as a triple crown winner in his own right.

Miz is also a triple crown winner (if you substitute various titles around) and also an MITB winner, he has the longest world title reign in the company in the last three years, he's the closest thing to a mainstream champion we've had in years and he's grown up as well as nearly anyone in recent if not all time history.

So in short, which of those three have had the best career to this point?

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

Do you mean from JD 2008 till now or overall... if we are talking overall just on longevity alone Kane would win. He's had the longest time and despite not having much title success his legacy is close to the Undertakers in that he took a gimmick that never should have been much and he ran with it and even got himself in a movie because of it. Punk and Miz haven't quite had their legacies made yet and both can still go either way. Punk could have a career similar to Chris Jericho if he finds a way to reinvent himself again, or he could fade away should he decide to leave. Miz has had the biggest upset of a career as i would have never thought he'd be a future main eventer and champ a few years back, but here we are and he's one of the best on the show and one of the top guys. Since that JD match I'd say easily Miz has had the best career since he's in one of the top programs with the top guy and has been so for a while now. At this pace Miz could be remembered for a while, same with Punk, but Kane is already at that level, though he's definitely had shit for a career the past few years.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I'll have to go with Miz.

Miz skyrocketed to the main event in a matter of years. He was able to grow from his past as a goofy reality TV star, he won MITB, he became the WWE Champion, and he main evented Wrestlemania, and Miz has become the top heel on Raw. He has also feuded with some of the bigger names in WWE. These are some HUGE accolades, and many wrestlers would kill to receive a monster push like this.

Kane was able to take the WWF Championship off of Austin, but he did lose it the very next night on Raw. Kane has been one of the most feared monsters in WWE history, but he was also dominated in various feuds by his storyline brother, The Undertaker.

I love Punk. He is a great heel, and an Indy God, and he has had a nice set of good/great matches, but The Miz main eventing Wrestlemania is one of the many factors that seals this for me. He went into the big show as WWE Champion, and he walked out with the strap. Oh, and he also managed to get a win over WWE's #1 guy on their grandest stage.

 

[Constipated Badger Bottom]

When you think about it is a very tough question when I first read it I just thought to myself well it's obviously Kane but when you really think about it, it is a really tough one to call

Kane - I think what has hurt Kane in the long run is that there has been too many changes to his character over the past 13 years when he started he had long hair wore a mask, had almost no skin on show and couldn't even talk without a talking aid and though out the 13 years he seemed to be wearing less and less and has had constant Heel/Face turns, I personally belive the attire he wore when he returned to take out the Un-Americans and team up with Rob Van Dam was the perfect attire for him and it should of been left like that to this present day

Also what I belive has hurt Kane was the fact that he was launched straight into the Main Event to feud with Undertaker and then Austin and the fans just didn't buy into that, Call me old fashioned if you want but i prefere it when people start with the Jobbers and work there way up to the Main Event and that process should take a year minimum for a wrestler to get propley over

Punk - Has made the transformation from Indy Star to a WWE Main Eventer perfectly, he's got the right look, the right move-set and the mic skills are superb, arguably the only things that have gone wrong with his career to date is the Stables, the Straight Edge Society had alot of potential but it failed mostly because the WWE creative team had no idea how to keep it going and also I think Luke Gallows wasn't the right person for that stable, also with the new Nexus he has seemed to kill all the momentum that the Nexus had and it will take him and the creative team a while to get that monetum back and I feel that loseing Wade Barrett was a massive loss to the Nexus they should of though of a way to keep Barrett and Punk in the Nexus

Miz- I see this guy as an inspiration as sad as it sounds but he just goes to show what hard work can get you and he's probably given the likes of Zack Ryder and Santino Marella some hope but in terms of his career, like it has been said he is a triple crown winner and has had lenghty title reign something that Punk is yet to have

So on the basis of the lengthy title reign and the triple crown i'm going for the Miz, although in 5 minutes i'll probably change my mind and say CM Punk and then 5 minutes go back to the Miz

 

[Elliearose95]

Miz because Vince is so high on him and he may be a heel but he gets more fan reactions than the other two. I love Kane but I think he's gotten stale lately. Cm punk is definetly the best in the ring but it's more than just wrestling which is why I'm going with the miz because he's all around good.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think that, at this point in time, I have to go with The Miz. One thing that I've noticed about The Miz over the entire time he's been in the WWE is that he's been consistently moving forward and upward. He's someone that started off on pretty much the bottom rung of the ladder and has always and steadily climbed that ladder one rung at a time. He's gone from being a walking talking joke to success as a tag team wrestler then onto success as a singles wrestler in the mid-card scene before ultimately winning the WWE Championship. During the course of his run, Miz has proven to me that he deserves to be thought of as a main event level guy. That's not to say that Kane & Punk aren't deserving, it's just Miz has been the one that seems to have had the most consistent success when you look at things.

Kane is someone that's had a great career in the WWE. He's had a lot of success in the mid-card/upper mid-card range, as a tag team wrestler and, in my view, his run with the World Heavyweight Championship in much of the second half of last year was one of the better World Title runs the WWE has seen in several years. I think the problem is that Kane is always going to be seen, more or less, as a 2nd class Undertaker. When you look back over the course of the two characters, Kane will always be in The Undertaker's shadow. Unlike Miz, Kane has both climbed the ladder and gone down the ladder of success and relevance in the WWE. Up until last summer, Kane hadn't really been relevant for several years.

When it comes to CM Punk, I think he's the overall superior out of these three. He's got it in the ring, he's loaded with charisma and his promos over the course of the past few years have been some of the best that we've seen. Even though Punk is a 3 time World Heavyweight Champion, his time as a World Champion pales compared to that of Kane or Miz. Both Kane & Miz have recently had pretty long and respectable World Title runs in which both of them were able to really be viewed as main eventers. You never got that feeling with Punk because he just seemed to be getting out of the gate. Punk's rise to prominence in the eyes of a lot of people began with his feud with Jeff Hardy. We saw a different side of Punk and we saw what he was ultimately capable of. Before that, we just saw him as someone that was talented but was just kinda there. His feud with Hardy made me look at him and say "there's a guy that I think should be a main eventer". I hope that Vince McMahon wakes up and is able to see what he's got with Punk on his roster.

But, for the time being, I'm going with The Miz.

 

[No Count Pup]

I would say that Kane has had the best career. His feud with the Undertaker was one of the most over angles of the entire Attitude Era. His feud with Stone Cold ended the Rattlesnake's first title reign. The Big Red Machine's performances against the likes of DX, Mankind, and Kurt Angle were also memorable. During the Attitude Era, Kane feuded with the best that the wrestling industry had to offer. Sure, more often than not it's Stone Cold, The Rock, and Vince McMahon who get the lion's share of the credit for the WWF's success during the Monday Night Wars. But it was also such wrestlers as Kane, Mankind, and DX that kept fans tuned in.

Since the Attitude Era, Kane has admittedly spent much time in the midcard. But he also secured secured reigns as a World Heavyweight Champion and ECW Champion.

Kane has probably made more money for the WWF from 1998 through 2001 than the Miz and CM Punk put together.

I'm not taking anything away from CM Punk and the Miz. They are amazing competitors. In time, their careers may exceed Kane's. But in terms of ratings, impact on wrestling history, and prominence during the WWF's most lucrative era, Kane belongs on a short list of wrestlers who brought the business to new heights.

 

[Trill Co$by]

Since 2008, counting success, I would say that CM Punk has had the best career of them all. Sure, Miz and Kane both won MITB and the world title since then, but CM Punk has won the WHC 3 times since that Judgment Day and his first title reign was ON raw. He's been Triple Crowned champion, and he won his second money in the bank. Since then, he's also gone on to have great rivalries with people like Jeff Hardy, Undertaker, Big Show, Rey Mysterio, Edge, John Cena, and Randy Orton. He's stolen the show at two back to back pay per views just this year alone, and he's being put as the guy to create the coming to legacy that is Mason Ryan.

Sure, Miz is good... hell, I'll even say he's great... but 2 tag title reigns and one WWE title reign doesn't put his accolades from then to now anywhere close to the career that CM Punk had.

 

[Azane]

Miz has the biggest career ahead of him.
Kane hasn't lived upto his potential, but it seems he's been happy with his position, he's been one of the main jobbers that future champions have had to go through for years, and a 1 real world title reign.
Punk seems to be heading the way of Kane, he's only been a champion through MITB, I would say up to now, he's had the best run of the 3.

But Overall, I see Miz having the best career of the 3, with Punk having the best upto now. Kane had an amazing start, but has eluded from being a top player outside a few months.

 

[ssvegita77]

Kane is clearly the most successful if for nothing else his longevity and staying power. He has survived, thrived and the WWE has been able to count on him time and time again. I'm not a big fan but facts are facts, Kane is still consistent even when creative treats him inconsistently. The man has had a spot on the high/mid/main event card for years and years. He always has a place on both the PPV's and TV, he is well liked, respected and I have never even once heard of a time when he might have been future endeavoured. Glen Jacobs has been valued since he was Isaac Yankem and 16 years later he is still valued. That's real success.

I LOVE CM Punk. Punk, Christian and Y2J are really the only guys that keep me emotionally invested at this point. I'm nervous about him resigning a contract at this point and I really hope that they give him whatever he's asking for. I hope he continues to have a great career, but he hasn't amounted to what Kane has at this point. If he sticks around he will have his shot to be at a level close to Edge or Y2J. However he is the most talented of the 3 w/out question.

The Miz is the future as it stands right now. I like him alot and think he will be really, really big for years to come. However at his current level he can't touch Kane's legacy. He'll eventually be one of the greats, as he is really just getting started.

 

[krazyd]

i agree with the ss vageta.. n everyone else that said the same thing. kane has had the best career so far but his is almost over...with that said if punk stays with the WWE i can see him doing phenomenal things..but the way thigns are going the miz will probalby over shadow both of them but id love to see punk do it bcuz hes the best all around 'entertainer' they have rightn ow

 

[darbare]

as far as comparing the three, lemme break it down:

Kane- his staying power and longevity is a testament to the kind of guy Glen Jacobs really is. He is a legendary character and a sure-fire hall of famer at that. As far as what people will remember him by will be Undertakers story brother. Although he is in Undertakers shadow, thats a damn pretty big shadow to live in that I'm sure any guy wouldnt mind being in. Kane has had his own success and deserves his own merit based on his title wins, unique stories, and even un masking on live RAW which is still something fans remember vividly to this day

CM Punk- is a great talent. He is an awesome heel, we all know how talented Punk but it seems as though we are in the minority. If Punk were to leave today which is very much a possibility at this point in time, he would be remembered for his Straight Edge Society gimmick, winning MITB, and feuding with Jeff Hardy, and thats pretty much it. WWE needs to give him more runs with the WWE title and more legit stories where he doesnt come out looking stupid. Between him and Kane, Kane wins

The Miz- he came from the Real World all the way to the main event at Mania. We all know Miz' accomplishments so I wont list them. When all is said and done I think he will have the greater legacy of the three just for the fact Kane has never main evented Mania, and most likely Punk will not either with the way WWE treats him. At this point in time though Miz wins because he is the only one to have broken the glass ceiling and hasnt looked back unlike Kane and to some extent Punk. And that really sucks for Punk who has won the world title 3 times but has yet to break that glass ceiling. Kane broke it but then put it back up lol

Down the road I think Miz will have the better legacy, followed by Kane, and then unfortunately CM Punk

 

[silrock316]

@OP - Good thread and I usually don't tell anyone that in my time here.

To me this can break down two ways:

1. Did you mean since that PPV? If so it would clearly be CM Punk to me for he has done his thing longer than the Miz has in the main event.

2. If you mean overall careers? Then it is no comparison. A career is a term used also in sports and a 5 year veteran is not considered to have a career just yet. Therefore Kane is the only one that would have a career to me. He has accomplished a great deal in a long period of time so the question is a little unfair to Punk and Miz if indeed you meant overall, not since 2008.

Because there is no question in my mind the Cm Punk has been the man out of these 3 since then. Yes Miz has been great lately but thats just lately. Punk held the belt as a face, as a heel, two successful stables all that you have mentioned. Kane has had an over and over again program with Taker since then.

Conclusion:

Since 08: Punk
Overall: Kane

 

[S.J. Maximus]

@OP - Good thread and I usually don't tell anyone that in my time here.

To me this can break down two ways:

1. Did you mean since that PPV? If so it would clearly be CM Punk to me for he has done his thing longer than the Miz has in the main event.

2. If you mean overall careers? Then it is no comparison. A career is a term used also in sports and a 5 year veteran is not considered to have a career just yet. Therefore Kane is the only one that would have a career to me. He has accomplished a great deal in a long period of time so the question is a little unfair to Punk and Miz if indeed you meant overall, not since 2008.

Because there is no question in my mind the Cm Punk has been the man out of these 3 since then. Yes Miz has been great lately but thats just lately. Punk held the belt as a face, as a heel, two successful stables all that you have mentioned. Kane has had an over and over again program with Taker since then.

Conclusion:

Since 08: Punk
Overall: Kane

Silrock hit the nail on the head, I agree completely that the answer completely depends on what the OP meant. And I also agree with his choices for each possibility, as it's clear that Kane has had the most fulfilling and entertaining career. However, since 08, the 3-time World Champion, 2-time MITB winner, and fastest Triple Crown winner in history has been dominant so go Punk go.

 

[Jimrin1967]

I would have to say Miz. The guy used to be a complete disaster on the mic and in the ring. But he has clearly worked very hard to improve himself. I couldn't stand the guy 18 months ago but he has definitely earned my respect and now is one of my favorites. He's obviously gotten the attention of Vince. He does the talk shows, he does as many "meet and greets" and autograph signings as he can. He has become a very good representative of the company. That isn't a knock against Kane or Punk. I just think Miz has gone that extra step.

 

[mayankeagle]

Undoubtedly Kane.

Anyone remembers his debut at the first Hell in a Cell in which he broke the cell's door and helped Shawn beat Taker? CM Punk or Miz have never caused such a big "shocker" in their careers, and they have never had any feud which matched Kane's first feud with Taker in terms of storytelling and all the other side-effects of it (e.g., birth of Inferno matches). Kane's 1st Mania match with Taker was also awesome (sorry Miz).

CM Punk or Miz will never get the reaction that Kane got in the late 90s. Ever.

 

[Danny84]

Well i would say KANE as he has been around for a long time and even that he has only 2 world titles to his name he has the record for most eliminations in 1 rumble match and has had by far the most big match,s out of the 3

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

I think Punk just about edges it for me with Kane a close second.

What makes Punk's achievements so commendable is that he worked his way up the old fashioned way from wrestling in different countries to learn more things as well as numerous indy promotions. Throughout that time it seems that he's always been true to himself, sometimes it got him in trouble, but all of that has made him a unique performer.

As others have mentioned Kane's longevity is a huge factor, and despite the ups and downs he's had he has still been able to get a reaction from the crowd whether as a heel or face.

Miz can talk a reasonable game, but I would rather listen to Punk. As a character, Kane's is one of the most visually impacting of all time whereas Miz doesn't stand out as much. Miz does have time on his side though to change it around.

 

[Sleep Time]

A lot of these careers were hit and misses, I would have to say CM Punk. CM Punk is the epitome of the perfect wrestler, and any real Rasslin' fan could see that. He has established himself as a genuine heel and an amazingly over face and has an amazing Wrestling track record.

The Miz has never made any great matches, he had a recent good match in the steel cage and with Daniel Brian but he never really had a GREAT match.

Kane, his career is pretty fucked, his early career, his very early career was decent but he displayed poor wrestling ability compared to guys like Undertaker and Shawn Michaels who were making real ***** star matches Kane was making lame feuds. I got to say I have never been a fan of the guy's career.

C.M. Punk, what can I say more? He made a Meltzer approved 5* match in 2004 with Samoa Joe, had an amazing send off match with Austin Aries in ROH. He came to WWE participated in his first wrestlemania in a ladder match. Won wm 24 and 25. Beat Rey Mysterio in his best single match in a long time, had a great feud with Jeff Hardy, beat him in a great TLC match and another great Cage match. C.M. Punk has 3 world titles to his name after 5 years in the company.

 

[Daniel]

Define good career. Generally, it is defined by how much money you make. I would guess in that case it would be The Miz or Kane. The Miz is one of the hottest stars in WWE and is rapidly becoming the go-to guy for promotional events and sponsorship. Kane has been in a good position in WWE for almost 15 years so presumably has some money in the bank. Punk is still relatively new to WWE and has therefore probably not accumulated as much money despite winning the same number of world championships as the two of them put together.

However, we're looking at professional career, right? Who's done the most and been most successful. It's hard to look past Punker. He has held the World Heavyweight Championship three times. That speaks volumes. They may not be as memorable as Miz's reign will be, but it shows that he's been trusted to hold the belt three times.

Kane is the only Grand Slam Champion. I guess holding the Hardcore Championship doesn't mean much, though. So that isn't a big influence. He's never had a WrestleMania main event, and never will. Miz has and Punk will. His career has been successful. Any wrestler would be delighted with it. He's a future Hall of Famer. But, he's never been the main eventer that Miz is or Punk will be.

The Miz is the only one to headline WrestleMania. Is that the biggest factor? Um, yeah. Yeah, it is. If someone headlines WrestleMania once, they've had a great career. Miz has had the best career because of WrestleMania. But I think (and hope) that Punk will in the future.

 

[Franchize1990]

I'd would have to say that The Miz has had the best career out of the three. In less than 5 years, The Miz has gone from the man that walked around the arena like The Brian Kendrick shouting "hoorah!" almost all the time to a more serious wrestler who became WWE Champion and had a pretty good run as champ. In terms of accomplishments, I feel that The Miz has achieved more than both Kane and CM Punk. The Miz's run as WWE Champion lasted 160 days which is just as long as Punk's 3 World Title reigns combined and longer than Kane's 2 reigns as champion (really only one since his first reign lasted a day). Another reason I would say The Miz has the best career between the three is because he is the only one to main event a WrestleMania. Not only did he get to headline WrestleMania, he was able to retain the WWE Championship against John Cena (the only one who has been able to do it in an one-on-one match). So while Kane and Punk have had great careers in the WWE, at this point, I think it's safe to say The Miz has had the best one between the three.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I'll go with Punk here. Punk has always been in the upper midcard or the main event throughout the course of his WWE career. He started out in ECW which was not as bad back then as it was in it's dying days and he main evented that show fairly regularly. So he could be thought of as an upper midcard guy. Then he came to Raw and won the championship rather quickly, lost it and got relegated to the uppe midcard once again. Then he turned heel and had his epic feud with Hardy and a good one with Mysterio. Then after fiddling around with Big Show for a few months, he came back to Raw and had main event level feuds with the likes of Cena and Orton.

In comparison, Kane has been a main eventer whenever he has been up against Undertaker and a midcarder at all other times. Miz did not even hit midcard status till 2008 when he started teaming with Morrison. He has made the quickest leap in terms of career achievements but his career taken as a whole is not all that great.

 

[Bowlesy_1991]

Kane. His longetivity and his numerous reigns make him stand out from the others. The Miz and CM Punk have not reached a point in there a career where they can be compared to the legend that is Kane.

 

[nino1212]

Kane, by a large margin in my opinion

The guy has been involved in so many high profile feuds over his career, and even though he's only won a world title twice, he still has been in and around the title picture for the majority of his career.

His character was quite important during the "boom" attitude era. He was able to freakin shoot fireballs! Even though the Kane character has indeed dies down, he used to ALWAYS receive a huge crowd reaction.

In my opinion Miz and Punk are not yet as established as Kane (although Punk is well on his way - hopefully he stays in the WWE)