Punk Wins (Again)! Punk Wins (Again)! Is He a Heel?

[It's...Baylariat!]

May as well save this thread...as if it keeps going the way it does, it'll be clos-ed.

This is a great move by the WWE. CM Punk made a move. He made a move toward getting a heel reaction. This is the WWE possibly testing the waters on him being a bad guy. I mean, there was no logic in him coming out there to beat Jeff Hardy if it wasn't going to have some heel tones to it.

People mark out for Jeff so much, and to have Punk come in and break the hearts of all the Enigma-ites in the crowd was a definite push toward something that may soon be a heel turn. Then again, it might not be. It'll be interesting to watch SD on Friday and see what the reaction to all of this is.

 

[Hayles]

My only worry is exactly that, WWE creative. I can't see Punk being able to rip on other wrestlers about their lifestyles as I don't think that WWE will want to portey their wrestlers in that light but I think that will be what it takes to get Punk across as a credible heel. Should be interesting to see how they do it none the less

Well to be fair, they used the house of Jeff Hardy burning down, and his dead dog to get Matt over. WWE also used Chris Masters slimming down against him. They also used the real life love triangle between Lita, Edge, and Matt Hardy in an angle. I doubt WWE is against using private life issues to get people over, their past shows that they dont seem to mind. My only problem is WWE turning Punk heel, or seemingly doing it, while really not elaborating much on his character as a face. He doesnt do drugs, so what? That really doesnt make me care about him as a face, and it makes me care even less about him as a heel. Though I will say his straight edge gimmick gives WWE some grounds to use during his heel turn.

 

[ztwhite]

I'll try and save it even further for you all...

If you watched the PPV, you had to notice that the Umaga / Punk match became the Diva's match of the night - in other words, it's when everyone went to get a beer and take a piss.

There was absolutely no fan interation in that match and when there was, it was a chant for Umaga. When Punk won, no one seemed to give a shit.

I used to live in Kentucky and we frequently went to see live OVW events in Louisville where Punk was a heel before coming to the big show. The man is a perfect fucking heel.

I honestly think the decision to cash in the case didn't come until after the show stared tonight due to the reaction by JR when Punk's music hit. If anyone knew it was coming, it would of been JR - HE CALLS THE FUCKING MATCHES !!!

A surprise by Vince and the boys after seeing the shit reaction Punk received in his strap match.

A heel turn may not have been in the works before tonight, but it is now !!!!

 

[cod500]

I see punk turning heel too. That was cold what he did to Hardy. Man Smackdown has really been good to watch since the draft. Raw is turning into the B show. The Smackdown writers are not as idiotic as the Raw writers.

 

[billyrage]

IMO I think they're going to have to push CM Punk as a heel, because after what happened a extreme rules it's going to be difficult IMO to push someone who beat Jeff Hardy in a "cheap manner" as a face. Because Jeff Hardy is more over with the crowd than CM Punk is. The crowd might start booing CM Punk because of this.

 

[Razor]

Using Punk to rip on Jeff for being a drug addict is ridiculous. It either inspires that only Heels would hate drug heads, or it inspires the idea that everyone should hate on druggies. It goes far beyond the "I'm a heel, and I hate you because you won the title off of me" into something crossing the line. And what drugs did Hardy take? Anything harder than alcohol or weed and the WWE won't even mention it, mark my words. Besides, the children won't think Hardy is bad for taking drugs, they're already in his back pocket as far as the pop goes. Hardy will always have those children. Always.

Back to topic though. This is not a Punk Heel turn. The WWE simply does not know if Hardy is resigning. So, to make most of the dilemma, they made Punk take the title off of Hardy to see if he could get that Heel reaction. Plus, it lends you the grand out that your World Heavyweight Champion can't just up and leave with your championship when he decides not to resign. I missed the PPV, I've been hella sick. Did Punk get that Heel reaction?

And besides, Punk would have to completely rework his moveset. Heels aren't allowed the "5 moves of Doom" as people describe Cena's match ending set. Punk does it too, and as a Heel you're not allowed that. The 5 moves of Doom are meant to get the crowd riled up for the end of the match, because they know it's coming when Cena hits the 5 Knuckle Shuffle or Punk hits his Running Bulldog out of the corner. Punk needs a whole new, anti-pop moveset. Or they could not do that, and have the Heel getting bigger Pops than his Face opponents. Because that makes perfect sense.

 

[JayMiine]

I completely agree. This seemed to be a surprise to JR and Grisham look at both of their faces as Punk comes out. Priceless. Punks mannerisms were completely cocky and heel-esque. I really hope they go through with this. His ROH promos were amazing. WWE finally give this guy some promos and a push please!

 

[TheGlassSnake]

First and foremost, this is the best thing the WWE had done in years.

A CM Punk heel turn is exactly what he needed, and I do honestly believe that we have got it.

Now, I have to disagree with Razorback, as I really think the best way to get Punk WAY over with the heel status is to have him rip on Jeff Hardy for taking drugs. It's not because Punk is the heel and he is supposed to rip on him, it's because CM Punk is straight edge. That's his whole gimmick. As a heel, everyone who isn't straight edge is not as good as he is, and therefore, he looks down on them.

He also only uses the "five moves of doom" because Vince makes him. He has a HUGE moveset on him, and he can work a 30-45 minute match with ease, without using the same move twice.

I think that this is for sure a Punk heel turn, because the fans are all Jeff Hardy fanatics for some reason, and will see this as Punk screwing them over as much as it screwed Jeff over.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

The perfect candidate would be Jeff Hardy, so kudos for that. I'd have Hardy face off with Edge for the WHT or in a tag team match as Punk and Jeff are partners. Punk would turn on Jeff and leave him laying in the ring. This could work. Punk could go on a tangent about how he's clean, straight edge and you cheer a man who's had a history of drug and alcohol abuse and a man who's as dedicated to wrestling as a dog fart!

He could say that he's sick of the fans cheering for a guy like that and as far as he's concerned, don't bother cheering for him, because you'll soil my reputation and make me out to be something I'm not. I'm straight-edge, clean, and all you can do is cheer for someone who wears stupid clothes and paints his face in neon colors. The man's an idiot and you cheer for him. That's fine. Just remember, Straight Edge always wins and the Straight and Narrow's the only way to go!

There you go. Heel turn.

See...I somewhat called the semi-heel turn for Punk. Doing against Jeff Hardy. It's a sound idea to have Punk feud with Hardy. Over babyface versus someone who wants to get over as heel. Perfect matchup in my books. And seriously, Smackdown is kicking Raw's ass for them.

But IF he doesn't turn heel, it will be a bad idea. I mean, how will they NOT turn him heel. He cashed in on the biggest baby face on the roster at the moment in Jeff Hardy. Man 'o man. Smackdown's business just picked up.

 

[jason305]

Jeff said that he is probably going to re-sign with WWE so they did it that way because it gives them options. If Jeff stays you have a fresh new fued. And that is what the fans want. Something new. If he goes that was a good way to go. He just dissapears out of embarresment. This also now leaves the possibility of an Edge face turn. How awesome would a Jericho/Edge fued for the IC title be. It wont happen soon though as he requested a lenghty program wit Rey but at this rate the IC title is getting some prestige back. And whether you want to see Punk heel or not at least Smackdown is fresh and we don't know what to expect unlike Raw. I can see the Main event scene on Smackdown being fresh,new and exiting already up until Wreslemania. Either way I am looking forward to Smackdown to see what happens.

 

[RH23]

At Extreme Rules, Hardy won the WHC and immediately afterwords, Punk cashed in his MITB briefcase and beat Hardy. I possibly see a Hardy vs Punk feud or maybe even a Hardy vs Punk vs Edge feud. Since what Punk did is pretty opportunistic. So does anybody else think Punk is going to turn heel?

 

[avi01]

He needs it. People are starting to get sick of the face Punk. There is a lot of potential here. Smack Down continues to be the most entertaining brand.

 

[Age of Orton]

Depending on how long Jeff stays with WWE will determine the feud, if he bows out in July like rumors, I can see WWE building up Edge/CM Punk at Summerslam, and the heel turn aspect from what I saw last night I pretty much thought CM Punk was showing some heel tendencies, and Edge possibly in line for a face turn, the next two month will be exciting to say the least.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

You could tell by his facial expressions that the reaction was exactly what he was after. Should be a good move. Jeff Hardy is over enough to make the feud work. It's a feud I suggested last year for WrestleMania. Punk doesn't like Jeff because he's a waster, doesn't deserve the belt sorta thing.

 

[Uncle Sam]

I'll be honest, I was hoping they'd have the Punk/Hardy feud for WrestleMania. No idea why - I don't honestly think it would be a roaring success. It just seems like the sort of thing that WWE would save for a super card.

Despite being a big Punk fan, I was kinda hoping that Hardy would have a lengthy reign with the title. I very much like Jeff, contrary to popular belief. He's probably one of my favourite current wrestlers along with Jeff. Either way, last night was a result for me.

 

[StInGeR-HBK]

This was the first thing I thought about when I read about Punk winning the title last night. I think it would be the perfect thing for both Punk and Hardy. I think it would create a great program for them and the feud would be awesome. I've been dying to see these two go at it for the title cuz I've always believed these two could put on a great show and especially if it's for the title. We'll have to see in what direction the WWE decides to go with this.

 

[WOLFPACK0524]

CM Punk winning the title is like Dreamer winning last night and, to compare, MVP winning back the US title. They all three were on the biggest losing streaks. Dreamer was the jobber on ECW then ends up winning? What was his reason for even being in the hunt from a program standpoint? I know the fans love the ECW original but in a booking standpoint, how many times did he lose to Mark Henry? MVP was on the longest losing streak but after like 4 winsm he gets the number one contender slot and wins it back? This was done too quickly. He shoul dhave built up more wins before getting into a title hunt. Punk was on the losing end of matches for a long time too since winning MiTB. I was questioning why he still held it and they didn't have a storyline making him defend it since he always lost. The MiTB winner should have proven himself worthy to keep it. Regardless, I have been a fan of CM Punk's and was at the Scramble match PPV where he was unable to compete thanks to Orton. I was crushed when that happened and a lot of people left when that happened too. He has a following. The thing I see is a face vs face match up for a while (like Smackdown had with Batista vs. Undertaker for a long time). There are few heels unless Edge continues in the program but this could be another long face vs face feud.

But again, with "creative" who knows.

I would like to see a champion hold the title for longer than a month though.

 

[psykohurricane]

Personally i don'T see Punk becoming a heel after what happenned last night. This was just a random thing the WWE did because they wanted a fallback plan for edge if HArdy left the company. I'm predicting that next friday night it'S going to be announce that Punk will defend the title against Edge and Jeff Hardy at The Bash. Then we will probably see Edge win it back again by pinning Jeff then go into a feud with Punk over the fact that Edge never beat punk for the title.

 

[JenovasWitness]

I don't think turning Punk heel would be wise (even though his actions at the PPV were slightly heelish, he basically pulled an Edge on Hardy). That would make the Superstar pool on Smackdown oddly Heel heavy at the top of the card with Jerihco, Edge and (if he turns) Punk as champion. Who does that leave on the face side with established stars?

Hardy is in flux with his contract. Mysterio would, as always, provide great matches, but again, I don't buy him as a World Champion. The only other guy that would provide a worthy main event would be 'Taker and he is on a very limited appearance schedule.

I think Punk should remain on the face side. For now.

 

[JimmyLeviathan]

I just think it was nice to have CM Punk shut all those screaming kids up. Won't be jumping to any conclusions about Punk's status as a heel just yet though it would be good to see.

 

[Adel_hamra]

it was a very interesting decision to make hardy win and let punk cash the MITB against hardy knowing that they have nothing in common, are both faces and that maybe hardy will be leaving since he didn't re-sign a contract so yeah, maybe punk might be turning heel but again, has anyone noticed that maybe creative are pushing punk to be the new cena a.k.a. kids champ(kids love them but they ain't champion material)? and yes, SD! is way better now...there are more interesting storylines than raw

 

[Adel_hamra]

last night, it got me thinking. punk won MITB 2 times in a row and cashed it in for the WHC.

if you go back to last year when he was removed from the scramble match at unforgiven, he didn't have a shot at the title again untill he got MITB

it is definitely sure that creative is trying to push punk to be the new cena a.k.a. kids champion so here's my question, is creative aware that punk can't win the big one so they give him the MITB contract to win knowing that he isn't credible enough to win it by himself?

what are your opinions and thoughts concerning C.M. Punk?

 

[Blade]

I'm really liking this cash in. Last year it was a great moment, but it was a mess with the draft going into effect and such. And last year Punk had to deal with Batista and JBL. Guys who have connections back stage and made the matches so they could kick the crap out of Punk for 10 minutes straight. And wow, Hardy haters must have loved that. Punk has lost some old fans, but gained some new ones now.

Now Punk is on SD. He's got Jericho, he's got Edge, he's got JoMo and of course the inevitable rematch with Hardy. All those guys have absolutely no problem putting Punk over and making him look like a good champion. As long as he keep up the good performances like the ones he's had against Umaga, then this could become a very succesful run for Punk. I'm really counting on it this time.

As for the heel turn, I say no. He's gonna play a tweener who takes on all comers. Cause he's a "survivor" right, Cole? He'll have matches with Edge, Hardy, JoMo etc. And it won't matter whether his opponent is heel or face, he'll take them on, just like he did last year.

I can't wait for what will probably be Punk vs Hardy vs Edge at the next PPV.

 

[thebigbadfox]

CM Punk is champ after the PPV last night. Everyone bitched non stop about his first WHC run after cashing in MITB. Well even though everyone thought he would cash it in by challenging someone at a PPV to a match, he cashed it in on a wounded and tired Jeff Hardy.

I think it should be a good opportunity to turn him heel. He disagreed with Hardy's lifestlye.... different from his straight edge way of life. He couldnt stand to see someone like Jeff as champion so he had to do it to save or keep the WWE fans from having a person like Hardy representing them....

What does everyone think should happen this time to make it not so much of a quote unquote bad reign as champion?

 

[TomSmithUK]

What a buzz kill.

Seriously that was an awful end to a PPV. You have a less popular face come out and get the cheap victory over an incredibly over face, and the emotion from the crowd is gone. The cheers were so muted it was unreal. Had they moved the double crash through the ladder spot to the end, and had Punk come in there, the crowd would have erupted.

Now all we have is a half arsed story where creative can back out of giving Punk a full turn.