Rate The Gimmick: CM Punk - Straight Edge Preacher

[Ferbian]

It's time for another installment in the weekly Rate The Gimmick. For those of you who don't know what the purpose of this is. The purpose is that I find a gimmick, and you rate it between 1 and 10. 1 being awful and 10 being awesome. Pretty simple right?

This week, we'll be looking into a guy who lives on what he preaches. One of the best things going on in WWE right now.

Yes, it is indeed CM Punk. The straight edge savior, preacher. Whatever you want to call the guy, but he's straight edge, and that's what matters in this manner.

CM Punk debuted back in 2006, as a part of the newly revived ECW WWE brand. Where he started to showcase himself slowly.

CM Punk has managed to feud with quite a handful of people. Both of main event as well as mid-card importance. With the likes of John Morrison, Big Show, Rey Mysterio and The Undertaker to name a few.

CM Punk has held various championships in WWE. Most noticeably he has held the World Heavyweight Championship 3 times in total. He was also the person to gain the Triple Crown championship award the fastest. Shattering Kevin Nash's previous record.

CM Punk's most noticeable moment in his career however would have to be his past year and a half time. Here he has showcased himself at his best. Feuding with Jeff Hardy, The Undertaker and Rey Mysterio to name the most noticeable ones. CM Punk turned heel after cashing the Money in the Bank briefcase on a newly crowned champion Jeff Hardy. This sparked the future of a faction called the Straight Edge Society, which has recently been broken up.

There's probably a lot more to be said about Punk. But that is something I'll leave for you all to do instead of me. So, I ask of you to rate this gimmick. Is it a 1? Is it a 10? You decide. Also, remember to give reasons.

 

[Joe's Gonna Kill You]

10/10

The Straight Edge Messiah CM Punk is a perfect gimmick for him because he does not have to play a character that he is not. CM Punk is just playing himself and thats what allows him to be so great he actually believes in what he is preaching. CM Punk is a great talent he is phenomenal in the ring and on the Mic.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

I think Straight Edge Messiah was Probably a Better Choice of Name.

Anyway, I love this gimmick. It's a very specific gimmick that only Punk could actually pull off. This particular gimmick involves a lot of promo work as well as in-ring ability and Punk has managed to mix both together. He's an excellent in-ring talent and he's formidable on the mic.

Punk, much similar to what I said in the Shamrock Thread, has real life experience on his side also. Punk actually shares the beliefs of his character, obviously not to quite the same extremes but they still believe in the same principles. Punk is an actual follower of Straight Edge (hell, he has it tattooed across his stomach) and that's what makes this all the more believable, and all the better.

I give Punk a 10/10.

 

[a0161613]

The best characters are an exaggerated extension of themselves. HHH has it, Austin had it. Flair had it.

Punk has it. The SES should have been the start of something brilliant for him but they blew it. When feuding with someone like Hardy, he came into his own. Punk dominated that feud and it was beautful to watch.

While he makes the gimmick work no matter who he feuds with, he showed how great he could be versus Hardy. I'm am not sure he will ever ride that much momentum ever again. If he does, then he gets a ten. Until then...

8/10

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Punk's gimmick as the Straght Edge Messiah has been one of the best characters in wrestling over the course of the past year or so. Like Numbers said, the best characters are those that are usually exaggerated extensions of their own personality.

Punk's work on the mic since the beginning of his feud with Jeff Hardy last year has been solid gold, he's really been able to shine in this character and carried Jeff Hardy through what I think was the overall best wrestling feud of 2009.

I've actually known a couple of people in real life that are militant followers of the Straight Edge lifestyle. Much of Punk's rhetoric during promos matches how they feel about most people that aren't Straight Edge and it's a great way to generate heat. Instead of using money or fame or how many women he sleeps with or any of the other usual suspects, Punk resorts to questioning the habits and ways of life many people have and blows it far out of proportion in order to get a response. It's a classic heel formula that's been proven to work time and time again. To some degree, one has to wonder just how much of Punk's rhetoric is how he really feels. If it's not really how he feels at all, at least aside from the basic philosophy of Straight Edge, then it's great acting on his part. 10

 

[The Crock]

CM Punk - The Straight Edge Messiah, GREAT GIMMICK. Punk is just plain brilliant. He plays the gimmick so well, that is all a result of him really being Straight Edge. This is the only gimmick he's ever had, and not just in the WWE, even in the Indy scene and TNA. This gimmick has proven to be the "winning formula" for Punk. He always plays it well, heel or face, his alignment (heel or face) really just determines what part of the gimmick he plays up. That's what's so great about it. It is a very versatile gimmick, definitely one of the best of the last 20 years in professional wrestling.

This gimmick just has so many great things about it. I'm going to base my ranking on 4 key points:

1. Versatility
2. Effectiveness
3. Originality
4. Longevity

This gimmick possesses all those qualities. I've already gone over some of them, but I'll recap. Like I said this gimmick is very versatile, Punk can use it in so many different situations, heel or face. The gimmick is beyond effective, Punk just plays it perfectly, possibly because of his real life Straight Edge lifestyle. It is also very original. Nobody had used the Straight Edge gimmick before Punk, he pretty much came up with it all by himself. Finally, this gimmick has proven its longevity over his tenure in ROH, TNA, and the WWE. It lasts long and evolves with every coming challenge, and the crowd never gets enough.

All that being said, I will rate this gimmick a perfect score. 10/10. This is one of those very rare gimmicks that just clicks from day one. Nobody but Punk would be able to pull it off, proving how good he really is... and how damn excellent this gimmick just is.

 

[#hamler]

Most people look at people that don't smoke, don't drink, or don't do drugs as un-cool, or as JBL put it, "boring". Punk, who practices this kind of lifestyle, is very open about it. He stood in the ring and told us we were shit because we were fat, lazy, and we abused simple over the counter drugs. One of the top heels during this time as the "Messiah". He put a couple guys over and had some pretty memorable feuds while he portrayed the "Messiah" gimmick. He plays the character well and has the voice to do it. He cuts very great promos and formed his own Straight Edge Society with in the WWE on Smackdown. He drew some great heat wherever he went which is hard for a heel to do. Who else could do it but CM Punk? However, did he win championships on Smackdown during this "Messiah" phase? Did his group get over while in the Society? No. Gallows hasn't been seen in quite some time, Serena was fired, and Mercury will soon be given his pink slip. He never won any championship during this time either which is a shame. This was one of the best gimmicks the WWE has seen in years. HOWEVER, he didn't do much as the "Messiah" or while in the Straight Edge Society. He's had a great WWE career, 2 time champ, IC champ, tag champ, 2 time MiTB winner. But recently, he's been lost in the shuffle. But still, one of the best gimmicks to date.

Rating- 9/10

 

[TJ Matics]

My Husband (Formally known as the Messiah) get's a 9/10,
Him during his feud w/ druggie was just awesome,
What I really liked was right after his feud when fans were really on the fence and he slowly but surely started speaking the truth, and the puppet master really started pulling the strings:
Grade A promos matched with great matches,
and he somehow managed to keep getting better and better.
The only reason I give him a 9/10 is because the SES was ended to soon.
This was a really good group with a lot of potential,
But it just didn't work out

 

[radec]

9/10

it is very original and it turned out to be very effective so it diserves a 9