Superstar Billy Graham- Right or Wrong?

[amodernphoenix]

Personally, I think he's right. It was disrespectful for Punk to call out past wrestlers and say they only wrestled once a month, etc. For one thing, he was wrong. They wrestled all over the tri-state area and did MANY shows at Fernwood and the Allentown Ag Hall. Secondly, he's right about the WWE begging Bruno to be in the Hall of Fame and then then burying him in the hot spot of their flagship show.

For those of you that think Punk doesn't use writers, you're marks. EVERY current WWE star uses writers, including HHH and the Undertaker. Granted, they have the ability to veto writers, but their lines are planned and scripted before they go out there. With the upper-echelon guys, they're given bullet points to use, the rest get straight-up scripts. And for those who believe "A heel is supposed to do everything he can to get heat", well, you're flat-out wrong. A heel insults and bad mouths the good guys, but his ultimate goal is to indirectly make his opponent look strong. That goes both ways. You mock their style, you mock what they say and you mock their win-loss record, you NEVER mock their work ethic or drawing power. Breaking that fourth wall is a cheap way to get heat and it's done by guys who are unable to do it the way every other heal can. Compare Punk's words with those of great heels like the Undertaker and the Rock himself, back when they were heels. Go further back and listen to what Macho Man and Slaughter said. Neither broke the 4th wall, yet Slaughter needed a police escort to the arenas (so did Billy Graham, by the way).

Finally, I'd say that those of you who are making comments about how Billy Graham "knows nothing about the business" and "got trolled" and "doesn't realize it's a work" are giving all displaying your ignorance about the product and the history. Do you really know who Superstar Billy Graham is? Do you know that he was WWE's original "gimmick character" and that he too, was a heel? There are many in the industry who feel the same way about WWE becoming a glorified talk show and he echoed the feelings of many WWE Legends. He also made a point, which many of you missed, that WWE likely threw that line in there as a jab at Bruno for declining the Hall over and over.

The business was very different back then, than it is today and Punk would have been eaten alive. There was a hell of a lot more shooting and actual wrestling in one match, then we see in 3 hours of RAW. People got their receipts over and over again. Aside from that, the matches were routinely 45 minutes to over an hour. You think Punk could endure that night after night? Half his current move set wouldn't have been used back then, because moves like his were considered too "phony" and they still followed the kayfabe policy, like I wish today's wrestlers did.

One last point- I do agree that the Rock was bested by CM Punk on the microphone, but not by denigrating legends or calling himself God. He bested him by not backing down, laughing in Rock's face and telling him point blank, "I'm going to kick your ass." Of course, in a real fight, the Rock would destroy Punk. It's about three times his size and knows how to hook, as does every Samoan wrestler. It's part of their heritage and I've watched the training first-hand.

 

[dotty_84]

Pfft ok soooo i think you along with Billy Graham are taking this to heart. Bruno is one of thee best names in wrestling and i don't think you could count on one hand the amount of professional wrestlers now or then who doesn't have respect for him. You obviously agree on Bruno being a legend but think of this if he is so respected, well known and loved then why hasn't any other wrestling personality commented on how Punk treated Bruno? Because it's a work! Billy Graham hmm gee i really do see his name a few times a year complaining or moaning about something. He's like the lesser publicity grabbing version of Hogan.

Why is everyone stepping on egg shells for Bruno getting inducted? listen if he has his morales on how WWE went in the 90's then that's his choice but sometimes you have to do things to an extreme to survive. Sorry but if Bruno can't see that then that's his problem. WWE isn't like that anymore and most likely won't be but for some reason i'm guessing Bruno worries it could happen again and tarnish him and his name.

 

[rb286]

Punk taking a shot at Bruno and other wrestlers from the past generations was clearly done to show how delusional Punk has become. This long title reign has made Punk believe he is genuinely the best wrestler to step foot in the ring, ever. Graham taking this to heart is ridiculous as I doubt Punk, Vince or whoever in the WWE don't take what past legends did for granted. It's done purely to develop Punk's character more.

 

[Midnite Express 2009]

Bruno reminds me of that old guy who sits in front of his window watching children running up and down the street and yells at nobody "You kids run too fast". That's Bruno. He says, "WWE runs too fast, slow down." Well Bruno, you were there during a time when Vince McMahon's FATHER was promoting you. And he did a great job at it, no doubt about it. But neither you NOR the man who took the title from you AND RAN WITH IT have any right to be extremely critical of the time in which WWE was in during the 90s and even now. Superstar Billy Graham is completely and utterly incorrect in his assessment of CM Punk's shoot-work, which again is a shoot-work that worked to perfection because it was 1 part truth, 1 part showmanship. CM Punk was absolutely right when he said that Bruno wrestled only once a month. So now the truth is wrong? Really?

Bruno wrestled only once a month for a reason and a purpose. We all get that. And he never said Bruno was a terrible champion. He made a point that if he (Punk) were in Sammartino's era, he'd have beaten him. I don't know if that's correct or not, but that's the 1 part showmanship. Why would he come out and say, "oh hey, yeah, if I were wrestling in Sammartino's time, I would hope to have a great match, but I don't know if I'd win." That makes NO sense whatsoever. He spoke the truth and it obviously made ever-jealous Superstar even more jealous over the fact that he either didn't get a longer title run (which he has always admitted) or that he isn't relevant anymore. Nobody's knocking Billy Graham, it's just that when he starts his rants about everyone it makes no sense.

Case & point: He is always ambivalent when it comes down to Vince McMahon and the WWE. Isn't this the same Superstar Billy Graham who tried to destroy the WWF in the late 80s/early 90s by going public with his steroid usage AND tried to blame Vince McMahon for it? Isn't this the same Superstar Billy Graham who has publicly trashed WWE in the past for so many things when he personally felt it didn't fit into his small little box on how things should & should not be ran? Now he's once again on the bandwagon, calling out people who didn't even mention him.

Now, as far as the old man in the window, Bruno Sammartino. Bruno either needs to accept the Hall of Fame or not. Is he a Hall of Famer? Yes, without a doubt. Should people be kissing his ass to be in there? Hell no! Bruno's got a lot of balls to constantly shun the hall of fame, but that's his business and his decision. But to come across as if he's better than something or that he's just too tight fist and narrow-minded to see that times evolve and they don't air Leave It To Beaver first run on TV anymore is just down right ignorant and arrogant on his part. Do you hear Hulk Hogan railing CM Punk? No. Because at least Hogan knows the truth to what Punk was saying. Same with Ric Flair. Shawn Michaels is different story. But that's what Punk is supposed to do you foolish man.

Half of those in the crowd probably don't even know who Bruno Sammartino is anyway. So give it a rest. I swear, some people....

 

[Midnite Express 2009]

Punk taking a shot at Bruno and other wrestlers from the past generations was clearly done to show how delusional Punk has become. This long title reign has made Punk believe he is genuinely the best wrestler to step foot in the ring, ever. Graham taking this to heart is ridiculous as I doubt Punk, Vince or whoever in the WWE don't take what past legends did for granted. It's done purely to develop Punk's character more.

You just completely contradicted yourself with what you said: On one hand you say that Punk has shown signs of being "delusional" because he "believes he is genuinely the best wrestler to step foot in the ring, ever." But then the very next two sentences you say "Punk, Vince or whoever in the WWE don't take what past legends did for granted. It's done purely to develop Punk's character more." So which one is it? Is he appreciative of what the legends did and doesn't take it for granted and it's only done for his character development or is he delusional?

 

[GeneralKarim]

I think Billy Graham forgets that wrestling is fake.Unless this is a storlyline and they wanna involve Billy which I doubt it then quite freanky he has lost his mind.Punk is a heel and what he did was insult the legends of the past, on a more deeper level.Isnt that a nice change than "O yea he is a hasbeen im the legend now BLALBLALBLA".

This just shows that u just cant please everybody.Punk did a terrific job, the crowd was a dud all night, punks promo although winded made alot of sense. It was a heel promo but it was a heel Punk promo where he come in with some reality but doesnt over do it while still poking at the WWE universe.

And Midnite Express 2009 ? What is wrong with you?The guy made a great point. This is FAKE WRESTLING. People in the back , PUNK, doesnt actually hate or w/e the legends of the past. IT IS ALL A FAKE, i know shocking right? Mr.rb286 did not contradict himself.

He would've contradicted himself if wrestling wasnt fake.Sorry to spoil it.

 

[flyinbukta]

Is he appreciative of what the legends did and doesn't take it for granted and it's only done for his character development or is he delusional?

Both of those choices are the same thing! Phil Brooks (I hate it when people drop the wrestler's real names in threads, but I do it here to differentiate between man and character) is appreciative of what the legends did and doesn't take it for granted, but CM Punk is a delusional asshole who thinks he is the greatest WWE Champion of all time. And anything CM Punk the character does is for his character development.

I think the ultimate factor here is that since he turned heel CM Punk has been hated on for an altercation with a fan, for mocking a man who nearly died, and now for insulting Bruno Sammartino. People dislike him for it, and even though they know it's fake, some people are waiting to watch him get his ass kicked for it. (Yes, I know some of you are above the idea that your payoff is to watch the bad guy get his ass kicked, because it doesn't matter because it's fake, but you shouldn't be in this thread, because you don't believe what CM Punk said anyway). Newsflash folks: Whatever your explanation of the reason, whether you think that fits under the description or not, if you dislike CM Punk (have a negative opinion of him, enough to start a thread about his disrespect possibly?) then Punk is DOING HIS JOB.

CM Punk has to make you dislike him.

"Oh, but I only dislike him because he's getting cheap heat, and he's better than that." - Anyone who thinks or says this is not only fitting under the umbrella of people who CM Punk is 'working', but you STRENGTHEN IT. If you cut away all of the respect, and the number of days, and take CM Punk's point to it's core. The core that was the point of the 'pipe bomb', the core of Punk's message in this run, it's that you don't have to be good to get over.
And if you hate him for not being as good as he should be, then you're proving him right. That being the 'best in the world' doesn't matter, if the cheap stuff gets you more dislike. And, deep down, I think Phil Brooks knows that CM Punk is right too (man, character, sorry if this gets confusing from now on). The cheap stuff is simple enough for the kids to hate him. The cheap stuff is attacking the older people's heroes, and making the ones who buy into it hate him. The cheap stuff is making the smarks hate him for not being as good as he should be. That's everyone. Phil probably knows that he is better than this, but better isn't what the WWE needs. Hated is what the WWE needs.

The only problem with Punk's heel run so far has been the idiots who think he's the greatest thing since ever, and cheer him no matter what. If they turn on him (as others in the IWC are doing, as evidenced by this thread), then there's only the repetitiveness left. Being repetitive doesn't matter if you're over, right? I mean, Cena's been doing it for so long that it's beyond a joke now, and he's still the top dog.

TL, DR: CM Punk is 'playing the game' like a master right now. He needs everyone to dislike what he's doing, and the cheap way he's doing it, enough to suspend the disbelief and make them want to see the Rock kick his candy ass.
Billy Graham has missed the nuance of the people who still cheer Punk, and as such thinks this is cheap disrespect. In fact, it's the easiest way to stop them cheering.

 

[BTLion1990]

I don't REALLY understand Superstar Billy Grahams problem. Earlier on in the show Wade Barrett insulted Steamboat, calling him a has-been etc. It happens. Punk over various times has insulted Flair, The Rock, Austin, HBK, Bret and so on. It's a show. If Sammartino was truly being disrespected then why would HHH, JR and Vince all lobbied to get him into the Hall Of Fame? Everyone appreciates his contributions. Punk was trying to make his title reign seem like THE most important in history, not just due to the longevity, but also due to his opponents and the amount he wrestles a week. It's called hyping his match with The Rock, and making it seem like the greatest WWE championship clash of all time.

 

[AJ1981]

Punk was just cutting a heel promo and Superstar should take it for what it was. I'll be honest though when I heard the line about once a month at MSG it did jar me a bit as Bruno and many of his peers would work 6/7 day weeks working long gruelling matches.
The sad thing is WWE presents it own version of wrestling history and many younger fans simply believe what they see on TV or DVDs

 

[mojmass]

I think if CM Punk go on like this he have to drop CM from his name after he drops the title WWE is not considering the consequences of CM Punk unlimited insult to WWE legends.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Doesn't matter if its a work or fake, for one....The reason it stung so bad was because its true. It just simply, is true. Punk works five times the dates, and has about ten times the exposure to the audience as the guys in that era did, which has him work more dates in a month than they did in a year. Not to mention they had zero national exposure, while Punk has it multiple times per week. I had already actually had this conversation with someone, that being a champion for over a year in this day and age of major over saturation is ten times the accomplishment of a Bob Backlund and a Billy Graham, or a Bruno.

Secondly, uh, hello, MARK, its a fucking HEEL PROMO. Hopefully Billy Graham is just working us too.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm personally hoping that Billy Graham is just trying to work people. Surely, he hasn't lost it to the degree that he's forgotten that wrestling is staged as is just about 99% of everything that's done & said in wrestling. If Graham is legit in his comments, then Billy Graham's full of shit in my opinion. Billy Graham has been ranting & raving about one thing or another regarding pro wrestling for the better part of two decades and this is just the latest one.

What CM Punk did was no different than what numerous heel World Champions have been doing for decades: staying in character while defacing former wrestling greats and champions for the purpose of generating heat and keeping things moving with his current angle. What's Punk's current angle? It's that he's the longest reigning World Champion in WWE in more than a quarter century. The length & greatness of his current WWE Championship run has been a central aspect of his heel character. Harley Race did it, Ric Flair did it, Randy Savage did it, etc. Hell, Ric Flair was doing the exact same thing years before he ever won his first NWA World Heavyweight Championship because it was all part of his character.

As far as Bruno Sammartino goes, I honestly don't give a shit to be honest. Like Graham, all Sammartino has done for most of the past 30 years is criticize wrestling because it's not the same as it was back in his day. I respect that Sammartino was a huge star. I respect that he was a strong champion and he should be in the HOF. However, in my opinion, the man needs to get over himself more than just a little. The wrestling world isn't going to stop turning just because old men like Graham & Sammartino are two guys who continue to live in the past.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Mighty NorCal and Jack-Hammer nailed it. The most desparate fact fact about Graham's rant is that he never said that wrestlers like Sammartino weren't wrestling a match once a month. All he said was how great the guys of his generation were, that they were wrestling icons and such. It felt like he was begging Punk to stop telling the truth.

Who knows? Maybe that was Vince's big FU to Sammartino for not accepting the HOF Induction all those years.

The bottom line is this: CM Punk did what he does best. The guy is a natural heel. He can shoot and moan all he wants, if that is what it takes to get heat. Hogan also was a chapion for 4 years. How many matches did he wrestle during that period?

Punk also said something else. These guys never went through a table, never got thrown of a ladder and never worked for 365 straight days per year. Something that every wrestler currently employed by the WWE does.

There's a generation gap between these guys. The one will never understand the logic of the other. It's nonsense really. Graham needs to get his act together. This isn't 1975 anymore. Wrestling has evolved. It's not real but I think it's way more demanding than it was those days.

Worst things have been said by WWE wrestlers. CM Punk rejecting that line would be straight stupid. Orton's "Eddie's down there, in Hell!" was far more worse than someone talking truth about some 70 year old man who still thinks that people give a damn about him. I'm sorry, but that's the truth.

The only thing Graham accomplished was to lower his self-image and nothing more. WWE couldn't care less. Punk couldn't care less. I couldn't care less.

 

[bestintheworld3589]

This might be a little off topic, but I find it ironic and somewhat funny that most of the old guys that worked for Vince and got him started out are the most disrespected by Vince and now hate him, while the guys who used to be Vince's competition in the NWA all have jobs in WWE and are respected by the WWE (Flair, Steamboat, Rhodes, Anderson, etc)

 

[dakikko049]

A lot of people are saying that Billy Graham took the comment too much to heart, which is absolutely true. Punk is a heel, and so he is supposed to say things that annoy you. Disrespecting legends and calling yourself "the best" is common for heels and has been for quite a while now.

However, the majority of people watching Monday Night Raw probably haven't seen anything about Bruno Sammartino and so when they hear somebody tell them that his era wasn't as difficult and that Bruno only wrestled once a month, no matter who it is, they are going to believe it, and it is here that I think Graham point lies. Now when these young people hear about Sammartino they are just going to think "Hey, he's the guy who had the title for 20 years but it was easy back then so it doesn't count"... because that is likely all they have heard. Now I dont think this is the fault of CM Punk, or is it Vince disrespecting Bruno, I just think they didn't think of it like that.

Now if somebody, maybe a face like the Rock, had have come out and stuck up for Bruno, and help put him over as a legend then there wouldn't really be a problem. People would believe the face and just dismiss Punk's comments as being disrespectful.

So overall I can kind of see why Billy Graham is annoyed, and he might even be right (just a little) about degrading Sammartino and that whole era of wrestling, but at the end of the day, Punk's job is to be an asshole, and when a hall of famer who should know the business better than that by now comes out with a comment like that they are gonna make themselves seem a little bitter.

 

[tomthebodz]

He's wrong in my opinion.

CM Punk is a heel he therefore needs to generate heat, and that's exactly what this promo did.

As kpgreece said WWE have said and done much worse things, the Eddie thing was unforgivable in my books.

Punks point was also valid, they (as far as I know) didn't have as many title matches back then.

 

[mac931984]

Lets imagine down the road before wrestlemania Punk is cutting a promo, Then "No chance.." hits . Vince struts down the ring and introduces the main inductee in the HOF is ... Bruno Sammartino. Well it's nice to dream isn't it?

 

[rb286]

Both of those choices are the same thing! Phil Brooks (I hate it when people drop the wrestler's real names in threads, but I do it here to differentiate between man and character) is appreciative of what the legends did and doesn't take it for granted, but CM Punk is a delusional asshole who thinks he is the greatest WWE Champion of all time. And anything CM Punk the character does is for his character development.

Yes, that was what I meant in my post, sorry for not making that clearer. Phil clearly respects what older generations of wrestlers have done otherwise I doubt he would've got into the profession himself for so long. However, CM Punk feels he is better than any other wrestler past or present due to his title reign and the longevity of it. This is what I meant by him being delusional and the fact that he mentions Bruno's name is to show how far he's gone which is what I meant by character development!

 

[Jtrivera]

The promo had one purpose behind it, and that was to get people talking, it doesn't matter if the promo attracted positive or negative attention. Billy fails to realize that while it was disrespectful, Punks words were done from a Heel standpoint and from a scripted standpoint as well, so Billy has no reason to be offended, I can see if Punk said something like that on twitter an meant it, but he did it on tv where everything is planned out, so boo hoo he took shots at Bruno, did it draw heat? Did it get people talking? I'd say the promo was successful and Billy Graham's little baby fit is just adding onto the heat. Punk wants to be known as a cocky disrespectful heel and it has worked to perfection,

 

[Y2J-LionTamer-Y2J]

This all makes me laugh.

Someone finnaly cuts a good promo and on top of that it happens to be Punk who EVERYONE has been waiting for to go back to the pipebombs and then when he does we find out how many ppl wrestling is still real too.

I find this amuseing. Punk was right in his promo even if it was a work. ppl can't handle any more then the crap WWE throws at them. They get all sensitive and shit.

 

[JUSTINMFNBEEMER]

Seriously, is Billy becoming the new Kevin Nash, just saying shit just to be heard? Stfu and have another steriod shake fucker. If you wanna be out of the hall of fame, i say all the power to you. By now you probably pawned off your ring anyways.

 

[ilapierre]

A lot of the marks and smarks of current day shit PG era WWE today are rejoicing because their hero was able to get under Superstar Billy Graham's skin. Some of you are right, Bruno and Billy do take themselves way too seriously. They don't look wrestling today like it's a work, they look at things like they're real. In their day, it was all real besides a few spots and the actual end result. Guys like Bruno and Billy were allowed to do whatever they thought would sell the match to work the crowd. That's so much more badass and punk than the recycled whiny heel act that's scripted to also appeal to women and children. You smarks should show a little respect to the guys of old, at least they didn't follow silly scripts and weren't badass posers like some cookie puss who is so sheltered he won't even have a casual drink. How punk and adult-like eh. In fairness to Bruno, at least, Punk said shit about Bruno. That is real. Anybody can say shit about anyone but why attack old, perhaps senile men in their 60s and 70s who've had nothing to do with wrestling in 25 years? It's not like WWE is gonna bring Bruno in to the Rock/Punk match at Royal Rumble. It's not furthering anything. It's just cheap heat. Steve Austin at his baddest wouldn't even say shit about the biggest two bad asses of generations past. Because Austin gets that it isn't 'badass' or 'punk' to do something like that. It's lame, teenager behaviour to attack something or someone of such quality. It'd be like attacking The Beatles or Led Zeppelin because they're old. It's not 18 or 19 year old teenager behavoiur, more like 13 or 14 year old 'i know nothing about anything' behaviour. And it appeals to a PG audience and adults, like JustinBeemer, with lower mental capacity. That's why it hasn't been done before. A lot of you are pumped that Punk pissed off a legend who might have dementia. But if WWE 'allowed' anybody else to say the same thing, whether it was Triple H or Zack Ryder, Graham would respond the exact same way. It's not that Punk is such a great heel, it's that he's the only one allowed to walk on TV and talk for 10 minutes straight. He's no Ric Flair or Piper, and 10 minutes would be way too long in any previous generation when WWE actually had real talent. What a lot of you are missing the point on is that, whether you believe Punk writes his own lines or not, WWE gave him the 'go ahead' to say what he said. As Graham said, WWE has been bugging Sammartino like crazy. I wouldn't be shocked in the least if it was Triple H who told Punk to go out there and rip Bruno. Sure Punk 'ad libs' his script but a lot of you are delusional to think Punk either writes his own lines or drops pipe bombs off the top of his head. You want to see real pipebombs, go watch WCW circa 1996-1999. Watch territory wrestling before 1985. Watch the Attitude Era. No one was censored back then, anybody could say anything and it always felt real. CM Punk doesn't feel real. He feels scripted all the way. 10 years ago and beyond, he would just be another voice among many bigger bodies and much more credible looking main eventers. Bruno or Billy in their prime would wipe the floor with a skinny little guy like Punk. No matter what you all want to delusionally believe, Punk is no different than the other guys these days besides the fact he's 10 times better at sounding like he's not scripted. His character is scripted that way. Everything that goes on air today has to be PG approved and Punk is no different. Punk can say he rips up scripts all he wants. The real truth is he can't. He has a contract that says he can't and he plays a character. He plays a smark and that's why the smarks love him. He's the Piper of his era as no one besides the Rock can match him on the mic. Difference is Piper was a real man who could stomach a drink here and there. He said real shit no one knew was coming and you believed he could kick anyone's ass. Piper was a real bad ass, Punk's a wannabe just like all the smarky smarks who love him. If Punk got in a real fight, I could see him getting his ass kicked by some random guy off the street. Punk's PG era where no one can say anything is crap, way crappier than Billy and Bruno's where men looked like men and anything could be said. Back when most everything that was said and did was real. Back when the business was authentically bad ass. PS The WWE HOF is a joke. Savage, Backlund and Sammartino aren't going in. Graham wants out. Hogan wants out. Hitman didn't want anything to do with it for years. The place is for guys like JYD and the Von Erichs who wouldn't be remembered otherwise.

 

[ilapierre]

I was just checking up on CM Punk's 'facts' and it appears, according to wrestlingdata.com, Bruno wrestled 3 to 4 times some months, at the least, and 7-8 times other months. He kept this up for 28 years. Most of his matches were longer than 20 minutes and probably every one of four was a good hour. Perhaps Punk should get on the phone and ask Bruno about how to improve his drawing power. Punk's been champ so long not because he's so damn good. Wrestling's fake, Punk loving smarks forget that when it comes to his reign. He's been champ so long because there is no one to replace him. You can't give it to green ass guys like Ziggler or yawners like Del Rio. You can't give it to Miz, or Sheamus who will have the other belt. Cena and Orton and Trips have all had it 10 times and Rock and Brock and Taker are part timers. There's no one else to give it to and the guys under Punk aren't doing anything extraordinary to deserve a run. WWE is doing such bad business and bad ratings right now but they have no other choice but to run with Punk. Even Jeff Jarrett and Booker T drew better for WCW in 2000. That's pathetic. Some heel champ and uber draw CM Punk is.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

A lot of people are saying that Billy Graham took the comment too much to heart, which is absolutely true. Punk is a heel, and so he is supposed to say things that annoy you. Disrespecting legends and calling yourself "the best" is common for heels and has been for quite a while now.

However, the majority of people watching Monday Night Raw probably haven't seen anything about Bruno Sammartino and so when they hear somebody tell them that his era wasn't as difficult and that Bruno only wrestled once a month, no matter who it is, they are going to believe it, and it is here that I think Graham point lies. Now when these young people hear about Sammartino they are just going to think "Hey, he's the guy who had the title for 20 years but it was easy back then so it doesn't count"... because that is likely all they have heard. Now I dont think this is the fault of CM Punk, or is it Vince disrespecting Bruno, I just think they didn't think of it like that.

Now if somebody, maybe a face like the Rock, had have come out and stuck up for Bruno, and help put him over as a legend then there wouldn't really be a problem. People would believe the face and just dismiss Punk's comments as being disrespectful.

So overall I can kind of see why Billy Graham is annoyed, and he might even be right (just a little) about degrading Sammartino and that whole era of wrestling, but at the end of the day, Punk's job is to be an asshole, and when a hall of famer who should know the business better than that by now comes out with a comment like that they are gonna make themselves seem a little bitter.

Then the problem is Bruno's... He has had ample chance to show up and put his side, I am certain Vince would let him drop his own well "mortars" rather than pipe bombs but you get the point...But he has consistently refused every offer made to him.

It's like moaning about not going to the prom when the person you want to go with asked you but you don't like that they are wearing a blue frilly tux rather than the one you pick... someone else will nip in, as Punk has done.

If the kids today don't know about Bruno it's cos Bruno wants to hide away from them, it's not Vince's duty to put someone over who left acrimoniously 20+ years ago and has denigrated him and his business at every opportunity out of "respect", however big a part of it he once was.

If Bruno had respect for the business that made him he would accept that his time was different to the Hackenschmidts etc and he benefitted from the changes they made in his time, and now guys are benefitting from his legacy but arguably working harder and more physically than his era ever did he should be happy that he has had some influence. Maybe that he got old is galling to him, maybe he wishes he could still go or is mad he never got the Hogan dollar but in his defence Bruno reached his point and got out, way out.

Sadly he didn't keep his mouth shut and now guys like Graham, the same man who was all over that fake sexual abuse report years back is again accusing WWE of bad behavior. What is he mad about? What Punk said? or that a smaller, non roided guy can now not only take the top spot, but be more hated/over than he ever was with his 22" pythons etc? Punk just has to open his mouth and he has heat or cheers depending on what the situation calls for. Again, Graham could be "Superstar" or the Judo guy or the tye dye muppet he was near the end and he still got nowhere near.

I respect what that generation did until they open their mouths (except for Sheiky Baby cos that's always comedy gold). Now I could be way off about Bruno, he could show up on RAW next week and punch Punk out... but either do it or don't complain... same goes for you Superstar... either show up or shut up!

 

[ilapierre]

You know, I've just read this thread and the funny thing is something dawned on me. Punk is an active wrestler in his early 30s and Bruno is 77 and Billy Graham's 60 something. They've been out of wrestling since the early to mid 80s. They're not even involved in whatever angle is going on WWE. Yet, Billy Graham's post about Punk is 10 times more heel like than what Punk said about Sammartino. Graham's authentically pissed and that makes the smarks happy. But it's Graham whose shooting at Punk. Punk's just following script and doesn't mean any ill will towards that generation. But Graham is directing ill will at Punk. So, in this situation, Graham's indirectly the heel! Punk is playing the role of the face.

Mighty NorCal: The reason it 'stung' so bad was because it's simply true? Punk. That Bruno worked once a month and wasn't much of a wrestler with no competition. There's nothing true about that at all. Truth stings, lies are misleading. Punk's misleading his fanatical cult of smarks into believing that guys like Bruno or Billy couldn't keep up with him. Bullshit. Yeah it's a script and it's a way for Punk to gain heat. But what he said with that authority makes it true to today's generation. But it's not true. And that's the problem Billy Graham has with it. Punk's not playing his delusional character well enough because too much of his fanbase believe what he says is 100 percent accurate. So that's where the problem lies. It goes beyond a heel performance. What he said was just a flat out lie and it wasn't exaggerated enough to be obvious to everyone. In reality Bruno could tear a guy up like Punk for real. Bruno wrestled on average 5 to 6 times a month and sometimes for over an hour. Punk wrestles more, granted, he's the champ. The champ normally works something like 250 dates a year. But Punk wouldn't work that rate for 28 years. Punk has 10 times the exposure of Bruno? Punk's been a main eventer for what 2 years? And the very few wrestlers who stay at the top these days are forced to essentially retire in their early 40s. So Punk's got about 6 or 7 years left in him until his work rate either ends or is comparable to Bruno's. Bruno was a main eventer his entire 28 year career. He's sold out almost everywhere he went and it was because of him and not some machine backing him. He could walk into Japan and his name alone would sell out huge stadiums. You also confuse the work rate of Bruno and Bob Backlund. Backlund worked over 200 dates regularly. Check your facts man. You're simply just rehashing smark hearsay. It's no accomplishment in this day of age of 'over saturation' for him to still be champ. It's because of the over saturation for years on end that Punk was allowed to hold on the title for as long as he did. There's no one ready enough or competent enough on the mic to replace him. In Bruno's day, he stayed on top because he was the biggest all time draw in North America. Punk would be more like Backlund as the WWE needed a new direction with Bruno too old. A young Backlund was part of the bland, rebuilding years and he didn't do much better or worse at drawing than Punk. Billy Graham, on the other hand, was a huge draw. He was a much bigger bad ass and heel than CM Punk. Punk's badass if you're some woman with no taste in men. Or some child with no understanding of the wrestling world before it reverted back to PG.

Kpgreece: Punk does not work 365 days a year. Take 365 and subtract that by 100. That's how often Punk works a year. He wrestles for what? 5-10 minutes a match. There are 10 different reasons to watch RAW or go to a house show these days. Taker might show up, Rock could be there, Brock might kill someone or himself, Heyman's a master on the mic, legends of old might get some air time. But in Bruno's day, he was the man. If he wasn't on the card, it would most likely fail. Bruno was a one man draw. He didn't have to rely on things like fake tables or stupid ass ladders to sell a wrestling match like the imbecile wannabes of today. And had Billy Graham had Bruno's health he could very well have had a similar career. He could main evented Wrestlemania with Hogan. He could have been Hogan. Imagine how amazing a career he would have had had McMahon and his dad not forced roids on him. Imagine the classic matches he could have had with Savage or Warrior or Hitman or Michaels and even Flair. Graham had one of the best gimmicks of all time and was the blueprint for Hulk Hogan. To trash Billy Graham, one of the best ever heels of his time, in this situation where he's again obviously generating heel heat from the smarks jumping all over him would be like jumping on board the Simple Plan express and trashing the Sex Pistols for not being punk enough.