The Rock Returns or CM Punk Shoots?

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

2011 is drawing to a close, and two huge moments stand out among a year full of controversy, conspiracy, and...a bunch of other crap. The question is simple: now that we're far enough removed from both, which moment stands as THE moment of 2011?

Was it the electricity of the Rock's return to host WrestleMania? The millions (and millions) of the Rock's fans chanting his name in unison (I was there...it was amazing)? Or was it the shoot heard round the world? The controversial statements that led to CM Punk winning the WWE title at Money in the Bank (I was also there...it was also amazing...)?

One last thread to decide who the Wrestlezone Forums thinks stole the moment of the year...

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8ejiG5-BtA[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zux-po8YorY[/YOUTUBE]

 

[SickJames]

I dont care what people say, fuck em. I like CM Punk and what he did was great, but that cant compare to The Rock's return and the pop it got over Punk's interest and pops to come, the interest around The Rock being back was way bigger.

The Rock's return alone after 7 years was impactful and his overtime Raw promo

He had everyone with his words and he showed why he's still the best. CM Punk showed he's the best they have of the fulltime stars.

Punk is great, but his moment was a shock and rare moment like Nexus. The Rock's return is bigger. This would be like if Randy Savage returned to WWE the year Nexus did what they did and you asked which is bigger. It's really big, both are, but one is clearly the bigger event.

The Rock was the BEST thing to happen this year period and was saved and used well for YEARS

And this was well executed

Anyone who doesnt understand this still and hates The Rock for "walking out" or "leaving" after promising never to leave isnt getting it and never will at this point. And people have given Punk the edge in other threads when this came up for those stupid ass reasons which have nothing to do with the events soley in comparison and that's why most people's opinions and ratings mean absolute shit online. They bring in a bunch of emotions on unrelated issues and it clouds their judgement.

This is NO comparison, a clear no contest


(edit: to the comment below: no one saw Rock's return coming either, that's only the 2nd time someone has said that recently, it wasnt reported at all, what are you talking about? How was it at all expected, the night of?)

 

[HorsemenNo4]

The Rocks' return but just slightly. A lot of people were expecting the Rock's return and he delivered a meaningful and hilarious speech. The fact he called out Cena was also a great surprise. He spoke from the heart, delivered some great one liners and his old lines than called out Cena for being the top man in the company but so many people hating him.

CM Punk's speech was excellent. What made it so good was no one saw it coming. We knew Punk was considering leaving but sitting down at the entrance and ripping on the company, it's top star, and the management took everyone by surprise. So many people thought it was real.

I think in the years to come, Rock's return will be talked about much more than Punk's shoot.

 

[SmattyG]

I gotta go with CM Punk on this one. The shoot heard round the world! No one saw it coming, it was talked about for weeks (months?) and it stirred up the industry. Although we know now it was a worked shoot at best, it seemd like a shoot at the time. Punk broke all the rules - mentioning Hogan, trashing Cena AND The Rock AND Triple H, talking about ROH and NJPW, giving a shout out to Colt Cabana. Just amazing.

As for The Rock....well I love The Rock. I loved him in the late 90s anyway. I don't care that he left to do movies, I say good on him. I just don't really see what he adds to today's wrestling scene when we all know it's only going to be a couple of appearances. Don't get me wrong, if there was a Survivor Series match with team Lauranitis (Miz, Truth, Nash, Swagger, Dolph) V Team Trips (HHH, Punk, Cena, Sheamus, mysery opponent) and that mystery opponent was The Rock I'd still mark out after all these years. But we all knew The Rock was coming. We all knew he would start with Finally and end with Cookin. Was it great? Yeah. Was it innovative or in any way edgy? Not a chance.

That's why I'm voting for CM Punk. Edgy, shock value, relevant, and kept us all guessing for weeks...

 

[Rampage Bentley]

I'm going to give it to CM Punk.

Rock's return was huge, but CM Punk's moment was a game changer. It was a moment that ushered in what's being called the reality era. CM Punk's promo actually heralded a change in which the WWE product has actually changed and gotten better.

Rock's return was great, but it didn't change anything, follow that up with his non appearances otherwise and I stand firmly behind Punk.

 

[hjq0023]

CM Punks speect did not start a new era. There is no new era. This current era after the attitude era is similar to the new generation era which was after hulkamania. The thing about the new generation and this era is that they were both rather stale. The only way there will be a new era is if Vince get real desperate. Like when he started the Attitude era, WWE were desperate they were getting Whopped by the WCW. WWE would do whatever it took to beat WCW in ratings.

 

[legendkiller1979]

I have to beak this into two categories. At the time, The Rock's return was unlike any other return. It was truly electric. Punk's speech caught me so off guard that it took some time to really sink it. So for immediate impact the answer is The Rock.

Years from now, The Rock's return, while special, will have had no lasting impact. His whole return was overall, less than spectacular.

People are going to be talking about Punk's promo for a long long time. There had never been a promo anything like it before, and I doubt there will ever be anything like it again.

So If I must cast one vote, it goes to CM Punk for lasting effect.

 

[Cena's #1 In My Heart]

That is an easy fucking question!

CM PUNK

CM Punk's promo was about the WWE getting a reality check and noticing true talent when it's there. They obviously wanted to keep him by offering him big contracts. But CM Punk wanted to be top dawg.. because he knew it'd be better than that crap Cena's putting out.

The Rock returning... well that's cool... I might of shed a tear when he first came back... but where has he been? Not in the wrestling ring... and he probably won't be spending much time there.

I give it to CM Punk... CM Punk made the product better... The Rock just teases us...

 

[Azane]

Rock's return loses pretty much all of my attention, because it was just a load of BS.
"I'm back for good" - followed by 6 months of MIA.

Punk's speeches made wrestling a little more real, and is set the tone for the entire year.

Dwayne is still a sell out who's too busy looking at the paycheck to actually care about professional wrestling unless it's paying him ridiculously (Vince shelled out huge bucks for his WM appearance)

I look forward to seeing the Rock live 2-3 times, and 15 pre-taped 2 min clips that he probably shot in 1 sitting.

Punk right now is superstar of the year, he's been pushing the product and been the most interesting character we've had since Brock dropped the ball.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

Internet smarks will go with Punk. They're wrong.

Rock's return drew one million buys for WrestleMania... and all he did was host. He's about to have the most hyped WrestleMania main event in at least a decade, so he wins. Punk's moment was awesome, and I loved the speech, but The Rock is big money. Punk isn't near Rock's level, so it didn't make as big of an impact. Rock is a bigger deal, plain and simple.

 

[Robi2184]

CM Punk Shoots, It was picked up by everyone. It made wrestling mainstream and most importantly it felt REAL.

All Rock did was say he was back to disappear for the next 6 months like someone already mentioned.

CM Punk hands down.

 

[TheLoneLegend]

CM Punk had the biggest impact on this year by far in my opinion. Punk did exactly what he said he was going to do and that was make wrestling fun to watch again. Yes, there is still room for improvement in and out of the ring, but I faithly watch Raw again just because of Punk this past summer. Before then it was catch a show here, an episode on YouTube once and awhile, etc. I happened to be watching the night the "Shoot Heard Round the World" took place, and have made sure to watch every week again since.

I'm not taking anything from The Rock, but for one I cheered whoever he was against 90% of the time. If he was back full time or hell even part time, not a PPV here a Raw there, then his return would of surpassed Punk for me. But this is just something Dwayne Johnson is doing to kill time between movies and a nice fat payday.

 

[Davieboy2009]

At the time, Rock's return was HUGE, nobody thought it would ever happen but After Mania.......it was silent. Statistically and financially, yes his numbers were great, and he does have a hyped Mania event....spoiled by Survivor Series (IMO). But his obsession shooting movies almost made people forget he returned at all. As fun as it was to hear his promos again, as fun as it was for him to dish out on John Cena in his comedic yet very agreeable way, it was only via tape.

Punk on the other hand, spoke numerous promos that had fans questioning if he was really breaking character. You can't really single out a Punk promo. He went into the summer making the WWE fresh again. Even though the WWE, admittedly, stopped an angle short of its potential, yet again, he is still phenomenal with the material he's given, no matter how crappy it is. So my answer is Simple, CM PUNK. He said what we all wanted to say, and that, is more memorable. BUT.....

Could this change at Survivor Series? Hell yes it could.

 

[RJJ]

Lol at Internet marks. Rock's return by far. He brought mainstream attention to the company. WM 27 got 1mil buy because of rock. If you wanna talk about the beginning of the so called "Reality Era", then guess what...It all started with Rock's return. He came out and talked about how lame cena and his "You Can't See Me" era really are. Week later, cena responded that rock left us to do some shitty movies, and also he questioned rock's loyalty and passion for the business. 2 weeks after, rock stated that most of cena's fans are 2-5 years old kids, and the reason he'll never reach rock's level is because he's not that talented. Wow that's real to me.


IMO, this whole "Reality Era" started with rock's return, cause like I said his fued with cena is based on a real life tension.

 

[keehlnate]

I will pick CM Punk's shoot via very close decision. I could have picked The Rock's return but because his 'return' isn't full time and he hasn't wrestled a single match as of today, I'll go with Punk.

CM Punk on the other hand, shook the WWE Universe. He, in my opinion, single handedly put WWE in a new level with this 'reality era'. When he talk, everybody is sure to listen.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

The Rock's return was by far THE MOMENT of 2011. He said he'd never comeback and that he was done with wrestling. Then the rumors grew then finally he appeared live and in color. I think the bigger moment was the announcement of the Wrestlemania match. We're talking about one of the all-time greats (and one of the most popular wrestlers ever) returning after 7 years and announcing he'd fight the #1 guy in the business, in one more match in his hometown (again, after saying for years he'd never come back).

I love Punk but I don't see how the two events compare at all.

 

[Ellye]

The Rock returned? When? Where? I don't think I saw him wrestling a single match yet.
Oh, yeah, he returned. Via Satellite, as John Cena would say in-keyfabe.

My vote goes to the CM Punk promo.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

The Rock returned? When? Where? I don't think I saw him wrestling a single match yet.
Oh, yeah, he returned. Via Satellite, as John Cena would say in-keyfabe.

My vote goes to the CM Punk promo.

We saw him in person, 4 times, including at Wrestlemania. We all knew his return wouldn't be to the permanent full-time roster so don't sit here and pretend, like the other little Jimmys, that he didn't come back IN PERSON for like 3 RAWs and Wrestlemania. His first time back in 7 years, was also in person.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Another thing to consider is the longevity of the moment. 5 years from now, no one is going to remember Punk's "shoot" from 2011 other than diehard wrestling/CM Punk fans. I can assure you that EVERYONE is going to remember that The legendary Rock returned, IN PERSON, to the WWE after a 7 year absence (in which he had previously said he'd never come back).

 

[strongbad]

Punk's shoot.

It lead to one of the best PPVs and matches we've seen in a decade. Rock's promo lead to a disastrous PPV main-event.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Both of them are going to be looked back on as classic moments in the WWE. The Rock's return was the first time we'd seen The Rock in a WWE ring for the better part of a decade. A lot of us had grown up watching him during the 90s and early 2000s and he was just a lot of fun. The Rock came out and did his thing on the mic as if he hadn't been gone a day. He was every bit as charismatic and energetic cutting promos as he'd ever been at any point in his life. He also looked flat out great. He's probably in better physical shape in 2011 than he was in 2001, even though he's always been in great shape. The WWE was counting on The Rock to deliver in a way that only he could and, quite frankly, he did exactly that.

As for CM Punk, his "shoot" promo was one of the biggest surprises of 2011. We've all known for a long time that CM Punk is arguably the best overall young wrestler in the world today. He's got it in the ring and he's got it on the mic. His worked shoot promo on Raw was so convincing, so passionate and so angry that hardcore wrestling smarks and industry insiders couldn't tell if it was a legit shoot or not. The fact that they cut his mic off had something to do with that as well. It was just an extremely well put together promo segment that had everybody in wrestling talking and made CM Punk the single hottest wrestler in the world over the course of this summer. The promo also put him on another level. He's always been a guy that's flirted with the main event picture and would make a leap into the main event scene every now and again. After that promo, however, Punk was a main eventer. Some fans may not have warmed up to that thought immediately, but it's happening now.

For me, I'm going with Punk's promo. The Rock's return was great and it was a classic moment. At the end of the day, however, I knew that The Rock wasn't coming back to WWE. I knew he'd ultimately wind up making an occassional appearance and might wrestle a match on the rarest of occassions, but that was it. When it came to Punk, Punk's promo finally established him as someone to look for when it came to the WWE main event picture. Punk's promo also sounded soooooo much like a post you'd read on a wrestling forum via an internet smark that it just caught on with the internet fans especially. In this day and age where the internet has all but obliterated the mystery and mystique surrounding wrestling, Punk's worked shoot was able to restore that mystique for a brief period of time.

 

[sabu4life]

the rock returning is nothing new to me. the crowd isn't the same when he first returned because half the kids didn't grow up in the attitude era and watch the rock. some kids nowadays don't know who the rock is and only look up to cena. i'm now only watching raw because of cm punk shoots

 

[RicoLen]

I'm still holding on for something better myself. There's still 2 months left in the year, and it's premature to say the best is behind us.

Survivor Series is coming up, and survivor series has a history of giving the fans some of the best memories of the year, whether it's Warrior's fired and Perfect's fighting Flair & Heenan or the Screw Job Survivor Series has stolen the headlines of the year in two of the very best years in pro-wrestling history. I'm not about to count it out yet.

The Rock & John Cena vs The Miz & R-Truth
Nash vs HHH (Lauriniatis will be involved for certain)
Punk vs ADR

Any one of those matches could surprise us with something huge.

Now, that said. My favorite moment was definitely finally seeing The Rock come back to Monday Night Raw. I'm in no way against CM Punk, but I'm not the biggest fan of his either. Despite that, however, CM Punk's Shoot Heard 'Round The World was likely the biggest moment of the year. This shoot, much like Austin 3:16 was, will likely continue to snowball into something huge. WWE is obviously working on something big with Punk with the way they're building him up slowly to take the title.

I wouldn't be surprised to see CM Punk turn back heel if he beats ADR@SS. CM Punk is out of character as a smiley good guy, and most people can see that. He hasn't had the chance to really hold the title belt yet either, not as the undisputed WWE Champion at least. He was immediately replaced after he won at MitB, and since Nash screwed him and ADR took the title he hasn't held the title again. I say CM Punk gives us a swerve and turns back heel again as soon as he gets the title.

/shrug. That's my own prediction, I'm probably wrong, but I like the thought of it, and in a number of ways it makes sense.

 

[Rowdy Robby Piper]

Hands down CM Punk.

Dwayne...err, The Rock, comes back and does the same shtick he did when he left seven years ago. Only thing changed are the names of the innocent.

CM Punk broke the fourth wall in his promo, saying things I don't think any of us were expecting, and it awoke the fans/IWC in a way that I haven't seen in years.


Personally, I'd like to see CM Punk do a shoot on The Rock...

 

[BigRedPunk]

Before I start I just want to say that the Rock is my favorite wrestler of all time and CM Punk is my favorite active/current wrestler. Anyways in my opinion CM Punk's shoots/promos were better. Sure when the Rock came back it was electrifying and he was just as charismatic on the mic as ever. I'm not denying the Rock does sell more tickets but CM Punk had better quality segments/shoots/promos. Honestly all the Rock really did when he came back is give us the same one liners and catch phrases we all heard so much before. And then he was there at the very lackluster W27 and once again delivered the same one liners and catch phrases. CM Punk changed the way the WWE is today and did make it a lot better. CM Punk also doesn't need famous one liners or catch phrases to get over on the mic. Plus CM Punk's merchandise out sells the Rock's so what does that tell you? lol