What if it was Hardy instead of Punk???

[Mighty NorCal]

Got this idea in the LD session

*Batista bombs Edge after a bullshit NOC loss.......Edge is left laying....Hardy's music hits...He runs to the ring, slides the breifcase under the second rope...ref calls for the bell...Swanton bomb!!!...Hardy new WHC!!!"

I think this is how it wouldve been had Hardy not been smokin the dope. And I think it wouldve been HUGE. I mean, fans were pretty thoroughly apathetic to Punk before the MITB cash in, and even HE is sorta over now. Hardy was arguably one of the top 3 most over guys in WWE when he went down for 60. Imagine if he had cashed in the same way, and was playing the same fighting champ, "prove I deserve it" role as Punk. It wouldve been fuckin huge.

 

[BaconBits]

You are absolutely right.

Hardy probably would have held on to the title for a while. I don't see Punk holding the belt for much longer than Sunday. To be a believable "little" champ, you have to be able to actually bang, both figuratively and legitimately, with the big guys. Punk absolutely can't. He's really weak on the mic and even weaker in the ring.

 

[Rug3r]

You are absolutely right.

Hardy probably would have held on to the title for a while. I don't see Punk holding the belt for much longer than Sunday. To be a believable "little" champ, you have to be able to actually bang, both figuratively and legitimately, with the big guys. Punk absolutely can't. He's really weak on the mic and even weaker in the ring.

LMFAO! Are you saying Hardy would be better? That shit would be horrible. CM Punk is better on the mic, I'd rather hear a fucking parrot saying cursewords for 5 minutes straight than listen to Hardy put on a promo. Hardy isn't a very good high flyer and he blames it on him getting old or some shit. Hardy getting suspended was a blessing in disguise to the WWE.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

Honestly, it would've been a much better option and my post count wouldn't be about 80 posts larger right now, thanks to that stupid Indy Punk/World Champion thread.

Honestly though.. Jeff Hardy, dope/pot/meth or not, has earned more than Punk to be in the Heavyweight ranks. Hardy is horrible on the mic, but the last time I checked Punk has still yet to show me why people feel hes good on it.

Hardy has also defeated several Main Event Heavyweights and likely wouldn't be viewed as a fluke Champion. Furthermore, if he cashed in the M.I.T.B. case in similar fashion, I wouldn't even complain because a Hardy v. Edge rematch would be amazing. Meanwhile, Punk v. Edge isn't even going to happen in a rematch.

As far as if they had the same exact storylines. I couldn't see Hardy against Snitsky. And J.B.L. v. Hardy would be just as horrible as Punk v. J.B.L., but Cena v. Hardy a while back wasn't bad.. and Batista against Hardy wouldn't seemingly be half as bad as what Punk/Batista is being predicted to be like.

Also, Hardy against Kane would be decent as well. So all in all, Hardy has more value to be in the Main Event spot than Punk does. Hardy has faced, and won cleanly, against top named Main Eventers. (Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels, Triple H., Ric Flair, Kane, etc, etc, etc.)

Punk was just pushed into the angle wrongfully, and thats why he (especially from me) is getting a bad wrap. The guy was jobbing all the way up until he cashed in. Nothing shows me that he deserves his spot, because minus the win over Snitsky, hes still yet to get a clean victory over someone worthy of the Main Event.

 

[DeadmanInc.]

LMFAO! Are you saying Hardy would be better? That shit would be horrible. CM Punk is better on the mic, I'd rather hear a fucking parrot saying cursewords for 5 minutes straight than listen to Hardy put on a promo. Hardy isn't a very good high flyer and he blames it on him getting old or some shit. Hardy getting suspended was a blessing in disguise to the WWE.

Yes, but Punk had no build up behind him. He was just used as a quick way to get a World Title back to RAW.

Hardy had a huge build up as a future main eventer. He went over Triple H, came close to beating Orton and then was the last man eliminated in RAW's Elimination Chamber (and it took Triple H 2 Pedigrees to pin Hardy, the second on a chair). Not only that, Hardy was more over than anyone before he was suspended. THAT is how you build up a future main eventer.

Not have him jobbed out to just about everyone with an occasional win over Chuck Palumbo.

I agree that CM Punk is a much better wrestler than Hardy, but WWE hasn't given Punk anytime to showcase his true ability. Hardy clearly had a main event build up and was out popping everyone.

If Hardy won he would have been more than a transitional champion. Hardy would have been the biggest face going over the biggest heel, classic world title change. CM Punk got mediocre reactions from the crowd and is only JUST starting to get decent pops. I'd be surprised if Punk holds the belt past GAB.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

As far as if they had the same exact storylines. I couldn't see Hardy against Snitsky. And J.B.L. v. Hardy would be just as horrible as Punk v. J.B.L., but Cena v. Hardy a while back wasn't bad.. and Batista against Hardy wouldn't seemingly be half as bad as what Punk/Batista is being predicted to be like.

Also, Hardy against Kane would be decent as well. So all in all, Hardy has more value to be in the Main Event spot than Punk does. Hardy has faced, and won cleanly, against top named Main Eventers. (Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels, Triple H., Ric Flair, Kane, etc, etc, etc.)

Punk was just pushed into the angle wrongfully, and thats why he (especially from me) is getting a bad wrap. The guy was jobbing all the way up until he cashed in. Nothing shows me that he deserves his spot, because minus the win over Snitsky, hes still yet to get a clean victory over someone worthy of the Main Event.

See Will the difference would be...Hardy sells like a motherfucker. Whether its becuase he is great at bumping, or becuase he is high on dope and doesnt protect himself, is up for debate. But regardless. He sells better than a crack dealer. Why did you always belive HBK was in danger of losing the title??? Why did u always belive Bret Hart was in danger of losing the title??? Selling. Hardy would have every fan in the Arena on the edge of their seat in every title match. Vs JBL?? It would be sick. JBL is a stiff worker. Hardy would sell the holy living bejesus out of JBL's offense. Batista?? goodness if there was ever a match made in heaven. Punk's ability to sell, and therefore ability to be a good underdog little guy champ, isnt nowere near Hardy's. Add to the fact that Hardy is roughly ten times more over. Think of every top contender for Punk's title right now. ALL of them, are power guys. What does Hardy sell extremely well??? Power offense. Ask Umaga. Jericho is on the horizon. I belive they had a decent match a few months ago no??? same with HBK. Punk wont be able to touch the quality of those matches if he defends against those guys. Or the quality of matches we could get out of Hardy Vs all the other top guys.

 

[klunderbunker]

I'm starting to question whether or not Hardy ever will get the title, but that's another story. As much as I love Punk, he just isn't clicking with the majority of the fans right now, and that's not entirely his fault. He's never had the chance to have a big feud as he's been stuck on ECW. He dominated over there and no one cared because the biggest feud he had was with Chave Guerrero as far as big names go. Then all of a sudden you give him the WHC. I loved it, but the move was Hardy. The pops he got after being gone 2 months were so loud it was insane. The fans just love this guy, whereas with Punk, it's middle of the road. At the live show I was at, Batista got an absolute insane pop, second only to Shawn and Cena all night. Punk got the most mixed reaction ever when he came out, then post match he was booed out of the building. He is begging to be a heel, but that'll never happen. Jeff on the other hand has won big match after big match. He came in 2nd to HHH in the EC match, he's gotten clean wins over a bunch of champions, and his pops get louder and louder every week. Had it been him winning that match, it would've been a better reaction and made more sense. As much as I love Punk, it just wasn't the right time.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

If it was Hardy instead of Punk, well first of all there would be a Hate thread against Hardy instead of Punk. Secondly the WWE would probably be better off. Hardy is over like a motherfucker. Hardly any one can reach him. He also sells like a motherfucker too. It would make the matches put people on the edge of their seats. Overall, more people than Hardy would be in a good situation as well. He would make his opponents look like gold. Man, I wish Jeff was the guy to win the title.

 

[Rusty]

If Jeff Hardy won the World Heavyweight Championship instead of CM Punk, obviously it would have been huge. It also wouldn't have looked like a 'fluke' title run as Jeff Hardy has accomplished a fair bit in his WWE career, especially in the past two years. The fans would have cheered even more loudly when Hardy cashed in, but I guess Jeff screwed himself over. Lets face it, Punk is getting Jeff Hardy's push is he didn't get himself suspended.

However, if Hardy cashed in, the surprise factor wouldn't have been there as much as it was with Punk. This is largely because nobody expected Punk to cash in as he was losing matches every week and because people felt Punk wasn't ready for a main event push yet. If Hardy cashed in, it would have been less suprising as Jeff would have been clearly ready for the push, and it would come off as more believable as Hardy has wins over many main eventers.

I would have preferred a Jeff Hardy World Title run, but I'm happy with Punk as champ at the moment because it's different and it hasn't been done before. Jeff made a mistake and he received his punishment. At least the WWE chose a good option in CM Punk to replace Hardy as they know Punk won't use drugs. I like both guys so I cant really complain too much. I think Hardy will get a title run in the near future anyway and I personally can't wait for it.

 

[HellBoundPower]

I think Jeff Hardy winning the World Heavyweight Title would've been exciting and entertaining. The guy is ridiculously over (even after 2 suspensions), and I think it would've been one of those feel good moments that happen every once in a while in the WWE where the fans just sit back and say, "Wow. He finally made it." It would be remeniscent of Shawn Michaels' Title win, albeit without a great match, but the emotion would be the same.

Jeff Hardy could put on some pretty good matches with the competitors on the Roster, because of his unique offense and selling ability. His matches over the past year have been phenomenal. He's earned his spot near Main Event status on fanbase alone. While it can be argued that Punk has done the same, it's not on the same level.

Punk has been booked poorly this whole year. He's jobbed to lower level performers on ECW. He lost cleanly to The Miz just a month ago. For someone that's received such a monster push in such a short amount of time, creative didn't book him correctly to show the fact. If he could've chalked up more wins, I think this push would seem more warranted.

All in all, Jeff Hardy screwed up and lost his chance. It's pretty obvious that Punk is receiving Jeff Hardy's push. Seeing as how Punk doesn't do drugs, and won't do anything to warrant a suspension, I think he deserves where he is right now. He's obviously the more reliable choice. Jeff Hardy winning the Title would've been great, but unfortunately for him that's not the way it went down.

 

[Miko]

I am not a Jeff Hardy fan, but it would be better than Punk because he has been better booked than Punk, he has been built up as an up and coming face but not to the point that he squashes everyone.
He has beaten HHH, HBK cleanly and thats enough for a main-event spot alone, but he was cleanly jobbed to Kennedy, Orton and Jericho (twice) which is one of the reasons people support him, he can be beaten.

Punk on the other hand is not bad, he has lost to Jericho and Matt Hardy but he also beat Jericho and Matt Hardy and I think that could be it. . . . . . . . . .

It would be better considererably because of Hardys higher popularity, but as mentioned before there would be a hate thread against him, if Hardy had won the belt then people would care about the title more, with Punk holding it it feels like it'll be defended in a mid-card match.

We shall have to wait and see.

 

[Rug3r]

Here's my take on it. CM Punk has paid his dues like a motherfucker. He went through hell to win the MITB match and was a reigning ECW champion taking on opponents that look like they would rip his ass to shreds. Jeff Hardy on the other hand didn't participate in the MITB. He's paid his dues also but he didn't win the MITB, CM Punk did... it looks to me that Hardy has more dues to pay... Hardy fucked up. Both would make deserving champions but CM Punk won the MITB.

Of course on the booking/business side of it, CM Punk hasn't done shit... no build up whatsoever, not as over as Jeff Hardy, and to be honest... I'm not too fond of these "punk" type of characters. Jeff Hardy and CM Punk are basically the same person except Jeff Hardy does drugs and CM Punk doesn't and Jeff Hardy is promoted as a high flier and CM Punk is promoted as a martial artist or some shit... other than that their characters are extremely similar. I'm not a fan of either one but I'd rather see Punk than Hardy as champion. Doesn't matter about the build up or any of that shit. CM Punk is more talented. CM Punk is better on the stick (Jeff Hardy is fucking horrible... worse actor ever) and his character is a bit toned down, which I like. Jeff Hardy being pushed as a high flier is kind of like Umaga being pushed as a big man... Umaga is fat as hell, that's it... it looks to me that everything else about him is average except for the fact he is extremely athletic for his size... which is why I am a fan of Umaga... he can make it believable but Jeff Hardy has 2, maybe 3 high flying moves in his inventory if you count that rebounding off the turnbuckle and jumping backwards over the opponent a move.

I believe that if CM Punk had the experience Jeff had, this storyline would have no flaws and CM Punk would be beat Jeff Hardy by a fucking mile in the battle of who should get the push.

 

[HBK-aholic]

Yeah, I think if this has been Hardy instead of Punk it would have been a huge deal. Hardy has been over for a long time, and still has millions of fans from the days of the Hardy Boyz. I know, due to being in love with that tag team that I have a soft spot when it comes to both the Hardy Boyz.

And before everything that happened regarding the drug testing he was getting a big push. He seems a really good character but I question whether he'd have been good with the belt. I don't know what it is, but something about Hardys gimmick just doesn't seem believable as top of the company. I think it's just because I'm so used to the constant Cena/HHH/Orton style champion. If you all know what comformities I'm meaning there, you'll see Hardy is different.

 

[Joaquim Akaem]

I honestly believe that, Jeff Hardy getting suspended at the time that he did, had a HUGE knock-on effect for the whole of RAW.
I still think, to this day, that if Hardy got money in the bank instead of Punk, Randy Orton would not have retained his title at Wrestlemania.
That very next day, Jeff Hardy would have carried his flourescent yellow and purple briefcase straight into the main event to plant seeds for a future title match between him and Triple H.
Hardy had been getting pushed hard. He overcame 2 vs 5 at Survivor Series, beat Triple H in a No1 condenders match, Had a main event push and a good title shot vs Randy and put on an awesome display in the elimination chamber, and would have been victorious in an 8 man ladder match, it doesn't get much better than that.
Unlike Punk, Hardy would definatly be considred a top contender straight away, He'd be comming of the best 6 months in his carrer, hell I can't think of anyone who's ever had a better push recently. Without a doubt, Hardy would be threatening Triple H with his title shot almost immediatley.
You know how the story behind that feud would go... "they were partners, almost friends... then opponents each with one victory over the other" Then Jeff would decide to cash in, in a Hardy trademark TLC match at One Night Stand.
Not very original I know, but the smarks would have gone crazy for it.

Now on the other hand, Everyone knows that Punk was nowhere near ready for the big time, he hadn't been given enough time or oppertinities. Yeah, he was good enough in the ring, did a great job in that match and actually did deserve to win at the end, and now that he's champion............its er... intersting to see what he does. But thats exactly what I mean, nobody knows what he can do at such a level, Vince never tested the waters with him by putting him with top guys and in main events like they had been doing with Jeff for months. Having Punk as champion was a massive risk, whereas Jeff was a little more ready and a LOT more over.

 

[Danmen001]

Where do I begin. Well for startes, I would have marked out so much I would have passed out. I marked out pretty badly when CM Punk won, even though I ruined it by coming on here and seeing what had happened (basically qualifies as a spoiler even though I didn't wanna spoil it for me.) Anyway, I would have been so happy, so so happy that it finally happened. Just thinking about this makes me disappointed that Hardy accidently took an overdose of the painkillers.

Jeff Hardy winning would have probably done the same thing to the ratings CM winning did, except on a bigger scale. I really believe people would tune in because of wanting to see Hardy champ not just a title cahnge occurance. Jeff would have finally got the title he has been craving, they guy is being pushed to the roof, and his head is already through when it comes to being over.

Although he is bound to get that title really soon, it would have been amazing for him to cash MitB and win. I recall someone saying there would be an anti Hardy thread had it happened, well I singlehandedly would be defeding him lol.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Jeff Hardy would be getting just as much of a negative reaction as Punk is. The difference between the two is that one is ten times more popular, the other can actually wrestle. For all of Punks ability. Which admittedly he hasn't showed in WWE he's getting bashed as champion. But taht doesn't mean that people would be more satisfied with Jeff Hardy. He has his fans. But he alsohas his critics. More so than Punk. Because for the past two years Jeff has been more high profile. If he was to become WWE champ in the same way Punk did he'd be getting more of a bashing.

Opinion on Hardy wis split 50/50. Punk has people who like, dislike and who meet him with complete indifference. Those indifferent people are probably the same now.

 

[DC24]

I think if Hardy wasn't suspended he would have won MITB and went on to be champion his push was crazy at that point I think he's paid enough dues to earn that right. I don't have a problem with Punk I hope he doesn't lose the belt just yet well I'll see at the GAB BUT i THINK HARDY WILL EVENTUALLY WIN THE BELT.

 

[Skullz Crack'Em]

I really don't think it would have been better if it was Jeff Hardy instead of CM Punk who cashed in the MITB on Edge. Jeff Hardy is extremely popular, moreso than Punk, but the guy is at his last straw in the WWE, one more screw-up and he's gone. CM Punk needed this more than Hardy, if he was going to step into the big leagues with the likes of Cena, Batista, Mysterio and Shawn Michaels, than the MITB was the best way to do it for him, Jeff could step into the WWE title picture at any time on SmackDown when he is needed(and he will be needed, Taker, Edge, and Trips are the only "top dogs" on SmackDown, with Jeff being the next best thing SmackDown's got).

Overall, people thought that Jeff was suppose to be in Punk's shoes at this time, and that good ol' Mary Jane screwed him over, but it was Jeff who screwed himself over. Vince is done taking risks, that's why Cena, HHH, Edge, and Taker are always in the title feuds, they can be trusted and will never screw up. I think that Vince is keeping a close eye on Jeff and if he stays clean until 2009, than I would bet my ass that he will win the Rumble and eventually win the WWE/World title at WrestleMania 25.

I am not a fan of CM Punk or Jeff Hardy, so personally, I wouldn't of gave a crap who cashed in the MITB on Edge, but if you look at in a business point of view, it makes sense, Punk is the new face that Vince is hoping will be the next big superstar in the WWE. IMO, if Punk wasn't Straight-Edge, he wouldn't be World Champion right now, but that's for a different discussion.

 

[Gavel]

Here's my take on it. CM Punk has paid his dues like a motherfucker. He went through hell to win the MITB match and was a reigning ECW champion taking on opponents that look like they would rip his ass to shreds. Jeff Hardy on the other hand didn't participate in the MITB. He's paid his dues also but he didn't win the MITB, CM Punk did... it looks to me that Hardy has more dues to pay... Hardy fucked up. Both would make deserving champions but CM Punk won the MITB.

Wow, I read this and thought to myself, does this dude know wrestling is planned? Jeff was supposed to win MITB, that was alllll but told to us by the WWE, but he got suspended, not like he said "Oh, I don;t feel like it, I'm just not gonna show up." He fuckd up and got suspended.

Anyways, back on topic, I think Jeff woulda been bashed still, but not with as much force as punk. How long is the, basically, punk bashing tread? Although, Hardy winning in that manner wouldn't have really fit him, as I would've seen it being more him coming out, saying he was cashing in for later on in the night, in maybe a TLC or something, and having someone (maybe Batista) help out with The Edge wannabes.

 

[cm_rko]

C.M. Punk is getting as unfair a treatment from the fans as iv ever seen. Hes always been a face and tried to be a fan favorite but they boo him for Batista? Iv been a Batista fan for years and iv even read his book, but after 45 straight ppvs of seeing him and Cena go for title shots id think hed be as hated as Cena. Punk deserved the push and it was damn time for a new face in the World Title picture. HHH, Cena, Edge, and Batista all need some time off. Heres to a Orton/Punk feud upon Orton's return. =]

 

[santinoistight44]

i think if hardy won instead of punk there would probably be more viewers, more GAB buys and more exciting matches. jeff can keep matches exciting and unpredictable but punk just isnt as great a crowd pleaser as jeff.

 

[stupidsquirrel12]

If Hardy had won, he would've gotten a HUGE, and I mean huge, response from the crowd and it would've been great but obviously he's been here a while, and they (creative) have given Jeff the chance, and he's just not the man that you picture as a champion, now why they didn't have Chris Jericho win the MITB I don't know, because he could still have done his GREAT feud with HBK, and he's had great matches with Edge before, and probably still can, now couldn't you picture Chris as the World Heavyweight Champion, have a great classic maybe at Summerslam, with Jeff as #1 Contender for his Championship, or if they would've had Edge get drafted to Raw earlier, and have a great Triple Threat match at Unforgiven, and this all would've played out over a big period of time, it would've been great, and I really hope they do something for next year because I'm really tired of seeing Cena, Triple H and Orton in the main event, so there. Stupid Squirrel out.

 

[Agrex]

This is what should've of happened. And it would've of happened too. If it wasn't for Jeff Hardy's drug problems. Hardy was mega over. At one point he was the most over person in the WWE. Spot monkey, or not. Horrible on the mic, or not. He sells. Something Punk never will because the WWE didn't build him up properly. Jeff should be in Punk's spot right now. He deserves it. As much as I dislike Jeff Hardy as a wrestler he deserves the strap, because according to the definition of what a wrestler is (a performer who sells), he is a very good wrestler. It's been said you should reward "very good wrestlers". CM Punk will always be reminded as a back-up champ. Hardy couldn't do it so they give it to Punk. Not only does Punk not gain ratings, but he loses them. He can't sell. Hardy can. So I would much rather have Jeff as champ.

 

[psykohurricane]

You want to know something, if it was Jeff HArdy holding the world title instead of Punk it wouldn'T make a difference at all. The IWC would find a way to cry about it the same way they did with Punk. Sure Hardy is more over then Punk but Punk prove that he'S able to get ratings even with the way he'S book because the ratings are doing better since he won the belt. Do you really believe that Jeff wouldn'T be book the same exact way Punk is being book right now. I think jeff's supension was a blessing in disguise because now he doesn't have to live with being World heavyweight champion and being treated like crap instead he doing he's thing on Smackdown while Punk is being treated like crap on Raw.

 

[Dark Blaze]

Like Psyko said above me, if it was Hardy instead of Punk, let's say if after the 60 day suspension, hardy had won the briefcase from Punk, then the IWC would just bitch about him not being punished for breaking the rules.

However, if Hardy was never busted, though the IWC would still complain (Spot monkey, anyone?), I think it would be way better, Hardy was way more over than Punk ever could be, could you imagine the pop if it was Jeff coming to take advantage of Edge?(sounded wrong) Anyway, it'd also allow for more, better matches...Hardy's capable of taking bumps and selling like a crack dealer, making for more entertaining matches and though there is still room for improvement (alot) in the mic skills area, I just think Jeff would make a better champion that CM Punk currently.

However, there is still time, and I believe in giving chances, I just haven't seen enough of Cm Punk, and I don't think he's being booked well enough to give people a clear view of his talents (or lack thereof)