Who Is The Better Righteous Man? CM Punk Or Chris Jericho

[Mitch Henessey]

Both CM Punk and Chris Jericho have tons of similarities in their characters. Both men believe that they are better than everyone else, and that they can do no wrong. Let's take a look at both men:

CM Punk- Ever since the Straightedge superstar showed his true colors while feuding with Jeff Hardy, he has evolved into an even more twisted heel. CM Punk loves to boast about how he doesn't drink or smoke, and how he is better than everyone. I must say, his new look (I'm mainly talking about the beard) he comes off as a very creepy person, and now that he has a follwer in Luke Gallows, things will only continue to get more dark as time goes on. When I witness CM Punk convert someone to the Straightedge lifestyle by shaving their heads,and having them take an oath, it creeps me out. Especially the one he did with woman most recently.

Chris Jericho- Jericho tends to be even more obnoxious with his heel character at times. This transformation begun when he was feuding with HBK a little while ago. Jericho, unlike Punk, wears a suite, and has a clean cut look as opposed to Punk's Charles Manson look. Jericho also loves to tell everyone about how better he is than everyone,and how "he is an aunist man".

While CM Punk tries to get the fans to live a clean life style,Jericho just bashes the fans every chance he gets by calling them "worms","hypocrites",or "parasites". It might be sick,twisted,and completly weird, but CM Punk at least is trying to help people live a better lifestyle.

What I want to know is, who do you think does a better job at being the righteous man? Chris Jericho or CM Punk? What I mean by that is, who's promos are better? Who has the better character? Please DON"T factor in who do you think is the better wrestler because that's a different discussion.

I'm going to pick CM Punk. As, I stated earlier, Punk's character has EVOLVED. His look and his promos all prove that. He's gone deeper into preaching the straightedge lifestyle, and has managed to become more darker with his character. Plus, the whole head shaving ceremony really creeps me out sometimes.

Jericho on the other hand, has become quite stale over the past couple of months. He has the same look, and his constant bashing of the auidence gets old after a while. Seriously, his character hasn't been at it's peak since he feuded with HBK.

So who's your pick? CM Punk or Chris Jericho? Thoughts?

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

I am going to have to unquestionably go with CM Punk.

Chris Jericho's routine has gotten extremely stale. Calling people hypocrites, parasites, tape worms .... and telling everyone that you are "the best at what I do" in a monotone voice every week is only going to get you so far before that routine gets pretty old. And it has been old for a very long time now.

In comes CM Punk with a new cult-like character. He is on a mission to actually save and convert people over to a Straight Edge lifestyle. He is building a faction slowly but surely and doing things to interact with the audience on a weekly basis ... which immediately makes it a lot more interesting than the same blah blah blah that comes out of Jericho's mouth.

CM Punk also gives reasons for why the Straight Edge Lifestyle is truly better for people to follow as opposed to their dirty lifestyle of drinking, taking drugs (prescription medications lol), smoking and so forth. And that immediately makes it far more interesting, because it's actually true!

This contest is over before it started. CM Punk takes the cake.

Now let me leave before all the Jericho marks come in here to defend his honor.

 

[Remix]

Sidious, seeing as some prescription meds are the same as street drugs (and have the advantage of being both PG and easier to convey than most street drugs), I dont see the problem with Prescription pill abusers being targeted by Punk in preference of potheads.

and on topic, it had to be Punk. With his New age Jesus schtick he's been ridiculous on the mic and has transcended 'self rightious' and gone to 'full blown cult leader'. Chris Jericho, while good on the mic simple doesn't entertain me as much as Punk can and does each and every week.

 

[undertaker fan]

I don't know they are both great heels, they both get alot of heat, and they both have been world champions. I would have to say CM Punk too because his straight edge has been takin to a new level and his is a more recent gimmick (being a saviour) than Jericho. Jericho comes out and tells everybody he is better than people that he is honest he's not a hypocrite like everyone one else including the WWE Universe. CM Punk tells everybody that he is better than them because he doesn't drink he doesn't smoke and he doesn't do drugs. Basically is not like the people who get drunk and high. I am very impressed with CM Punk because I never thought he would keep his straight edge gimmick and become a heel with it. But again I have to say CM Punk.

 

[Schizophrenic]

I have to go with CM Punk. To start off let me say that I love Jericho and have been a fan since forever. His in-ring ability is second to none, his promos (while becoming a bit mundane and repetetive) are still a hoot to listen to. Jericho has done so much for the buisness and what a heel can get away with it's ridiculous. Punk has taken what Jericho did and he's run with it. He's what I call the "anti-Hulkamania" in that he does the "say your prayers, eat your vitamins" schtick but he makes you hate him and want to do the opposite because of how Punk himself comes off. Like someone else stated, he has evolved from the cool guy you loved to watch and cheer to the psychotic leader who is about himself and himself only. He does things that make you believe the guy might just be nuts. THe look, the way he carries himself is just frightening. He reminds me alot of the Undertaker from the "minsitry" days in the way he makes you believe that he is for real. Punk hands down wins.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The better "Righteous Man" is CM Punk. His promos have been continuously improving ever since Night of Champions and he has been feeding off of the negative reactions of the crowd to make the promos even better. Jericho on the other hand, has been doing the same promo too often lately. He uses different words, but they had been declining a bit last semester and reamining roughly the same. It's always "I am the best at what I do, whether you (insert fancy sounding insult to fans here) like it or not, and I should be on Raw!" That is what many of his recent promos have been like. Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of Jericho, but his promos have begun sounding the same. Punk is better as a righteous man character because he has been stepping it up lately in his promos and even going as far as to do intervention segments where he converts people to his straight-edge lifestyle in a way that parodies some religious conversions.

 

[Notorious718]

There is no question that Punk is better at being a righteous man. It's already been said but my biggest problem with Jericho is that his promos have gotten incredibly stale. Week in and week out, his promos are usually the same using big vocabulary, calling us names (hypocrites, tapeworms, etc), saying that he's the best at what he does, and whatnot. The only time his promos are somewhat fresh is when he adds more words that the audience doesn't know the definition to to them. Plus, I find his monotone voice to be quite annoying. While Punk's promos are usually also the same week in and week out (with the whole "live the Straight Edge lifestyle" and "I'm better than all of you schtick), at least emotion in his voice when he speaks and his character (that of a "saviour") is fresh. I've noticed that he's been improving more and more on the mic ever since his feud with Jeff Hardy last summer. Who could forget the heat he drew when he came out dressed as Hardy after retiring him? It was without a doubt my favorite promo from him. I've also enjoyed his recent promos with him shaving the heads of people he "saves." It's fresh and new and I get chills every time I watch. Fact is, Punk gets a reaction out of me when he cuts his promos. Jericho's monotone promos nowadays make me struggle not to fall asleep.

 

[J-Dogg]

CM Punk is the better "Righteous Man", he's not geting stale with how he is trying to convert the crowd, he truely feeds off the negative crowd reaction. Even though his promos are the same every week he puts more emotion into them than Jericho does, Punk has managed to become a Jesus like saviour and stays entertaining while Jericho stays the same with the same emotion and delivery.

Also Punk is converting plants in the crowd and makes them swear an oath like its a religious conversion which helps me be drawn into watching, plus he really gets in the crowds face with the "Im better than you because im straight edge" phrase. I don't see Jericho doing that thats why i sort of tune out when Jericho does his same promos.

As are so many people, the heel CM Punk that is the straight edge saviour and cult leader gimmick and character is one of the best things WWE has going for them right now, only if Jericho could do something similar to entertain us some more without being repetitive.

 

[Sean Valjean]

I love Jericho to death, but I have to go with Punk. Unlike Jericho who just goes out each week and calls people hypocrites and parasites, Punk gets heat for telling people the truth. Sure, he takes it to the extreme but the bottom line is that people would be better off if they quit drinking/smoking/doing drugs. Punk as also let his routine evolve a bit by forming a cult-like group around it. Whereas Jericho's character hasn't changed at all.

Punk has gimmick has a lot of potential right now, but Jericho's has been stagnant. The only thing I could see him doing is joining Punk (especially now with his recent arrest. But that's another thread)

 

[ZeroVX]

I have to give the edge (pun not intended) to Punk. I love Jericho to death, but Punk is thriving in his new role as the leader of the Straight-Edge Society. He's become very flexible with his promos, while still keeping an overlying theme of trying to better the world through a straight-edge lifestyle. I particularly like one promo where he told the viewers at home to put their hands on their TVs to "feel the power flow through them". He sounded like one of those slimy televangelists that pop up on TV every Sunday.

What's also great about Punk is some of the subtleties with his character that people can sometimes see if they look for them. A lot of people have made comparisons to Jesus, but I actually found something totally opposite. This is probably just me, though, but it's something to think about: When he brings someone to the ring, he basically says that you need to shave your head to be straight-edge. Yet he himself isn't bald. Saying that a certain group of people with one particular feature to them is better than all the others, while he himself doesn't fit into that group. Sound familiar to anyone?

Jericho was an excellent heel when he first reverted into the character, tossing out words people had to look up to understand and going after the fans at every turn. It was an old-school heel with a modern twist to it. In fact, I have to give Jericho credit for being one of the few people to stick with his character outside the ring. If you look at some of the incidents he's been involved in since he turned heel (drunk-in-public charges excluded), you'll notice he still seems to be playing his character to the hilt. Not many people do that nowadays.

Sadly, Jericho's character has become predictable, particularly with the guest hosts. People know that he'll come out, call the audience tapeworms/parasites, say he's the best in the world at what he does (and by the way, am I the only one who's noticed that he stole that line from Wolverine and modified it?), claim to become number one contender/win whatever title he's after/win whatever match he's in, and that's about it. So again, despite how awesome Jericho is, Punk is just slightly better.

 

[GetsHeat]

CM Punk for sure.. Jericho is stale and not only that he was never really self righteous about anything.. just a generic "I'm better" while Punk crusades for a real cause making his insults and the character seem more realistic.

 

[Tastycles]

Who is the better righteous one? Definitely CM Punk. He is the only one with any sort of message, which he conveys very well while Jericho doesn't really do anything except insult people. I think the Jericho character was equally good when it first appeared in 2008, but there's only so much monotony that a man can take, and I've had my fill, I'm afraid. Still, I'd rather listen to either of them reading the phone book than listen to the main event heels on Raw, so perhaps we should get some perspective.

 

[J-Dogg]

After Punk's performance at the Royal Rumble and eliminating several entrants and then in between eliminations continuing to preach was excellent, it just proves out of him and Jericho even more than Punk does a better job at being the righteous man. For the simple fact that Punk puts more emotion into his mic work.

 

[Super Crazy]

Punk is the better righteous man for sure. Jericho doesn't really preach his ways onto others, he just shits on the fans. With Punk, you actually have him " saving " people and helping them become Straight Edge. His promos with this change in gimmick have been excellent, and his gimmick helped make his part of the Rumble entertaining.

Jericho's character was as good as Punk's back when Jericho first debuted this character, but now it's grown a bit boring and stale, constantly hearing the same insults over and over again. The only one Jericho turned around was Big Show, that's about it, Punk has saved 3 people, one of which is missing.

 

[Cookie]

I think both guys are top notch. The differences in their characters is what really interests me. I've always considered Jericho to be much more of a narcissist in that he loves himself and only cares for his well-being. He uses that as his platform to talk down to the audience - he's better than them and they're just stupid. Then we've got Punk who also talks down to his audience because he's straightedge and living that lifestyle makes him better than them as well. The difference though, is that Punk actually wants to help people (or so he says). As their savior, he likes to think it's his duty to help all of those below him. He practices what he preaches, he has gotten people to convert, plus the fact that ultimately he's RIGHT about what he's preaching... he's the better righteous man.

ETA: And not that this proves one choice over the other, but I've been enjoying Punk's promos more than Jericho's for quite some time now.

 

[krispix]

I love both Jericho and CM Punk. But Punk has the more interesting gimmick by far, and with the amount of time WWE is giving this angle, there's plenty more development up ahead. Punk definitely has the charisma and the creativity to deepen this creepy ass cult persona of his. There's something in his eyes, something maniacal that's so convincing. And the craziest part is that it's difficult to argue with what he's preaching because he actually lives it!

Jericho's gimmick and promos are just plain tired. It's the same thing day in and day out, and there's no where else for him to go with it. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed his version of the righteous man. He's gone the route of the boring suit-wearing heel, and his only way of drawing heat is insulting the audience with big words. It's time to put a new spin on his self-righteous act, or to ditch it altogether and bring back the Raw is Jericho I know and love.

 

[zephyrs]

Punk has taken it to another level. He's part Jesus Christ, part Charles Manson and playing it perfectly.

I always preferred Jericho as the annoying, conceited, brash heel. Pinning guys with foot while flexing, etc. His whole righteous, "I'm better than you" gimmick is boring. His mic work is centered around using a bunch of four and five syllable words and does nothing for me. I miss the long-haired, cocky Chris Jericho. What's left, is a shell of his former self.

 

[Theo Mays]

These are two of my favorite guys in the business right now and I enjoy their work equally. To answer the question, Punk is the better righteous man. I'm glad Punk is getting more mic time. His Rumble promo was incredible and one of the best parts of the Rumble. Plus it is fresh and new. A Straight Edge savior is something that has never been done in wrestling and Punk, actually being Straight Edge makes the gimmick work so much better. Throw in the beard and the long hair and you have a very Jesus like aura around him.

Jericho can still work the mic better than most and his promos are still solid. But the monotonic stage has to go. It is getting a bit stale and will only work so long. The shtick is almost up for Jericho, whereas Punk's can withstand the depths of time (well not really, but you get my point).

 

[SpoodBeest]

As far as who pulls off the gimmick better? It's without a doubt CM Punk. This new Charles Manson cult leading gimmick he has going is very enjoyable to watch. His character is believable, which is what you want. The thing that makes him heelish is the fact that he is straight-edge but he thinks you should live your life like he does or else your inferior to him in every way possible. The gimmick is great.

Where as Jericho's gimmick is a walking, talking dictionary that insults the fans. No short of a lie but for over a year now that's all he has been doing. "All you people are <insert fancy insult here>. You all truly know that I am the best in the world at what I do". Blah blah blah. For over a year and every promo he has done this.

His gimmick has gotten past being stale. It's full on moldy bread now. So Punk has the more fresh gimmick, but if it lasts over a year I bet we will all be complaining about how stale he has gotten so whatever.

 

[Armeniac]

As a 90's punk rocker I love CM Punk! I was forced to be around the assholes he's playing off of. When he said he would beat up everyone in the arena I fell out of my seat. So many shows in the 90's ended with the lame ass straight edge kids beating up someone for smoking or drinking. He's got the character of these fools down pat! Jericho will come back and blow us away with his heel work, no doubt, he is the best in the world at what he does after all, but CM Punk is blowin him away right now.

 

[Mr. TM]

CM Punk for me in this one, each and every week it seems that CM Punk is getting better at it, every layer his character goes into is a new and exciting yet scary face of CM Punk. He has changed his look deeply to reflect it. Chris Jericho on the other hand is good at what he does, with drawing heat, but he never makes the audience feel that he is dropping to a new level of heel.