Will Vince Ever Consider CM Punk To Be The Face Of The Company?

[Poop Master Flex]

If Punk proves he can be more valuable to the company than Cena than yes he will but that goes with anyone on the roster, if the fans respond they will eventually use you, that's how it works.

Vince initially didn't like John Cena but through his tireless work ethic, improving abilities in the ring and on the mic and his ability to get over with the fans made Vince put Cena in the spot he is currently in and the same goes with CM Punk, which is why he is in the top spot on RAW at the current moment. Cena may be in the title hunt but Punk is in the top program currently in the WWE and I think this is Vince giving Punk a chance to be a top face of the company. If Punk somehow blows it all of it will be on him because at this point there is NOTHING more Vince could do for him.

The other issue though is he has to constantly get a better reaction than Cena and he hasn't quite done that yet. Sure, half the audience boo's Cena but its still a response from the crowd which keeps Cena in that spot. There are people who watch Cena to defend their title and people who watch Cena and wait for him to lose his title. A response is a response and Cena gets a response from 100% of the crowd at all times. If Punk can do that and get a louder response CONSISTENTLY (key word there) than he will become the face of the company but that's a tall order.

 

[MaxSteel]

The other issue though is he has to constantly get a better reaction than Cena and he hasn't quite done that yet. Sure, half the audience boo's Cena but its still a response from the crowd which keeps Cena in that spot. There are people who watch Cena to defend their title and people who watch Cena and wait for him to lose his title. A response is a response and Cena gets a response from 100% of the crowd at all times. If Punk can do that and get a louder response CONSISTENTLY (key word there) than he will become the face of the company but that's a tall order.

Before I address the main question in the thread, I just can't ignore this. I'm getting sick more and more every time I see this argument.
Lets make one thing clear: A face who gets boo'd is NOT doing his job. He's doing a lousy job. A fucking bad job! BAD.
In the best case, if you ignore all the boo's, compare Cena's pops (just the pops) to Punk's. Punk wins here.
Remember the exchange between Cena and Punk in the main event? Every time Punk threw a punch, the crowd cheered. Needles to say, he boo'd every time Cena threw a punch. I think the most clearly means Punk is more over then Cena, and appears to be "The Peoples Face" (sorry Rock).
That being said, he's still not the company face, and at this note I'll get to my response to the thread..

Using my own logic:
The question isn't whether he'll be "The" face of the company. At the moment, he's one of the two faces, alongside Cena.
I think it depends whether it stays this way. On one hand, WWE Creative can throw him into some not-so-attractive storylines, but on the other hand, if Punk is indeed worthy of being a face of the company he needs to show his ability to carry storylines with the other upper-carders, which aren't the super-top-dogs like Cena, HHH or Punk himself. If he could carry a feud against (for example) Mark Henry, and still get the pops he does, that'd bring him a big step towards being one of the 2 faces of the company, alongside Cena. When Cena retires, I guess Miz & Punk could be the Rock & Austin of the Reality Era. Nothing is certain, but if Punk is really good enough (which so far seems to be the case), he'll eventually be one of the companies faces.

Using the Cenile hypocrites old logic:
"Blah blah, you can say Cena can't wrestle, you can say he's boring, but he sells the most merch, therefore he's the face of the company".
Well guess what, now CM Punk is the face of the company!!
And if you 12 year kiddies (or 40 year virgins) are not down, with that, I got two words for you... SUCK IT!

 

[Xemmy]

Vince may never "get it", but if CM Punk continues to outsell Cena for a long period of time, then it won't matter if Vince doesn't "get it". Vince is an intelligent man, and he knows other people get it. People are buying what CM Punk has to offer, and Vince will learn to take advantage of it, regardless of whether or not he understands it. If CM Punk continues to make top sales, he'll be the top guy. End of story.

 

[WcWMondayNitro]

It is rumoured that Vince does not get why CM Punk is popular with the crowd. Punk does not have have the look that Vince likes to see in a champion. Nonetheless, if Punk's merchandise sales surpass those of Cena on a continuous basis, Vince might change his mind and let Punk to be the face of the WWE. On a side note, would it not be interesting if every champion had to customize their belt to reflect their persona?

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Before I address the main question in the thread, I just can't ignore this. I'm getting sick more and more every time I see this argument.
Lets make one thing clear: A face who gets boo'd is NOT doing his job. He's doing a lousy job. A fucking bad job! BAD.
In the best case, if you ignore all the boo's, compare Cena's pops (just the pops) to Punk's. Punk wins here.

A wrestlers job is to get a reaction and it doesn't matter whether its a good or bad reaction as long as fans pay to watch Cena (whether they do it to see him win OR lose) it doesn't matter, Cena is still in the main event and he is getting a reaction. Fans often boo the top face because they think they are being smart. With that logic if a heel gets cheered then he isn't doing his job either. It's a REACTION, that's all that matters.

Remember the exchange between Cena and Punk in the main event? Every time Punk threw a punch, the crowd cheered. Needles to say, he boo'd every time Cena threw a punch. I think the most clearly means Punk is more over then Cena, and appears to be "The Peoples Face" (sorry Rock).
That being said, he's still not the company face, and at this note I'll get to my response to the thread..

Yeah its great that CM Punk got such an amazing reaction IN CHICAGO his hometown. The next month at Summerslam the fan's were not nearly as jaded and Cena was getting just as much praise as Punk, same with last night. Beth Phoenix got more cheers 2 weeks ago at NOC because it was her HOMETOWN.

Using my own logic:
The question isn't whether he'll be "The" face of the company. At the moment, he's one of the two faces, alongside Cena.
I think it depends whether it stays this way. On one hand, WWE Creative can throw him into some not-so-attractive storylines, but on the other hand, if Punk is indeed worthy of being a face of the company he needs to show his ability to carry storylines with the other upper-carders, which aren't the super-top-dogs like Cena, HHH or Punk himself. If he could carry a feud against (for example) Mark Henry, and still get the pops he does, that'd bring him a big step towards being one of the 2 faces of the company, alongside Cena. When Cena retires, I guess Miz & Punk could be the Rock & Austin of the Reality Era. Nothing is certain, but if Punk is really good enough (which so far seems to be the case), he'll eventually be one of the companies faces.

Of course, Punk WILL have to carry a storyline outside of being with someone like Cena or HHH. Cena was the top face and storyline seller even when he was feuding with Khali and was still the top face and merch seller in the company. CM Punk will need to do the same, if Punk can sell tickets with virtually anybody (even a bunch of season 1 NXT rookies like Cena) then yes he will become a top face but he needs to do it for a long time, not just a few weeks or months. Cena did it against EVERYONE he has faced and I'm not sure if Punk can do the same.

Using the Cenile hypocrites old logic:
"Blah blah, you can say Cena can't wrestle, you can say he's boring, but he sells the most merch, therefore he's the face of the company".
Well guess what, now CM Punk is the face of the company!!
And if you 12 year kiddies (or 40 year virgins) are not down, with that, I got two words for you... SUCK IT!

He will become the top face when he does what Cena did consistently. Punk may be at the top of the totem pole but he is not gonna be the face until he can consistently sell merchandise and do a great job at the top of the ladder. At the end of the day most fans think of Cena when they think of the current WWE product, NOT PUNK therefore Cena is still the face. Punk has an opportunity to take that away from Cena but Warrior didn't become the face of the WWE when he beat Hogan because of Hogan's longevity at the top of the mountain. Warrior like Punk was the top guy but not the face, there's a difference but if Punk can show longevity at the top and consistently get better sales and reaction than Cena then he WILL become the top face, but not yet.

 

[Peoples_Champ]

That;s a nice list for sure. Punk just lost hiac, unfortunatley. I really hope he headlines another event because i can't stand another ppv headlining ADR and CENA. But I don;t see that happening though. The only reason they put Punk in the HIAC match is because to make the burial by HHH less visible. But since he lost it that it doens;t get him anywhere..

Enough with the Punk was buried crap. Being the only man to ever kick out of three Pedigrees in one match shows that he wasn't buried. Punk had to lose so HHH could keep his own character strong, which is necessary considering how much of an impact HHH's character has on literally everyone (Punk, Cena, Miz, R-Truth, Christian, Rhodes, John Laurenitius, and I'm sure half a dozen others). Even the success of Vince's inevitable return is dependent upon how over the conspiracy angle gets, and that is dependent upon how over HHH is as a character.

How do people not understand this basic concept of building for the future?

 

[Daniel]

Sure, Vince will push CM Punk to be the face of the company - if CM Punk proves that he can draw like a face of the company. That's all it comes down to. Vince McMahon only pushes people whom he thinks can make a bit of money. He doesn't push people because they are big and muscular, contrary to what most people think. He's too smart for that. He'll make Punk the face of the company if doing so is more financially beneficial to the WWE than if Cena was the face of the company.

 

[drummerboy144]

I think he will not be anytime soon, i want him to be but he wont yet, there is no need for a new face of the company, wwe sells ppvs with cena on top and as much as people hate him most of them buy the ppvs, the supporters to see cena win and the haters hoping to see him lose. its a formula that has worked for years and there is no need to change it just yet.

 

[MaxSteel]

A wrestlers job is to get a reaction and it doesn't matter whether its a good or bad reaction as long as fans pay to watch Cena (whether they do it to see him win OR lose) it doesn't matter, Cena is still in the main event and he is getting a reaction. Fans often boo the top face because they think they are being smart. With that logic if a heel gets cheered then he isn't doing his job either. It's a REACTION, that's all that matters.

By all means, NO.
The face's job is to get cheered, not boo'd. The fans in WWE don't boo Cena because it's cool, they simply believe he does suck, that's all.
The "reaction" excuse is nothing more than it is, an excuse. Positive reaction is what a face should get. Negative reaction is what a heel should get. If a face gets boo'd, it's bad, period.

Yeah its great that CM Punk got such an amazing reaction IN CHICAGO his hometown. The next month at Summerslam the fan's were not nearly as jaded and Cena was getting just as much praise as Punk, same with last night. Beth Phoenix got more cheers 2 weeks ago at NOC because it was her HOMETOWN.

I meant their punch-to-punch exchange at this HIAC. This was the main spot when Cena and Punk opposed each other. You can clearly hear the crowd was in Punk's favor

 

[Daniel]

By all means, NO.
The face's job is to get cheered, not boo'd. The fans in WWE don't boo Cena because it's cool, they simply believe he does suck, that's all.
The "reaction" excuse is nothing more than it is, an excuse. Positive reaction is what a face should get. Negative reaction is what a heel should get. If a face gets boo'd, it's bad, period.

I just thought I'd chip in here. Face or heel, booed or cheered - Vince McMahon couldn't care less. As long as he is making him money, he doesn't care if the fans like Cena or not. You can use reactions all you want, but what really matters is the money. Cena makes more money for WWE than CM Punk does. That shows that the WWE fans in general, want Cena to be the face of the company, not Punk. Once WWE fans show their disdain for Cena en masse with their wallets, he will no longer be pushed as the biggest thing in WWE.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

By all means, NO.
The face's job is to get cheered, not boo'd. The fans in WWE don't boo Cena because it's cool, they simply believe he does suck, that's all.
The "reaction" excuse is nothing more than it is, an excuse. Positive reaction is what a face should get. Negative reaction is what a heel should get. If a face gets boo'd, it's bad, period.

Reaction sells, NOT THE TYPE of reaction a wrestler gets. If any fans truly thinks Cena sucks then those fans don't UNDERSTAND wrestling and how it works. Cena sells whether or not he gets a good or bad reaction, THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS. If you don't think that then you obviously don't get business. If Punk was truly more popular than Cena then ratings and buyrates would go up with him on top. They haven't and its about 3 months into the Punk storyline.

I meant their punch-to-punch exchange at this HIAC. This was the main spot when Cena and Punk opposed each other. You can clearly hear the crowd was in Punk's favor

It all depends on where you are, when they wrestled at Summerslam and Edmonton on RAW Cena got just as much face cheers than Punk did in BOTH matches, maybe even more (outside when the fan threw Cenas shirt back, that was classic). HHH got cheered more than Cena in Chicago at WM22, does that mean HHH was more popular? Not at all. It often depends where you wrestle. Same with Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix. 2 weeks ago Beth got cheered and Kelly Kelly got booed out of the building, last night that DIDN'T happen. Once again, you are not giving substantial arguments, all you have is "Punk got cheered more this one night" and "Punk was Merch leader this week, therefore he is the face", until he does it on a consistent basis then your arguments don't matter.

I'll give Punk props for overtaking the Merch sales leader but its only one week. By that logic Quiet Riot was the #1 band on the planet when they overtook Michael Jackson's Thriller even though that obviously wasn't the case.

 

[Dusty Roids]

Enough with the Punk was buried crap. Being the only man to ever kick out of three Pedigrees in one match shows that he wasn't buried. Punk had to lose so HHH could keep his own character strong, which is necessary considering how much of an impact HHH's character has on literally everyone (Punk, Cena, Miz, R-Truth, Christian, Rhodes, John Laurenitius, and I'm sure half a dozen others). Even the success of Vince's inevitable return is dependent upon how over the conspiracy angle gets, and that is dependent upon how over HHH is as a character.

How do people not understand this basic concept of building for the future?

Enough of this crap. At the end Punk is the one who lost. I see it that they try to build up HHH as the ultimate boss. But I blame HHH for killing his momentum, making him from a rebel to some kind of internettroll. That is what they did, because the whole Kevin Nash involvement didn't lead to anything either. It's all about the game again. Kicking out of finishers or getting screwed all the time isn't the way how you build talent. And having a 42 y old semiretired wrestler owning anyone isn't helping either.

 

[BigPoppaPunk]

It is rumoured that Vince does not get why CM Punk is popular with the crowd. Punk does not have have the look that Vince likes to see in a champion. Nonetheless, if Punk's merchandise sales surpass those of Cena on a continuous basis, Vince might change his mind and let Punk to be the face of the WWE. On a side note, would it not be interesting if every champion had to customize their belt to reflect their persona?

If Vince doesn't get why CM Punk is popular with the fans, then he really is out of touch with the fans. Fans don't care if you look like a body builder as long as you can deliver in the ring and on the mic. Punk also has the ability to change up his character whenever it's getting stale(a trait few of his "ideal champions" with the right look didn't have). Few wrestlers I've seen maybe other than The Rock or Chris Jericho have been able to reinvent themselves so consistently. I'd say his recent popularity during his departure storyline and his surpassing Cena in merchandise sales speaks volumes about what the fans want. Unfortunately, Vince isn't the type to admit when he's wrong or try someone new as the face of the company unless he endorses what they represent. In this instance, Punk stands for something Vince doesn't get, which is being the best wrestler and entertainer. And he does so by doing it his own way and not sticking to the normal and kissing ass to get ahead. Very rarely do guys with his mentality survive in WWE without doing what they are told to do. That is why the fans like him so much, b/c he speaks his mind regardless of the consequences. He just isn't the biggest or tallest guy on the roster and doesn't look like the average superstar. Yet another reason fans love him, b/c he is unique and original. All positive attributes, but Vince doesn't get it? Sorry, but if it's clear to us fans, then he should be able to see the obvious. In any event, he should become the face of the company if he can keep his momentum going and continue to make history.

 

[IT Factor]

People are starting to venture off the main focus of this thread. The question is whether Punk can become the next face of the company. Whether you are an avid Cena fan who believes Punk doesn't deserve it or a diehard Punk fan who thinks Cena is old and dated, you have to admit Punk has advanced to the next level in his career. The IWC loves him[for the most part] and he's WAY over with the live audience. His merchandise has been a best-seller every since his first infamous shoot promo and the MITB controversy.


In my view, Punk is doing the same thing that smaller guys like Bret Hart & Shawn Michaels did back in their days. Breaking the mold of what a main eventer should & can be. You don't have to be Hulk Hogan these days, brother! CM Punk is living proof that a vastly smaller guy can be talented enough to main event reguardless of size. I do believe that he can become the next breakout star and the groundwork for that has already begun. I'm just waiting to see whether WWE screws it up or not. I'm guessing within months it'll be back to the norm and Punk will be stuck in the mid-card again. I really hope I'm wrong here, but, WWE's track record of screwups with big storylines are well noted.

 

[ellax]

I felt that it's not just the fact Vince don't understand the reason of Punk's popularity.. but the fact they have such lack of faith as to how long can Punk's popularity last..

Let's be honest.. John Cena had to work his way during 2005 to get his status he had now.. however.. if you see how much John Cena was pushed later on.. it's down to Vince and WWE's willingness to give that push.. and like it was mentioned.. John Cena didn't need to work as hard as Punk does because Cena fits the bill of what Vince wants for a Superstar..

As for Punk.. the company will not push much unless the fans prove that Punk is worth that.. so in order for Punk to continue his status.. the fans have to be behind Punk even if WWE won't want to push him.. which we know WWE won't do so..

 

[Dusty Roids]

^ yes we all know cena sucks

and read this
http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/wwe...uture_Possible_Movie_Roles_His_Push_More.html

While it may appear to some that WWE has halted CM Punk's push or put him on the backburner, sources say that is not the case. WWE officials were very surprised at new merchandise numbers for Punk. Punk is now one of the company's top sellers and is neck-and-neck with John Cena. In one demographic, likely males, Punk is on pace to pass Cena in sales.

Because of Punk's success coming out of the summer storylines, WWE officials are now actively looking for ways to monetize him. WWE Studios are looking for projects that Punk could star in and there is talk of doing a CM Punk book, in part because the company hasn't had many books lined up as of late. There are also plans to release more Punk merchandise soon. Punk is also planned to be a bigger part of WWE programming and pay-per-views going into 2012. Word is that the company will be going "full blown" when it comes to Punk.

Regarding creative plans, Punk is scheduled to headline several upcoming pay-per-views with WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio. There's no word yet where John Cena will fit into the feud, if he will at all. Some have questioned WWE's booking of Punk as of late but it's said that WWE is trying to build sympathy for his losses as a part of something bigger.

so it looks like cena might actually not go for the wwe title THANK GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

they should know that it's best for business and for the future. I don't believe Cena should be out of the title picture completely but the same old story of him chasing the title is getting boring. He can be used to elevate people and of course his feud with Dwayne is still going.

 

[2BIGSHOWSIN1BED]

well we know he won't have the title or be in the title match at survivor series so im guessing punk (face) vs alberto (heel) i don't know what cena will do after survivor series though

 

[BigPoppaPunk]

WWE trying to build "sympathy" for Punk is precisely what is wrong with WWE currently. Since when does WWE goad their fans into feeling sorry for their top superstars? He's being billed as "the best in the world", so what possible logic is WWE using when making that decision? It's IMO essentially another form of making Punk look weak and definately halts all momentum he still has left. A shame too, b/c he virtually had the hottest storyline of 2011 going right before SummerSlam. After that PPV, it seems like slowly but surely WWE has been intentionally screwing up whatever interest fans had in seeing where Punk would go next. Being champion for a couple of minutes and using "sympathy" for him isn't the best way to give his character more credibility.

To sum it up, you never saw WWE pushing Cena like that. He's always pushed as an unstoppable force who doesn't need luck or sympathy. It doesn't strike me as a smart way of marketing Punk with all the momentum he's garnered recently. Then again, it doesn't surprize me b/c it's clear WWE doesn't get why CM Punk is so popular or what his character is all about.

 

[xoxo French Kiss xoxo]

Vince takes one thing serious, Money.

If Punk starts making the WWE money hand over fist Vince wont have any choice but to push him.

Ryder broke the Top 10, and now he's been receiving more and more screen time.

The real test for Punk will be if he can continue to make money for the company, and if his name at the center of a PPV will produce buy rates.

I'm still no sold that CM Punk vs "Whoever" could out sell John Cena vs "whoever" as the headliner of a PPV.

 

[byrnside]

Tough call. Although I hope and pray for the day to come that Vince would make C.M. Punk the face of the company, it just doesn't seem practical especially while Cena is around and obviously he isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

To answer your question, unless something [hopefully better] similar to the Attitude Era happens, no, unfortunately I don't think this will happen. At best I think that Punk will continue to climb and make it to the level similar to that of Orton and be braned with something like "The Face of Smackdown." However, with the way things have been going, I think that literally [as Gorilla would say], "Anything can happen"

 

[BigPoppaPunk]

I have to agree, unless WWE drastically changed their direction, I can't see WWE making CM Punk the face of WWE. As long as WWE is PG oriented, Cena will continue to have that job title. I do think Cena has somewhat improved this year, but Punk has completely blown away anything Cena has accomplished this year. If they were going on who earned it the most, then they'd be having CM Punk represent WWE as the face of WWE. Unfortunately, as long as that is predicated on who's more PG, Cena will win everytime. Punk is more marketed to everyone, thus the reason I would make him the face of WWE. However, WWE thinks he doesn't fit the mold of their ideal superstar, so it'll probably be a few years before they hand him the ball.

 

[2BIGSHOWSIN1BED]

i kinda feel sorry for punk though guys like him and barret would be better suited towards tv 14 barret has even expressed his hatred towards the word wwe universe and he hate's children at the show and punk is being watered down so much, i mean austin would have turned out horrible if he didn't have a tv 14 era with him

 

[AngryCenaFan]

Contrary to what he says, Vince does not give the fans what they want, he gives us what he wants. Look at Zack Ryder, one week he's beating Ziggler, the next he doesn't have a match. He gets more views on youtube than anything WWE puts on there, but due to the fact the FANS have made him popular, and not VINCE he will continue to make Ryder and inconsistently used character until "he" feels differently.

Of course Vince doesn't see Punks appeal this is the man that shoves every body builder in our face that he finds, but said body builder doesn't have a modicum of talent, in all honesty Vince is probably bisexual, thus if he lacks a sexual attraction, he views a talent in a lesser manner(don't believe me, search the internet)

 

[2BIGSHOWSIN1BED]

here is some more news guys!
http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/wwe..._Title_Into_2012_John_Laurinaitis_Update.html

- As noted before, CM Punk is scheduled to feud with WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio for the next few WWE pay-per-views and the company is getting ready to go "full blown" with his push after being surprised by recent merchandise numbers.

There has been a lot of talk that Punk will win the WWE Title in late 2011 or early 2012 and carry it into WrestleMania 28.

WWE officials do not want the WWE Title to be a part of John Cena and The Rock's match at WrestleMania.

this means the chances of cena winning the wwe title has become slim and the earliest time he will have his next title shot is after wrestlemania i amm sooo happy no more cena hogging the wwe title now it's punk's time to shine

 

[Dagger Dias]

Being the WWE Champion and being the face of the company are two entirely different things. John Cena is the face of the company and has been for years. Even when other guys were WWE Champion. Will Vince ever consider Punk to be a top tier guy? Absolutely, especially after seeing the change in merchandise sales that read Punk as the best seller currently. Punk still has some work to do if he is going to become the face of the company though. The only one remotely close to taking over that spot is Miz because Cena does more appearances and promotional work than several people on the roster put together. Perhaps Punk will step things up outside of the ring now that he will be getting a huge push to further promote his merchandise. If he begins taking initiative now then someday he might become the face of the company. I don't see it happening, but the potential is there.