CM Punk’s time in WWE was certainly full of ups and downs. Whilst Punk enjoyed lots of success, he was a 5 time world champion and faced the likes of Undertaker, Randy Orton and Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania. However many fans, and Punk himself, thought that he could’ve and should’ve achieved a lot more. Punk got white hot in the summer of 2011, a time dubbed “The Summer Of Punk”. He got new eyes on a product that was growing very stale and ended up the top merchandise seller in the company at the time. All of course stemming from his famous “pipebomb” promo and stellar match with John Cena at the Money In The Bank PPV in his home town of Chicago. After that it was downhill as WWE botched the push for Punk and put him in a bizarre feud with an aging Kevin Nash and Triple H which was not well received by fans or critics. Ultimately Punk got his long WWE Title run, the longest run since Hulk Hogan back in the 80s, however during much of the run he would still play second fiddle to John Cena and whatever feud he was involved with, often finding himself in the middle of the card whilst John main evented many PPVs in 2012, one even against John Laurinaitis whilst Punk wrestled Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship.
For those who wear those Punk tinted sunglasses, you’ll think that he should’ve main evented Wrestlemania and been showcased a lot better than he was when he had his year + long reign in 2012. Punk grew frustrated having been promised the main event Wrestlemania slot which he so desperately craved, despite working hard and doing what the company asked of him. Punk eventually walked out of WWE in early 2014, his last match being in the much maligned 2014 Royal Rumble Match.
Punk was certainly really hot in 2011 and the company could’ve capitalised on it better as many fans were tired of seeing Cena, Orton and Triple H in the main event positions, wanting something fresh and exciting. With a rabid fan base behind him and all his wrestling acumen, it’s no doubt Punk could’ve reached a critically high level of success in the WWE with the right booking, therefore negating the need to walk out of the company.
Today we’re going to give our take and fantasy book Punk’s career in WWE starting from the “Summer Of Punk” in the hope that with booking like this, he’ll stay, draw lots of money and ratings, and can thrive as a top star. Let’s see if we can do better.
We’re going to start in 2011. Money in the Bank happens as it happened. Instead of coming back 2 weeks later, Punk is going to take an extended leave of absence. This will hopefully make the fans want to see him more (absence makes the heart grow fonder) and in the meantime he can rest up and maybe even show up with the WWE title belt at public events claiming he’s still the rightful champion. It creates intrigue and mistique around Punk. Punk eventually comes back on the Raw after Survivor Series to a huge ovation and challenges Alberto Del Rio who is holding the title at the time, claiming he’s the rightful champion. The match is set for TLC and John Cena also inserts himself into this match claiming that he wants another shot at Punk. The main event of TLC is a triple threat TLC match for the WWE Championship and Punk wins decisively getting rid of Cena and Del Rio before ascending up the ladder to become WWE Champion once again.
Going into 2012, Punk is going to have his year long run as he did in real life, however there will be lots of differences in how he’s showcased as champion. First of all, the heel turn on Raw 1000 doesn’t happen. Punk is the top merchandise seller at the time, even outselling Cena, he is hot and his babyface shtick has not gotten old yet. Keep him babyface the whole year as it’s smart for business as Punk is still very relevant in the main event scene. Secondly, he will be showcased mainly in the main events of PPVs. So at Over The Limit, instead of the crime that was John Cena v John Laurinaitis main eventing, the main event will be what it obviously should’ve been in real life, CM Punk v Daniel Bryan for the championship. It’s the same for No Way Out and Money In The Bank.
Instead of Cena cashing in at Raw 1000, Cena cashes in his Money in the Bank briefcase at Summerslam, he announces it ahead of time because he’s John Cena. The two have a competitive back and forth match and Punk wins clean to firmly establish himself as the top guy in the company in 2012. To close out 2012, Punk will start a feud with Dolph Ziggler in the hope of getting him over for when he’s ready to cash his briefcase in on the World Heavyweight Champion. The two have a cracking match at Night Of Champions and then an even better sequel at Hell in a Cell, with both times Punk making Ziggler look near his equal in the ring, making him look strong and believable as a main eventer, but ultimately just losing out to The Best In The World.
We come to Royal Rumble 2013, where the match with The Rock happens exactly as in real life, except he match ends after Punk’s first pin fall on Rock thanks to help from The Shield and Punk walks out as champion. At Wrestlemania, as it should’ve been in real life, the main event is a triple threat match for the WWE Championship with Punk going in as champion against The Rock and Royal Rumble winner John Cena, which saves everyone the chore of watching Rock and Cena two years in a row one on one. Punk’s legendary title reign should also be ended at the show of shows. Cena pins The Rock to win the championship and in so doing gets his win back over The Great One. Punk then goes away for a few months, taking time out to heal those nagging injuries he had in 2012 that spilled over into 2013 and to recharge his batteries. 2013 will then become a tough year for Punk as it did in real life, but from a storyline standpoint this time rather than a real life shoot one.
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Author: Alex Bakothanasis & Kurt Teale
Photo Credit: WWE
One Stop Wrestling 