With Monday Night RAW being such a hot television show, lately, with the rise of one of the most controversial characters since Stone Cold Steve Austin… It started making me really think. With the statements of CM Punk, in recent weeks, I sit back and not only think of how the business has evolved but I think of how damaging this could be, as well.
Hear me out.
If what CM Punk is saying is what is really getting the fans hot for WWE, again… Then, does this mean we’re going to be force-fed all types of scenarios that we are supposed to believe are a “shoot?” CM Punk has been talking openly about real-life problems and real-life people within the company. People love it. And now, it could be the new trend.
When Stone Cold started blazing his way to the top of the WWE, he was shooting the bird, cursing like a sailor and fighting the boss. Then, you started seeing, hearing and watching everyone else fall right in line. I remember seeing Randy Hales (owner of Memphis Power Pro Wrestling) turning into the biggest heel on the show, after Vince. I remember hearing Bret Hart and Sid Vicious using language even more vulgar than Austin’s, on an episode of RAW. The trend was set and everyone followed.
With John Laurinitis being an on-air character, now… And Triple H, along with Vince McMahon, “shooting” back and forth with Punk, with real-life banter… Are we going to go so far into reality that we won’t be able to get our hokey wrestling storylines anymore?
I mean, really? Who doesn’t want to see all of the things that we discussed in my last blog? Who’s going to miss storylines that involve outlandish happenings and unrealistic turn-of-events?
Example? How about The Undertaker? Most of what he does is special effects and the aura of frightening his opponents. All that would go away if someone were to come out and say, “Yeah, right! You’ve been injured and wanting to stay at home with Michelle McCoole!”
Is the WWE going too far? If not yet, where is too far? Let’s hear it.
I think it boils down to “what is compelling?” If you do something that causes a stir, you are doing something that works. Trends come and go, and this is the “New Attitude Era”. When people stop caring and stop talking they will try something else. Until than, we will be force fed a “shoot-style” atmosphere.Things that can be said on the mic are becoming a little less PG as time passes and the attitude on the Major show, RAW, is changing.
Its even more ridiculous when “the boys” are buying into it and calling you during RAW and their like, “Hey bro, can you believe Punk is shootin’ on people.” Goes back to “If people are talking, you are doing something right.”
I Compare this very much like the old WCW days. Every week Nitro would reveal a new member of their roster that had jumped ship from WWE. They did it so frequently that, eventually, it list it’s effect and no one cared anymore.
The same could happen here.
But in the other hand, it IS making people BELIEVE again.
2 Weeks till SummerSlam. After that, the shoot-style fizzles and than what do they do? They have to build to Survivor Series with something big? What do you think they would do?
This whole “worked shoot” thing to me will never draw big money. I enjoyed Punk’s original interview and I enjoyed most of the angle that followed. However, everybody keeps saying “EVERYBODYS talking about this angle” blah blah blah. False. EVERY member of the Internet Wrestling Community is talking about this, posting about this, Twitterting, Facebooking, whatever the case may be. The online reaction was so strong that of course a lot of media outlets have picked up on it. Most of this reaction was due to the “10 Percenters” that Eric Bischoff refers to. The majority of the viewing audience will NOT get these insider references. Its these “10 Percenters” who have for years glorified certain wrestlers and built them up to the point where they have actually gotten jobs with companies, and are not NEAR as good as they think they are. I’m not going to name any names but its not hard to figure out. If the south had the internet savvy smart fans the northern states do, then guys like Dustin, Alan Steel, Derrick King, Sassy Vegas and Joe Kane-guys who can work, have the psychology, and charisma most guys lack-would be on our TVs right now. Perhaps there would even be a promotion the size of Ring of Honor in the south.
But I’m straying off the point. So far the tv ratings for this angle have been in line with what Raw usually does. If WWE wants Punk to be the next breakout mainstream star then booking him is simple:
1. If they are going to continue to use these insider references, then establish some background for them. The IWC was talking about how John Laurinitis got no reaction from the RAW crowd. That’s not his fault. If Johnny would have been revealed as the anonymous RAW GM before even showing his face on TV, then Johnny would have been instantly over as a heel. Therefore the mainstream crowd would have instant reason to hate him and would have decisively gave a more passionate response. The IWC already (unfairly) craps on Johnny. If this was the majority of your viewing audience then Johnny would have gotten mega heat. The flat reaction he did get just proves that the Internet audience does NOT make up the majority.
2. Punk is hotter than anybody in recent memory has ever been. That can’t be denied. The temperature on that heat is going to drop faster than the number of wrestlers on WWE’s talent roster once you start booking him in the old “rebel wrestler vs. authority figure” storyline. Why they think that its a brand new angle when actually all they are doing in changing the name of the person in charge. President, Commissioner, General Manager, COO, CEO whatever else ITS BEEN DONE and ain’t gonna get over ever again because NOBODY can do it as good as Austin vs. Vince. There’s more than one name for feces too.
3. Get Punk Over. Give him a mike. Give him good quality people to work with, and watch what happens. Unfortunately, I feel that the sole purpose of all this will wind up being to get HHH over as the new authority figure, or just to get Cena over. Make getting Punk over top priority and you can start wiping your butts with $100 dollar bills.
Well, sorry but thats my rant. I don’t usually type stuff online but Dustin you’re exactly right with this blog. Punk said he resigned with the WWE to facilitate change. He is a great person, great talent, and is exactly what this business needs right now. He deserves to be THE MAN.
Punk has led the horse to the water…but can he make it drink???
Freaking awesome comments, there. I agree. I even reached out and asked my buddies, whom are avid wrestling fans, if they understood Punk’s first promo. They said they didn’t… Until, I blogged about it.