Reported by Hunter Golden of WrestleView.com
On Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 12:38 AM EST

WWE Gets Punked
June 30, 2008
Reported By: Hunter Golden of WrestleView.com

Yup, the champ is here. We just didn’t think he’d show up this early.

In perhaps the most shocking move in recent memory, the WWE decided to suck it up and really change directions Monday, choosing CM Punk to be the new World Heavyweight Champion.

Punk, thus far being just a mid-carder in the WWE ranks, didn’t seem to be on the block to get such a huge push anytime soon despite holding the money in the bank contract, and according to some, was even in the WWE Doghouse. The move is going to largely be seen as a risky one, but one that may pay lucrative dividends for the WWE.

After all, there are two facts that might be hard for some fans to overlook. For one, CM Punk, flat out, isn’t really ready to be the World Champion of the most watched wrestling show on the planet. He’s rough around the edges on the mat, untested on the mic in front of large crowds and hasn’t had too many ‘quality wins’ over top flight opponents. IN addition, he’s not really over enough with main stream fans. Put those two things together and it usually spells “flop” for new champions, but for whatever reason, in this brave new wrestling world we seem to be living in, I think this is as good a move as the WWE’s made in years.

For one, CM Punk is looking to be a better version of what Rey Mysterio’s run with the belt was supposed to be. There isn’t a main event guy on the roster that I wouldn’t absolutely and almost unequivocally pick to beat him in a pay per view title match. I’d pick John Cena to beat him. I’d pick Batista to beat him. I’d pick Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho and JBL to beat him as well. I’d probably even pick Kane and Rey Mysterio to beat him. And that’s what makes it so good. Every title match will feel like the new Champion is a hair’s breath away from losing the gold. Every title match will be unpredictable and exciting.

After all, we grew up with Punk which will most certainly help things as well. He was one of the first real indy superstars. We watched him put on some early ROH stinkers. We watched him bleed with Raven. We watched him grow and put on three sensational matches with now TNA Champion Samoa Joe in small, dirty sweat boxes in Dayton, Chicago and New Jersey. We watched him win the ROH World title in almost as shocking fashion as he won this title and carry it as well as anyone in that company had ever done before him. We even watched him scream and wrestle his way through Florida strip clubs. We watched him sign with WWE, sad to see him leave ROH, but excited to see what the future held for him. We watched him grow in ECW winning that title before eventually winning Money in the Bank. Now he’s cashed it in and is our new World Champion.

Thanks to ‘growing up‘ with him, there’s a certain attachment to CM Punk that can’t be said for a lot of other guys in the roster. He wasn’t another WWE developmental talent. He’s a guy we’ve watch struggle, succeed and everywhere in between. As Punk grew as a wrestler, many of us grew right alongside him as wrestling fans. We helped the WWE notice Punk, and got everyone else to notice him, too. We feel as much a part of his career as any big match or title he’s won.

Also, especially with internet smarks, there’s the good old ‘us against them’ mentality. It has fueled much of the present day indy craze, which is a direct reaction to what is perceived to be a substandard WWE product. It’s what fueled Chris Benoit and Eddie Guererro to the top of the wrestling world and perhaps was even what put them in their graves. Punk is one of ‘us’. We’ll be rooting for him, expecting him to lose, all the while rubbing our eyes to constantly reassure ourselves that what we’re watching is still all real. It’s really as good a scenario for the IWC as one could envision.

But the IWC aren’t the only ones who will likely be clinging to the edge of their seats. Main stream fans, marks and new gen fans alike, will also dig this as they embark on this weird, surreal journey with the rest of us. After all, they’ve got the most to learn!

In Presidential Politics, they say that sometimes it’s better to run as a Governor than it is a Senator. As a Governor, you enjoy a certain level of popularity and name recognition that is almost as good as being a Senator, but what gives the candidate a leg up is that they don’t have to defend their record like a legislator does. All they have to do is promote it.

CM Punk could certainly be termed more of a ‘Governor’ and will come off as such to those who don‘t know him as well as they know others. Unlike guys who we’re familiar with like John Cena, JBL, Batista, Triple H and others, CM Punk has to carve out a legacy, not relentlessly prove why he should still be where he’s at. Don’t misread my words, CM Punk has a lot to prove. However, he doesn’t have to worry about hiding past errors to the degree Triple H or John Cena do. He doesn’t have the hurdles of pre-conceived biases to deal with. He’s as fresh as you could possibly be.

Fans are going to go through a ‘getting to know you phase’ for sure. I’d love to say they’ll love him, but then again they might not. Sure, Ronald Regan and Bill Clinton both rode to the White House on the Governor’s express and enjoyed great success and popularity. But then again so did Jimmy Carter and George W Bush. Same can be said of Punk. There’s a strong possibility they might not like what they see. He’s not a ‘traditional’ champion for sure. He’s not as polished as many of the main event guys he’ll be keeping company with. Straight Edge may be boring to many. He could fail.

But he could also succeed. They’ll get to be pleasantly surprised as Punk will be able to unveil pleasant surprise after pleasant surprise. Cut a great promo. Have a great TV match. Have a surprisingly awesome pay per view match. Maybe he might even turn! Who knows.

It’s What makes CM Punk a bad pick as champion of Raw a month ago yet a perfect pick to be the Champion of the ‘new’ Raw. Unpredictability. Finding out what lies around the corner. Wanting to see more, or maybe even dying to see something end.

The new look Raw is going to be injected with a strong dose of attitude era unpredictability with new characters putting new spins on some old tricks. If unpredictability is to be the name of the game, then CM Punk is the perfect pick to be the new World Heavyweight Champion at this point in time.

Oh yeah, and CM Punk v. John Cena will make the internet explode. For sure.