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GUEST EDITORIAL
By Adam Riemer of New York, N.Y.
PWTorch.com Reader
The Money In The Bank Ladder Match this year had two superstars that many fans around the world thought would win. Jeff Hardy was one; Chris Jericho was the other. We all know what happened to Hardy that kept him out of that match, and Jericho has gone on to be in one of the best and most enjoyable programs the WWE has done in years with his feud with HBK. C.M. Punk was not someone the majority of the fan base of the WWE would think to win the MITB match, let alone the World Title some months later.
After Punk's win, myself and many other fans around me saw him as merely a transitional champion. His win was thought to be a way to get the briefcase out of his hands and the picture, to bring a title back to Raw. It is becoming apparent that C.M. Punk may be much more than that; he could in fact be a main stay champ on the flag ship show of the WWE.
Whatever it is that WWE is doing with Punk as champion, they are not taking the right steps for someone in his position. Yes it is important to have other programs on a show with different wrestlers, not everyone can feud at the same time for the World Title. That being said, it is also important to make sure that your champion is the biggest star on the brand. The champion represents the show; they have supposedly proven that they are the champion because they are the best in the business. Now I am not saying the C.M. Punk does not have what it takes to be that guy, it is very refreshing not seeing Triple H on Raw holding the belt for 12 or 13th time, it is refreshing to not have to hear John Cena say "The Champ Is Here." The big issue is that C.M. Punk is not the star of Raw, and his programs are far from being featured as the main event draw.
When you promote John Cena vs. Batista or HBK vs. Jericho as your top billing, you lose out and you lose focus on the draw of the Raw brand Champion. Both of these mentioned feuds are important, both are enjoyable, both deserve the lime light, however C.M. Punk deserves it too, he is the champion, and no matter if he is the champion for two more weeks or two more months, his feuds and programs should be on par and/or above the importance of a HBK/Jericho or Cena/Batista program. The big issue there is; how do you make them big? How do you make C.M. Punk a true superstar on a crowded roster of main event talent?
John Cena became big because he was a heel that went up against the Undertaker, then he became a face and went up against the power of JBL and his Cabniet. A heel stable that dominated Smackdown! for many months. Batista became big because he went against Evolution, he turned on Triple H and Ric Flair and went into one of his best programs ever with both of them. The same could be said for Orton and Edge, both became main event champions because they were matched up against true main event talent in credible programs that really captured the essence of good vs. evil, heel vs. babyface and had every fan hoping the face won and the heel getting what he deserved.
CM Punk needs this type of feud. JBL is great on the mic, but he is a shadow of what he once was, and without a "cabinet" type stable to back him up it is hard to think that a man who came out of retirement just a few months ago and really hasn't won anything other than a street fight is a credible heel for Punk. No what C.M. Punk needs is what Orton, Batista, and Cena had. He needs a heel that looks dominant, that really comes across as a real jerk, someone the fans are not going to be split 50/50 on weather they like him or hate him.
C.M. Punk needs someone like Triple H or Edge. Say what you want about Hunter, criticize him for everything and anything that is wrong with wrestling, but one thing is for certain, Triple H is amazing on the mic, he is a much better heel than face, and he can wrestle. The same can be said for Edge. Now Triple H and Edge are on Smackdown, so we know it isn't happening, but Punk needs to have a program with someone like them. JBL just isn't established enough anymore to make his program with Punk that big of a deal, plus he has lost two times now to him via pin fall. The face vs. face main event feuds that the writers on Raw have been going with for some time now is getting played out (Cena vs. Triple H/Batista/HBK) Punk does not need a feud with the face versions of Cena or Batista, he needs a high profile heel to go up against.
The list unfortunately is short, it seems like the WWE really doesn't know what to do with Batista and Cena in that department, for one both are over with the fans as faces. That means they bring in ticket sales and big bucks in merchandise. But also they do not want to do what WCW did years back with Sting and Goldberg, meaning they turned them heel only to have the fans turn them back to face wrestlers by refusing to boo them and accept the story line. Jericho needs a little more time in his role and the feud with HBK is far from over so he is out for the time being. That leaves very little on Raw with Orton being out longer and the other two big time superstars as "good guys."
C.M. Punk has all the tools, he is talented, he is getting better on the mic, he is over with the fans but he is lacking that spark, that spark of a main event feud that would once again make him the star of a show that isn't on Tuesday nights at 10. The WWE has crucial decisions to make now; they need a real top level heel to push against Punk to make the World Title the reason to compete on Raw. It is times like these that really show that maybe they should have let Kurt Angle have that reduced schedule.
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