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KELLER'S TAKE
KELLER: Why C.M. Punk's actions last night don't necessarily point to a heel turn Jun 8, 2009 - 3:13:52 PM
On last night's post-PPV Audio Roundtable, PWTorch columnist Bruce Mitchell got upset if I even considered the possibility that C.M. Punk didn't turn heel last night. He shuddered at my naivety for suggesting that there might be a debate this week over whether Punk turned heel or not. The prowrestling.net poll regarding whether Punk turned heel or not based on his actions is locked in at 80 percent saying he turned heel by his actions.
I still don't see that as necessarily the case. Punk earned the chance to beat the champion when he is down. He won a grueling Money in the Bank ladder match. The rules say he can cash it in whenever and wherever. He was cheated out of the chance against Edge by Umaga. This was his chance. What Punk did last night was maybe like holding in the NFL. It's against the rules, but if you can get away with it, then it's accepted as part of the game. Same with flopping in the NBA or protesting a foul call when replay shows that you obviously committed the foul and you're just working the referee.
For Punk to remain babyface, all he has to do is make his case, have the announcers come to his defense, and have Jeff Hardy not cry too loud over what happened. Punk can assure Hardy that he'll get the rematch every former champion gets. If Punk, in the process, shows some hints of being upset with people suggesting his title reigns are tainted, then it can be the beginning of a slow burn heel turn. Punk was a great heel in ROH. Once WWE fans who have never seen him as a heel before see him play the heel role for a while, they'll wonder how he was ever a babyface because he's such a natural as an arrogant heel.
If Punk is turned heel Friday - and the announcers on Sunday were totally neutral, if not slightly defensive in Punk's favor last night - he doesn't have a long line of babyfaces to defend against. It's Hardy, Rey Mysterio, and Undertaker. From there, there's a big dropoff with John Morrison, R-Truth, and The Great Khali. Morrison vs. Punk would be a great series of matches, but Morrison's not ready for main events quite yet. R-Truth jobbed to Jericho clean on Smackdown last Friday, so he's not being shot to the top by management. And Khali is a side show comedy act now.
Without a deeper babyfaces roster, and with Hardy likely on his way to another hiatus, I just don't see how WWE can afford to actually turn Punk heel. I think on Friday they'll try to finesse him into remaining a babyface.
Meanwhile, the focus of last night's PPV finish will primarily be Hardy and how he handles reaching his goal only to have it snatched away seconds later. WWE.com's story today states: "How much more adversity can Hardy endure without simply giving up in his quest for gold?" This could be the beginning of the storyline that explains Hardy's departure from WWE's active roster this summer.
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