WWE: Is CM Punk As Good As He Claims To Be?

CM Punk

CM Punk, the best in the world, as he claims, was WWE Champion for 434 days, a feat almost unimaginable in today€™s wrestling. The streak itself is a focal point for his claim of being the best; surely someone who can hold onto the biggest title in wrestling€™s biggest company for that long must be the best in the world? The fact that WWE allowed him to hold the belt for that long proves that they have a lot of faith in him to carry the company, but is he the best in the world?

I think it goes without saying that, like almost anything, it depends on personal opinion. It depends on the person and what they believe makes a wrestler great; some fans may prefer classic mat wrestling whilst others prefer the lucha style and so who they believe is best will reflect that style. For me, I think the best in the world is someone who has the entire package.

First and foremost they must be a fantastic wrestler with a variety of styles; some wrestlers are great but really only great at their style, an example being Jeff Hardy. Hardy is a very good wrestler who can wow us with high-flying matches and compete against the best of the best but he isn€™t known for his technical skill.

Another attribute the best must have is that they can wrestle every kind of match from a 40-minute iron man match to a 15-minute hardcore brawl. For example, John Cena thrives in spot matches, where his technical shortcomings are veiled by weapons and memorable moments. One thing that falls in with match adaptability is creativeness, as in someone who can have unpredictable matches with unique spots and incorporate new moves. John Cena also lacks any creativity whatsoever.

The last two aspects that a wrestler must have to flourish are a recognisable look and charisma. A wrestler must have a specific look for him to be recognisable amongst the typical WWE-manufactured wrestlers. By this I mean that WWE churn out countless wrestlers who have a specific look and wrestle similarly, such as the Miz, Johnny Curtis, Ryback and Kofi Kingston.

I know each of these men wrestle and look differently but they look and wrestle with a very WWE manufactured feel, there€™s nothing raw (no pun intended) or unique to them. The opposite of this would be someone like Brock Lesnar, who every time he returns creates a raw energy and sense of unpredictability few others can produce; his in-ring style and look are instantly recognisable and distinct.

CM Punk

As well as their look, there have been, and still are, many wrestlers who are fantastic in the ring and have a good look but are as charismatic as a wall. One such wrestler who springs to mind is John Morrison. Morrison started out as Johnny Nitro and over the years became a competent wrestler with incredible agility, who could perform amazing stunts (for example look up his Royal Rumble 2011 spot), however he never got across with audiences and thus failed to become a top-tier wrestler.

Wrestling ability, improvisation, a unique look and charisma - these are the ingredients I believe are necessary to create the best wrestlers in the world. CM Punk has all of these attributes. He can wrestle any match type and make just about anyone look good; he has a distinct appearance and is probably the most charismatic wrestler in the business today. However, other wrestlers possess all these skills too, so Punk isn€™t necessarily the best but he is up there.

CM Punk€™s 434 day title reign was a success. That sounds like stating the obvious but sometimes a lengthy title reign isn€™t as compelling or as deserved as Punk€™s was, and it€™s a feat that I don€™t see being repeated for a long time. If ever. The way the wrestling world is today, titles tend to change hands on a too-regular basis, so lengthy runs don€™t come along too often.

The reason Punk€™s reign was such a success is because it began a few short months after his infamous pipe bomb and he was easily the hottest thing in wrestling. His popularity with the fans and his edgy look, style and attitude hasn€™t been seen since the days of Stone Cold. It made him an overnight success.

However, after his feud with Daniel Bryan his reign began to feel a little stale as he€™d beaten the majority of heels and storyline ideas were getting fewer, but this all changed at RAW 1000. The landmark episode of RAW saw the return of The Rock and the much-needed heel-turn for CM Punk. This set the stage for a title match between the two and The Rock couldn€™t be a heel, so Punk shocked the world when he clotheslined the Great One and became the most hated man in WWE.

CM Punk is one of, if not the, best heel in the world. He thrives in this role. If you need any reassurance of this just look up some of his recent skits with the Undertaker, John Cena or The Rock, or his independent-day heel promos (particularly the ghost microphone promo); hilarious and malevolent. The heel turn was exactly what Punk€™s title reign needed, now he could feud with baby-faces and fulfill his true potential. This was certified, in a rare moment of brilliance by WWE, when Punk got Paul Heyman as his manager. As real-life friends Punk and Heyman have a great chemistry and are a natural fit. This is why Punk€™s title reign lasted so long.

However, it didn€™t last long enough. The Rock should never have beaten CM Punk at the Royal Rumble; it was a slap in the face to the man WWE has depended on for well over a year. The Rock had wrestled two matches in eight years before beating Punk for the belt, and his ring rust is evident (submission moves and laying around to catch his breath), yet WWE saw fit to give him the belt because it brings them publicity - even though the Rock hasn't been on RAW every week, or any house shows, since winning the title. This however has worked in Punk's favor because he has since been feuding with the Undertaker and usually closing the show.

Of course, The Rock winning has lead to WWE€™s grand plan that results in Cena beating The Rock at Wrestlemania and getting his revenge for last year, but that€™s not a rematch anyone wanted to see. CM Punk deserved to lose the belt on the grandest stage of them all, Wrestlemania. It was a fitting place for the deviant to lose his belt and thus end his tyrannical reign.

He deserved the main event at Wrestlemania but he didn't get it; instead a part-timer and the 12-time champion again headlined the show, while the likes of CM Punk vs The Undertaker and The Shield vs Sheamus, Big Show and Orton stole the show from the mid-card position. However, a potential streak-ending match with the Deadman was a deserving replacement for WWE's main man.

CM Punk

There are many, many wrestlers who are among the best in the world. A good few of these men are assets of the WWE, including CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Seth Rollins, Antonio Cesaro (Claudio Castagnoli), Kassius Ohno (Chris Hero), Adrian Neville (Pac), and the recently signed El Generico. TNA€™s finest include Austin Aries, Jeff Hardy, Bobby Roode, Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle, Chris Sabin, Sonjay Dutt, AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels.

And finally, the best wrestlers on the independent scene include Davey Richards, Kevin Steen, Colt Cabana, KENTA, Kota Ibushi, Low Ki, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Alex Shelly, among many others. With that many wrestlers, all of whom are brilliant, it€™s very hard to say who is really the best in the world. Each of these men brings something different to the table and all have the attributes of a great wrestler. However, who do I think is the best?

The wrestler I believe also has the entire package, is Daniel Bryan (or Bryan Danielson if you prefer). Over the past few years Bryan has been one of WWE€™s best and most popular stars. He has thrived in every position they€™ve thrust upon him including being a jobber, World Heavyweight Champion and part of the hilarious duo Hell No.

Since winning the World Heavyweight Championship from Mark Henry over a year ago, Bryan enjoyed an entertaining run as a heel before outrageously losing to Sheamus in 18 seconds (however this just increased his popularity tenfold), infuriating/captivating audiences with his "YES!" and "NO!" chants, feuding with CM Punk, and being burdened with Kane, which he turned into a positive and so has been one half of the Tag Team Champions for five months.

Bryan is a versatile talent whose in-ring skill is unrivaled, and he has greatly improved his mic-skills over the past year, adding comedy to his repertoire. His match with CM Punk at Over The Limit was the best match of 2012 and he had other great encounters with Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton.

Bryan began his career at the Shawn Michaels wrestling school, Texas Wrestling Academy, and after a long, triumphant run on the independent circuit with Ring of Honor and many Japanese companies, he signed with WWE. His 13 year career has been a tremendous success and sooner rather than later he should be back in the WWE title picture. These are a few reasons why Daniel Bryan, not CM Punk, is who I see as the best in the world.

Ironically it was Bryan who, back in ROH, first used the best in the world gimmick. CM Punk used the term in the legendary "Pipe Bomb" promo on Raw and has since adopted the gimmick, which led to his rivalry with Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 28 to "see who was truly the best in the world". However, I believe, that neither men are the best - the originator of the gimmick is still the best.

The real best in the world depends on personal opinion. CM Punk is definitely one of the best and arguably the best. Regardless of whether you think CM Punk, Daniel Bryan or someone else is the best in the world, it goes without saying that all the men and women who spend years honing their craft, paying their dues, hurting their bodies, creating an interesting persona and entertaining fans all over the world are worthy of our respect.

 
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Journalism student from Ireland. Interested in video games, books, rock music, films, comics, TV and wrestling - the basics! Check out my Twitter for PS4 screenshots and random comments!