15 New Directions For WWE After WrestleMania 42
1. CM Punk Questioning How Much He Has Left
Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton did a neat job with storytelling for most of their match on Saturday, but they didn't stand a chance next to what CM Punk and Roman Reigns had in store for Sunday. Watch that World Title main event again and you'll see a well-formatted thread running through the entire match.
Early on, Punk was feeling physically good and even mugged for the cameras on the announce desk to get under Roman's skin. That came back to bite him, and then the reality became clear to everyone: Punk's body doesn't have his back these days. It gave out on him when he needed it most.
The important plot point here is that Punk's body gave up on him, but his spirit didn't. He just couldn’t find the strength for that second GTS in a row, then missed the mark on swinging a punch at Roman before losing. It was a sensational display of selling and storytelling; this was the ‘Mania main event Punk had always dreamed about in terms of sheer story, character work and execution.
Going forwards, questioning his own mortality and whether or not he has it in him to run with the big dogs anymore should be Punk's mental nightmare to live. Nobody's saying he has to announce his retirement this year as well, but it's looming ever closer.
Punker deserves a lot of praise for the way he sold his fragility and a body betraying his will.
Where else can you see WWE booking going after WrestleMania 42? For more like this, check out 6 Ups & 7 Downs From WWE WrestleMania 42 - Saturday (Results & Review) and 6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE WrestleMania 42 - Sunday (Results & Review)!