2. He Is Forcing WWE Into Competition With UFC
Weve heard various sources from the WWE deny time and time again that the UFC is a competitor. In an August interview from this year, Triple H laid out the fundamental differences between the organizations, explaining that WWE is a more cinematic, story-driven product whereas the UFC and other boxing/MMA promotions put the emphasis on pure sport. While it certainly cant be denied that the UFC and the WWE have their own independent fan bases, there are definitely those crossover fans out there who enjoy both products because, at the end of the day, its just fun watching guys fight, regardless as to whether the action is real. While people like Brock Lesnar and Ken Shamrock have demonstrated that it is possible for performers to jump from pro wrestling to MMA and back with a fair deal of success, CM Punk represents a whole new ballgame. Lacking the size and amateur wrestling background that made Lesnar such an intimidating figure in the UFC, Punk is a big question mark for both UFC and WWE fans. Will the 36-year-old train his way to glory or will he be brutally pummeled in his first match against a yet-to-be-decided opponent? That curiosity alone should be enough to create a huge buy-rate for the UFC PPV that will feature Punks octagon debut. There will likely be scores of WWE fans tuning in who may have never seen a single prior UFC event. MMA purists, on the other hand, will have their own reason to watch. In the wake of Punks contract signing with the UFC, there have been an endless amount of naysayers claiming that Punk has no business entering into this real sport. When it finally comes time for him to fight, those naysayers will be watching too, waiting for their chance to say I told you so. It all adds up to a lot of eyes on the UFC and WWE will find itself in the position of needing to stay relevant. Especially if Punks UFC debut were to occur around one of WWEs tent pole events such as WrestleMania or Summer Slam, the WWE would have to offer something just as tantalizing as the prospect of CM Punk in a shoot fight. Sure, WWE is shifting away from the PPV model and relies less on individual event buy rates, but the for a company that is still desperately trying to bring in more subscribers to its streaming Network, it still needs all the attention it can get and CM Punks UFC debut will definitely shift the focus.