5 Reasons CM Punk Is Now WWE's Biggest Competitor

2. He Is Forcing WWE Into Competition With UFC

Cm Punk Ufc We€™ve 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 can€™t 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, it€™s 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 Punk€™s 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 Punk€™s 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 Punk€™s UFC debut were to occur around one of WWE€™s 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 Punk€™s UFC debut will definitely shift the focus.
Contributor

I am a writer and stand-up comedian living in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I didn't witness the Bret Hart screw job in person, but I did watch the Breaking Point PPV live and that was terrible it its own way. I am dangerously obsessed with professional wrestling and its surrounding culture. I am the current ring announcer for a local fed called the IWS. I got to introduce Tommy Dreamer a while back. My head almost exploded. I am a mark, and proud of it. I also co-host a podcast called Go Plug Yourself, which has featured quite a few local wrestlers and even Mick Foley. Speaking of the Mickster, I once got to be his warmup act when he was in town for comiccon. My head actually exploded that time. I've recovered... sort of.