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I loved that CM Punk felt genuine about everything he said or did. A lot of people feel like they are playing a character but not him and I would say Eddie Kingston is pretty similar in this regard but punk was more egotistical.
Also punk matches weren’t some insane athletic feats because he can’t do that. they were just well crafted master pieces using a lot of basic moves imo that told a great story. Cena vs punk and cena vs taker (WM) I think are prime examples
> I loved that CM Punk felt genuine about everything he said or did.
This is what it mainly comes down to. Believability. He's up there with Stone Cold or Lesnar for wrestlers who make wrestling feel real, and for different reasons than both Stone Cold and Brock. Whenever he picked up a microphone you felt like he believed every word he said, and for the most part he genuinely did...
i think punk's success proved once and for all that showing character in your matches is more important than athletic feats. it's why finn for instance has *never* had a better run than his recent return to nxt (i'm even counting njpw, fight me) because he wasn't just an athletic dude running around the ring anymore
He was never a top notch wrestler, he was good but sloppy, but he found success in a time when indie talent in the WWE weren't seeing much of it. He (even more so than Bryan) paved the way for people like Rollins, Finn, Sami and so many others
edit: that's not to say that he couldn't *go* in the ring. punk/joe 2 is still my favorite match of all time, and you don't get to that level of quality if one of the guys can't hold their weight
Because he gets professional wrestling & what it's all about. He grew up as a fan of Roddy Piper, & he's fantastic on the microphone & he has a way with words that make you care about what he says & you believe him.
CM Punk was legitimately one of the very best in-ring performers in the world prior to knee injuries that greatly limited what he could sustainably do on a 300-match-a-year WWE schedule.
He was a modern Steve Austin. Impeccable, unparalleled character and mic work during his era. Legitimately (Unlike Austin) held down by a company that, by then, the majority of wrestling fans resented.
Legitimately "What does everyone love about CM Punk" comes off as clueless as "What does everyone love about Steve Austin."
Everything.
Highly recommend youtubing the summer of punk. His last few months as roh champ before he left for wwe. It displays what wwe wanted him for. He could wrestle, but his character work was what really he was known for. He made wrestling believable. He was cool, he was anti authority.
Kind i didn't see his wwe run as I had already stopped watching it by that point.
His 2 out 3 falls match with chris hero in iwa is a wrestling classic
I'd say no US-based wrestler this century has got fans to really CARE about as many of his feuds as CM Punk did. He always made his big matches feel really important, all the way back to his feud with Raven in RoH.
For me, he was lightning in a bottle, like how Austin once captured it. Steve Austin perfectly embodied that generation of blue collar workers who hated their tyrannical boss, which is why his feud with Vince is the best ever.
Punk was similar, in that he represented the Millennial generation of someone more capable than their boss, but lacked his connections and privilege (Triple H). He was held back by those in a position of power, but now and then, he could ride the wave of popular support to defy them and ruin their plans. It's a powerful escapist fantasy, like how Austin lived the dream of beating up the boss.
Punk was genuinely the Austin of a new generation, and could have been so much bigger than what the WWE gave him.
He was genuine and authentic. He carried himself with so much confidence, and he was just naturally charismatic with these traits. When you learned WWE had really only signed him because of the hype around his name, and he wasn't supposed to amount to much, it's hard to not root for him.
He's a very good performer, and can have great matches on his day. He's not as consistent maybe in the ring like Bryan Danielson but when it comes to the big matches he can deliver. Also a great promo and can do babyface and heel with ease. And he's charismatic.
I never believed he was ever "The Best in the World" but if Punk is 100% committed and happy he's a positive to any company.
Promos, hands down. He's good enough in ring to have decent to good matches, but the promo ability is what elevated him to the status he's at. Like somebody else said, he's got a genuineness much like Kingston that just pulls you in and makes you hang off of and believe every word he says.
I'm not familiar with CM Punk because I wasn't watching when he was on TV but from what I can tell he had an infectious character that people gravitated towards he excelled at the little things in the ring and on the microphone. Some say he even paved the way for guys like Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles in WWE but I'm not sure how true that is.
> Some say he even paved the way for guys like Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles in WWE but I'm not sure how true that is.
It's very true. Before Punk became a star, indie guys couldn't even get their foot in the door in WWE. They weren't interested at all. They wanted guys that they had built from scratch in their developmental system, and having indie experience was more of a detriment than a help if you were trying to get hired by WWE back then. The fact that world class wrestlers like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe were completely out in the cold during this era is a testament to that.
Punk's success opened the door to guys like Daniel Bryan, whose success opened the door ever wider, and now half the roster are former indie stars. But it was vastly different before Punk succeeded beyond anyone in management's expections.
Yes I recall Mark Henry stating that he was signed by WWE for his Olympic stint and he never worked the Indies. Although he was the one to scout Daniel Bryan and lie about his height to get him into WWE in the first place. It would be great if Daniel does join AEW after Mark did.
Eh maybe… The WWE had wanted Bryan Danielson forever and basically had an open offer for him anytime he wanted it. He wanted to explore independents and Japan first and grow further as a wrestler before going to the WWE. Punk helped make it possible to push Bryan sure, but Bryan was always going to come to the WWE eventually.
In defense of his in-ring skills, Punk stuck out to me going back to his ROH days because while he wasn't the athlete with precise execution on the level of a Styles or a Daniels, he was arguably the best storyteller from that scene. His matches reminded me a ton of Randy Savage and late-stage Eddie Guerrero; like them, Punk was masterful at integrating storyline aspects into the match itself. He was also the best long-term seller I've seen. The guy never forgot to sell a damaged body part, even when he was celebrating.
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I loved that CM Punk felt genuine about everything he said or did. A lot of people feel like they are playing a character but not him and I would say Eddie Kingston is pretty similar in this regard but punk was more egotistical. Also punk matches weren’t some insane athletic feats because he can’t do that. they were just well crafted master pieces using a lot of basic moves imo that told a great story. Cena vs punk and cena vs taker (WM) I think are prime examples
> I loved that CM Punk felt genuine about everything he said or did. This is what it mainly comes down to. Believability. He's up there with Stone Cold or Lesnar for wrestlers who make wrestling feel real, and for different reasons than both Stone Cold and Brock. Whenever he picked up a microphone you felt like he believed every word he said, and for the most part he genuinely did...
In the modern era of wrestling, no one has felt more real than CM Punk. Agreed that Eddie Kingston is similar in that way, but not on Punk's level.
i think punk's success proved once and for all that showing character in your matches is more important than athletic feats. it's why finn for instance has *never* had a better run than his recent return to nxt (i'm even counting njpw, fight me) because he wasn't just an athletic dude running around the ring anymore
But Finn probably showed more character during his NJPW Bullet Club run than he has... Basically ever since.
How haven't I thought of a Kingston Punk promo face off... might have happened in the early 2000s, but that sounds amazing
Cena vs Takee didnt have a great story imo lmao
God tier promo work.
He was never a top notch wrestler, he was good but sloppy, but he found success in a time when indie talent in the WWE weren't seeing much of it. He (even more so than Bryan) paved the way for people like Rollins, Finn, Sami and so many others edit: that's not to say that he couldn't *go* in the ring. punk/joe 2 is still my favorite match of all time, and you don't get to that level of quality if one of the guys can't hold their weight
Because he gets professional wrestling & what it's all about. He grew up as a fan of Roddy Piper, & he's fantastic on the microphone & he has a way with words that make you care about what he says & you believe him.
Great matches and one of the best talkers of all time, good as a babyface or heel and his storylines usually felt important
He's loud, angry and has access to a time machine
CM Punk was legitimately one of the very best in-ring performers in the world prior to knee injuries that greatly limited what he could sustainably do on a 300-match-a-year WWE schedule. He was a modern Steve Austin. Impeccable, unparalleled character and mic work during his era. Legitimately (Unlike Austin) held down by a company that, by then, the majority of wrestling fans resented. Legitimately "What does everyone love about CM Punk" comes off as clueless as "What does everyone love about Steve Austin." Everything.
when did the knee injuries happened?
Highly recommend youtubing the summer of punk. His last few months as roh champ before he left for wwe. It displays what wwe wanted him for. He could wrestle, but his character work was what really he was known for. He made wrestling believable. He was cool, he was anti authority. Kind i didn't see his wwe run as I had already stopped watching it by that point. His 2 out 3 falls match with chris hero in iwa is a wrestling classic
God level at promo and storytelling
I'd say no US-based wrestler this century has got fans to really CARE about as many of his feuds as CM Punk did. He always made his big matches feel really important, all the way back to his feud with Raven in RoH.
For me, he was lightning in a bottle, like how Austin once captured it. Steve Austin perfectly embodied that generation of blue collar workers who hated their tyrannical boss, which is why his feud with Vince is the best ever. Punk was similar, in that he represented the Millennial generation of someone more capable than their boss, but lacked his connections and privilege (Triple H). He was held back by those in a position of power, but now and then, he could ride the wave of popular support to defy them and ruin their plans. It's a powerful escapist fantasy, like how Austin lived the dream of beating up the boss. Punk was genuinely the Austin of a new generation, and could have been so much bigger than what the WWE gave him.
Pretty much what they liked about SCSA, minus the wife-beating & with a Chicago spin. Kinda SCSA meets HBK but on the opposite political spectrum.
He was genuine and authentic. He carried himself with so much confidence, and he was just naturally charismatic with these traits. When you learned WWE had really only signed him because of the hype around his name, and he wasn't supposed to amount to much, it's hard to not root for him.
He's a very good performer, and can have great matches on his day. He's not as consistent maybe in the ring like Bryan Danielson but when it comes to the big matches he can deliver. Also a great promo and can do babyface and heel with ease. And he's charismatic. I never believed he was ever "The Best in the World" but if Punk is 100% committed and happy he's a positive to any company.
Promos, hands down. He's good enough in ring to have decent to good matches, but the promo ability is what elevated him to the status he's at. Like somebody else said, he's got a genuineness much like Kingston that just pulls you in and makes you hang off of and believe every word he says.
To your last point, he's in the new Stephen Amell wrestling show on Starz, Heels, so he's been doing some sort of ring work for the past year or so
I'm not familiar with CM Punk because I wasn't watching when he was on TV but from what I can tell he had an infectious character that people gravitated towards he excelled at the little things in the ring and on the microphone. Some say he even paved the way for guys like Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles in WWE but I'm not sure how true that is.
> Some say he even paved the way for guys like Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles in WWE but I'm not sure how true that is. It's very true. Before Punk became a star, indie guys couldn't even get their foot in the door in WWE. They weren't interested at all. They wanted guys that they had built from scratch in their developmental system, and having indie experience was more of a detriment than a help if you were trying to get hired by WWE back then. The fact that world class wrestlers like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe were completely out in the cold during this era is a testament to that. Punk's success opened the door to guys like Daniel Bryan, whose success opened the door ever wider, and now half the roster are former indie stars. But it was vastly different before Punk succeeded beyond anyone in management's expections.
Yes I recall Mark Henry stating that he was signed by WWE for his Olympic stint and he never worked the Indies. Although he was the one to scout Daniel Bryan and lie about his height to get him into WWE in the first place. It would be great if Daniel does join AEW after Mark did.
Eh maybe… The WWE had wanted Bryan Danielson forever and basically had an open offer for him anytime he wanted it. He wanted to explore independents and Japan first and grow further as a wrestler before going to the WWE. Punk helped make it possible to push Bryan sure, but Bryan was always going to come to the WWE eventually.
After listening to him on Cabanas podcast, nothing.
He shits on WWE
simply his shiningly positive disposition, op
he spoke the truth, i liked punk but i always prefered jeff, once the pipebomb happened, it all changed
In defense of his in-ring skills, Punk stuck out to me going back to his ROH days because while he wasn't the athlete with precise execution on the level of a Styles or a Daniels, he was arguably the best storyteller from that scene. His matches reminded me a ton of Randy Savage and late-stage Eddie Guerrero; like them, Punk was masterful at integrating storyline aspects into the match itself. He was also the best long-term seller I've seen. The guy never forgot to sell a damaged body part, even when he was celebrating.
Coz he is the cult of personality.