CM Punk is in the final year of his latest contract with the WWE. The rumors are always floating around the Punk will be done and won’t sign another deal with the WWE once his contract expires. If this indeed is the last year CM Punk competes in a WWE ring it will be a ride that will have everyone talking the ‘Final Year of Punk’ instead of the constant ‘Bring Back the Attitude Era’ crap I’m always seeing on twitter and wrestling forums. CM Punk has done just about everything to do in the WWE, he is the 4th longest reigning WWE Champion of all time, he won the Money in the Bank twice, and cut a promo that could be argued as the best shoot promo in wrestling history. But there are still a few things Punk can do to really stir up the conversation of was CM Punk the best of all time?
CM Punk’s return at Payback, however great the match between him and Chris Jericho was, didn’t bring out the emotion it really should off. Yes, the crowd did go completely insane when his music, but the return of the best Superstar the WWE has not named John Cena should have been just a bit more dramatic. Cue the next night, Punk tells Paul Heyman he will forever be a ‘Paul Heyman Guy’, but he didn’t need his manager at ringside anymore. An instant babyface turn for Punk and it was solidified at the end of the night. After Dolph Ziggler came out and attacked the man who went after his head Punk stood alone in the ring. Alone until Brock Lesnar’s music hit, Lesnar walked down to the ring and gave us a taste of what is sure to be the best feud all summer. A win over Brock Lesnar will not only be another great notch on CM Punk’s WWE belt, but it will also set the tone of what is left in Punk’s WWE career.
Before everything is said and done in Punk’s career he needs to not only hold the WWE one more time but there is also one gimmick match he needs to win to just, you know, pad the stat sheet so to say. The Royal Rumble, in my opinion, at least is the one gimmick match that if you are fortunate enough to win at least once in your career, the odds are in your favor you are going to have a great career. CM Punk has won the Money in the Bank Match not once but twice, and it seems that Money in the Bank is becoming the King of the Ring and the Royal Rumble all rolled into one, but what Money in the Bank and the King of the Ring can’t guarantee you is a match at WrestleMania. If CM Punk wins the Royal Rumble this coming January then you can almost guarantee he will be in the main event unless the idea of doing Vince McMahon against Triple H becomes a bit more realistic (it’s starting to go in that direction) so Punk will land, once again, next to last on the card.
This fantasy booking column is based on the assumption Punk’s one year left will turn into 16-18 months to fully deliver what Punk truly has left in the tank. After Punk has won the 2014 Royal Rumble he can set his sights on the WWE Title and it’s Champion, John Cena. Plenty of time has passed by this time that everyone will be fully behind Cena/Punk at WrestleMania 30. Punk brings out the best in Cena, just like Edge did, so there is no doubt they can have another great set of matches like they had in 2011 and 2012.
Only two men stand in the way of CM Punk being put in the conversation with the greatest of all-time, Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin. We will get to Stone Cold in just a bit. CM Punk and Triple H have only crossed paths one time before, and it wasn’t much of a feud. Triple H will still have just enough left in him to put on a great match with CM Punk. After Punk has been WWE Champion since WrestleMania 30 no one has been able to stop him. Enter Triple H, Hunter is the one guy in WWE history that always had a problem with new stars shining. CM Punk has been the most exciting Superstar in the WWE over the past few years and a win over ‘The King of Kings’ to retain his WWE Title only helps continuing Punk’s legacy.
Heading into WrestleMania 31 CM Punk has done everything and MORE than anyone professional wrestler can imagine doing. Punk has overcome every hurdle the WWE has thrown at him and Punk has not only pushed it over, he completely knocked it out of the stratosphere, setting the bar very, very high for the next group of guys. Have Punk come out after some time had passed since his win over Triple H, give him a live microphone and let him set up the match EVERYONE is dying to see. Punk can say he’s beaten everyone worth beating, he’s done everything worth doing, except one thing, beat the man that everyone compares me to, Stone Cold Steve Austin. The drama and intrigue have been built, the money has already begun to be counted, now it’s just time to see if the WWE can pull off the booking the greatest question among the IWC, if Punk is retiring and Austin’s already retired, who wins between the greatest two professional wrestlers of all time?
Until next week guys, leave a comment, tell a friend, listen to the latest HTCWrestling.com Pulsecast here or on iTunes, follow me on Twitter @CamDougharty and let’s talk rasslin!
