At last! Punk has been given a direction! The introduction of Paul Heyman in to the CM Punk character makes perfect sense. The idea of including Paul as the man behind Punk’s recent actions brings the entire angle back to the famous promo that Punk delivered last year. It also does a great job of making Punk look like he isn’t going to drop the title as soon as we feared.
WWE made a desperate attempt to get the Chicago crowd to hate Punk when he decided to take a personal day (Hey, don’t you have to give some notice these days?) The crowd didn’t really buy it and still cheered him. When Paul was revealed as an accomplice for Punk the crowd also went crazy.
The bad side to this new direction is that Punk may still not be fully taken in by the crowd as a heel but if there is anyone in the professional wrestling business that can enhance a characters persona then it is Paul Heyman. If you didn’t believe that Punk was the ‘Best in the World’ before then Paul will certainly convince you otherwise.
RAW did the one thing that has been missing for many weeks now and that is to create one small moment that will make fans want to tune in the following week. When you beat up Jerry Lawler, nobody cares. When you link your champion with a devious character that has the ability to put over any angle or person he is involved with, then you’re creating memorable television!
On the whole I thought RAW was a good effort this week but there were times when I felt that the 3 hour format was getting too much when I had to watch lengthy segments with Vickie Guerrero and AJ along with the Daniel Bryan and Kane hug out segment. However, that is still being harsh on what was overall a good show.
The Anger Management classes continued with comical moments such as Harold being dropped on his head and the simultaneous “SHUT UP HAROLD!” comment, which had me chuckling.
This obviously led to the hugging it out segment which I mentioned before was quite lengthy but nonetheless entertaining. I loved how Daniel Bryan was struggling to keep a straight face throughout all of it. Bryan’s reaction to the Kane pyro going off on the stage also had me giggling. Bryan is looking like he’s having the best time of his career and from a rivalry that I never really saw any interest in they have both proven that they have fantastic chemistry together!
Antonio Cesaro also changed his theme music, which now sounds eerily similar to that of a James Bond theme. It suits his character as the womaniser but I personally liked his old music. At least now the US Title is getting some direction and attention.
Speaking of someone that needs new music (among other things) Tensai continues to get the Albert chants. I can’t see this man being on TV with his current character for much longer. Ryback gets the same treatment with the Goldberg chants but the difference is that Ryback is completely over with the crowd. Some simple catchphrases have kept Ryback involved with the crowd where as the Tensai character just doesn’t do anything for anyone. Tensai is obviously a skilled wrestler but they need to repackage him or at least change that god awful ring attire. The man doesn’t have any meaning and his character is lost in the pile.
One other thing I noticed was that Cena came out BEFORE Del Rio. This has been my bugbear with WWE and John Cena. No matter what match and when, Cena comes out last, especially in Championship matches. To see Del Rio get the main entrance originally had me delighted and also confused at the same time. It made me wonder what was going on. In the end it had no real significance but it was something that I wondered whether Punk would use as ammunition in another ‘pipe-bomb.’
Overall though, the show was good. Punk now has a bit of support in his new character and this should help to give him a reaction with the crowd, whether it is good or bad. I still personally believe that Heyman’s inclusion will put Punk over with the real fans more than make us hate him but at least people shouldn’t be sitting on the hands like they have been in the past few weeks.
Do you think that Paul Heyman is the right move for Punk? Do you think it will get him over as a heel? Or do you think it will push Punk back to the anti-authority face that we got last year?
Email me your thoughts at beansontoastuk@msn.com or contact me on Twitter @BeansOnToastUK.
Don’t forget to check out Virtually Reality on the VOW Network. Join me and fellow WrestleZone writer Adam Gorzelsky as we look at the current state of the Professional Wrestling Industry. You can check out this past Sunday’s episode here: http://www.vowlive.com/2012/09/september-2/.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
