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Can CM Punk Survive The Survivor Series?
On November 26, WWE will celebrate the 20th edition of The Survivor Series. Upon reviewing the previous editions of WWE’s 2nd oldest annual pay-per-view event, I reflected on what it was really all about. Other than an additional outlet to create revenue, what was the reasoning for creating such a stylized event? It was created for one reason: to immediately put people over. Each winner of the elimination matches took giant strides in moving up the ladder in both popularity and importance.
An elimination match mixes up a variety of wrestlers and storylines, opening up many new possibilities. An altercation could arise that fans really take to. It’s an experiment, of sorts. Where else would Hulk Hogan be in the same ring as Paul Roma? Triple H and Maven? It’s an opportunity where someone can really step up to the plate. This year there will be an opportunity to create a new star.
CM Punk is a hot topic of discussion. This year, he’s been paired with two veterans who have dominated much of this years screen time: Triple H & Shawn Michaels. Much of the RAW mid-card has been laid to waste by these two and many fear that they will take credit for anything that gets over in this match. Many are concerned that these two will try and rob the spotlight from CM Punk and take credit for anything significant that may happen or any reaction the team gets from the crowd.
While they have a good point, there is just as good of a chance that the opposite will happen. Many view CM Punk as one of the representatives of the future of this business. He has the talent and charisma that has really gotten over with the fans. His matches in ROH and OVW have been spectacular and his tenure in WWECW thus far has been excellent. He’s has a nice, slow build, had several well-cut promos, and has not been pushed every single week of WWECW TV.
Triple H is a smart man. He knows he will not be wrestling forever, and neither will Michaels. With Michaels again lightening his schedule and Triple H working more and more behind the scenes, they need to get over a new superstar. They have tried (and continue to try) with John Cena and Batista. The WWE marketing machine has had to work overtime to get John Cena past the fans intense dissatisfaction with him, which is an ongoing issue. Batista was a natural with the fans, but his in-ring work has not held up (again, credit to Triple H for getting him over in the first place). The WWE is just not giving the fans much reason to get emotionally behind the newer stars.
Triple H and Shawn Michaels need to help CM Punk. He’s over with WWECW fans, but has not yet appeared on RAW. This match is an opportunity to showcase his talent to the widest audience yet available to him. Both men have, in the past, made the decision whether or not to jumpstart another star’s career. Thanks to Triple H, Batista was made a star, but Randy Orton, Goldberg, Chris Jericho, and Rob Van Dam all were shoved back down the card. Regardless of talent, these men were not viewed as being in the A league with Triple H. Rob Van Dam, in particular, was in an extremely similar position to the present one CM Punk faces. Triple H must let Punk share a piece of the pie for the sake of wrestling’s future.
Since Michaels’ return, he’s done nothing but attempt to put over the stars of the future, that is, until this year. He’s worked with men with less than half his talent and tried very hard to get the crowd to see them as true stars. In cases like Edge’s it worked well, but for Chris Masters it did not. This year he’s joined with Triple H in decimating the RAW midcard: The Spirit Squad, The Highlanders, etc.
CM Punk is poised for success. Being put in the same match with these two, he needs their help creating an opening for him to take the next step up the ladder.
Punk is making his PPV debut at this event, joining several other stars that have been in a similar position: The Undertaker, Ric Flair, and The Rock. All three of these men made their WWF PPV debuts at the November event and have used it to propel themselves to stardom.
The Undertaker, formerly “Mean†Mark Callous, debuted his new character in 1990. People immediately took to this character because he was something very new and different. It was rare to see such a huge athlete able to wrestle the style The Undertaker did. It didn’t hurt that he quickly dispatched half of his opposing team in the match. This event began a path to his first World Title reign, beginning the following Survivor Series.
In 1991, Ric Flair was the sole survivor for his team. As if it needed any reinforcing, he proved to be a major player, leading directly towards a World Title win at the next year’s Royal Rumble. The legend showed he was still the man and was hungry to move up the ranks in his new home.
The Rock debuted at the Survivor Series in 1996 to an underwhelming reaction. However, if not for this initial disapproval, there wouldn’t be The Rock. The WWF tried to get the fans to buy him as a happy-go-lucky-hero but they had had enough of those kinds of stars. It was the fans negative reaction to Rocky Maivia that gave birth to the megastar known as The Rock.
Randy Orton eliminated Shawn Michaels to win his 2003 Survivor Series match. He went straight from this event to the Intercontinental Title, keeping the belt for the next 7 months. The main reason Orton lost that belt was so he would be free to take the top prize, the RAW Title, during the summer of 2004.
Those are some pretty big names to live up to, but CM Punk can do it. If his participation in this match is carefully laid out, he can truly propel himself to stardom. He’s already booked for the main event for ECW’s December To Dismember PPV. While that may be a bit early to give him the ECW belt, strong performances in both events would make a 2007 title reign very believable.
Paul Heyman seems to be a strong advocate for CM Punk to be a success story. He’s a natural. Unlike previous up-and-comers, like Brock Lesnar and many of the products of the developmental system, Punk has spent years building his reputation on the indy level. So far, those fans have continued to support him in WWECW. Why, you ask? It’s simple, really: they’ve left his character alone. He’s remained basically the same character that plied his trade in ROH and OVW.
It’s up to Triple H and Shawn Michaels to make sure he continues on the path that seems to be laid before him. They are established, they are veterans, and they are legends. They don’t need the crowd’s approval anymore. It’s their responsibility to build the stars of the future.
The sport (as far as WWE is concerned) is in a very tenuous position. Once the already established stars fade away, what will the fans be left with? They need new stars to get behind. They have Cena. Batista has proven injury-prone and is already much older than the current lineup. Maybe Bobby Lashley or Carlito will make it. Maybe not. CM Punk is someone Creative doesn’t need to work overtime to get over with the fans. He’s over. Just don’t job him out or let Triple H & Shawn Michaels eclipse him. The fears of those two men should not stop the evolution of the entire industry.
