Since returning to WWE at Survivor Series 2023, CM Punk has been one of the most over stars in the company. It didn’t matter if he was injured or putting on great matches, because whenever “Cult of Personality” hit, the fans went crazy. Nearly two years later, the fans still chant for Punk and cheer louder for him than anyone else (including Cody Rhodes), but even the biggest CM Punk fan has to see that he has lost a lot of the coolness factor that first made him so popular.
He’s been hurt by WWE’s politics, which he has been quiet about even though they don’t match his own. On top of that, his Dr. of Thugamonics parody of John Cena was Vince McMahon era level of cringe, and his participation at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia required him to go back on his strongly held convictions. Now, it’s CM Punk who is starting to feel like a parody. WWE can still save his run, but they need to do something different with him now.
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CM Punk Was The Voice Of The Voiceless
He Was Wrestling’s Biggest Rebel
- Punk ripped apart WWE in his iconic 2011 Raw pipe bomb promo.
- He was a favorite with hardcore fans who had given up on modern day WWE.
- When Punk left WWE in 2014, many fans lost interest in wrestling.
In the early 2010s, CM Punk really took off in WWE because hardcore fans latched on to him. There was no longer a WCW, AEW was many years from existing, and TNA had become a joke under Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. If you wanted wrestling, WWE was about all you had, even though it was often dull and felt catered to kids. John Cena was everywhere, but then there was CM Punk. He really was punk, a rebel who called himself the voice of the voiceless. He gave real hope to fans who had become disillusioned with what pro wrestling had become.
This is why his iconic 2011 pipe bomb promo on Raw had such a huge impact. CM Punk wasn’t a character spewing lines for a story. He really believed what he was saying. We knew that he was truly bothered by what he saw and how he was treated. Punk felt what we felt, and for a generation of mostly young male fans, he reignited our passion for the sport. When he went away in January 2014, we lost that passion, and it took the grittiness of NXT and the eventual rise of AEW to bring the hardcore fans back.
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Has CM Punk Jumped The Shark?
Punk Is Not The Man He Used To Be
- Fans were excited when CM Punk returned to wrestling by joining AEW in 2021.
- Punk’s return to WWE was accepted because the company was cool again with Triple H in charge.
- Punk’s recent SmackDown rap and apology to the fans in Saudi Arabia wasn’t a good look.
A large segment of fans felt excitement coming back to wrestling when CM Punk made his AEW debut. Remember the shot of that grown man crying in the audience at Rampage? Punk returned, talking crap about WWE, and if you hated what Vince McMahon’s promotion had become, you loved every word. But CM Punk’s rebellious ways ended up becoming his greatest enemy, with two highly-publicized backstage brawls eventually leading to Tony Khan firing him.
Returning to WWE, after everything he’d said about them, could have made CM Punk look like a sellout, but fans didn’t see it that way. After all, Vince McMahon was now no longer in charge, and with Triple at the helm, WWE was cool again. Punk returning to WWE was seen as a way for him to let go of the pain of the past and move forward.
Punk may have missed significant time due to a triceps injury at the 2024 Royal Rumble, but he and Drew McIntyre had the feud of the year, and today he’s still a huge draw. But he has also been hurt by actions of the past few months. Ahead of WrestleMania, WWE drew negative attention when Triple H and Roman Reigns praised President Donald Trump in interviews. Punk, who has been outspoken in support of liberal causes like trans rights, said nothing, except to get upset at fans who didn’t like his silence. He had long had bad things to say about WWE’s Saudi shows (remember his blood money tweet directed at The Miz?), but not only did he perform at Night of Champions in Riyadh, but he actually apologized to fans, saying that his comments were about him being grumpy and not at all about the Saudis. No, Punk, I think they kinda were. The SmackDown before Night of Champions saw Punk doing a cringe rap, and in the main event of the PLE, he was part of another overbooked, frustrating John Cena match finish. Suddenly, CM Punk no longer comes across as the edgy rebel so many of us loved.
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CM Punk Needs A Dramatic Shift To His Character
It’s Not As Easy As A Heel Turn
- In a PG era of WWE, CM Punk can only do so much.
- Having Punk beat Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship doesn’t fix his issues.
- Punk needs to get his edge back and reclaim his unpredictability.
CM Punk shouldn’t be bashed for all of that. He’s not going to come out and rip his employer, when people like Triple H and Roman Reigns have every right to their own political opinions, just like he does. Going to Saudi Arabia was arguably disappointing, but with everyone doing those shows today, including Sami Zayn, that battle was lost.
Still, CM Punk comes across as a nostalgia act now. With his John Cena feud over, WWE needs to do something different with him. He could turn heel, of course, and while he’d be great at it, the same problems would still exist. The same issues are there even if Punk takes on Gunther and beats him for the World Heavyweight Championship. We need to be reminded of the Punk of old.
It’s not about who Punk faces next, but how he acts next. WWE likes to push the boundaries of PG, allowing some cursing here and there. Let Punk do that. Take off his restraints and allow him to become the guy we knew in 2011 and 2021. Give him that edge back that made it seem like anything was possible and you didn’t know what he would say next. Just, please, no matter what, never let CM Punk rap ever again.
