“I’m going home.” -CM Punk

CM Punk is notorious for doing things his own way.  Both famous and infamous for rising through the ranks of the WWE while staying true to himself.

The WWE is notorious for disappearing acts:  “Firings” without anyone being fired.  Extended layoffs due to injuries, and “injuries.”  And stars “quitting” with a well laid out plan for their return.

CM Punk vs. The WWE.  The dichotomy is what makes the recent events so captivating, yet so terrifying.

The Facts:

• CM Punk told Vince McMahon he was going home.
• Batista won the 2014 Royal Rumble to main event in WrestleMania 30, CM Punk lost after carrying large portions of the event.
• CM Punk did not appear on the Monday Night RAW the following night.
• CM Punk did not appear at the Tuesday taping of Smackdown, despite being scheduled to do so.
• CM Punk has been removed from the schedule of all upcoming events.
• On Monday Night RAW, Daniel Bryan confronted Triple H.
• CM Punk’s contract expires in July, and Punk had previously stated that at that point “everything is up in the air.”
• CM Punk tweeted Monday Night: “Thanks for all the support.  Keep being you guys, it’s pretty cool.”

The first reaction to the news, “(insert generic WWE Superstar) quits WWE,” is generally to think that it plays to the intended WWE story line.  CM Punk needed some time off, the WWE granted him that time off.  Because of his rebellious history, they chose to have him “quit,” as opposed to being “fired” or setting up a chronic “injury” that needed extended rest.

But CM Punk is not the generic WWE Superstar.  He has never really fully bent to the whims of the WWE.  He has always wanted to be among the top guys in the company, and gets frustrated when his talents are taken advantage of i.e. carrying the Royal Rumble only to lose it to a guy who returned barely a week ago.

And CM Punk has saved his money.  He has been financially responsible during his very successful career, to the point that he does not need the WWE.  He is perfectly capable of supporting himself on what he’s already got.

Considering his frustrations, his stability, and his personality, CM Punk quitting the WWE is not exactly unbelievable.

The WWE losing CM Punk, however, would be unbelievable.  Punk is one of the unique Superstars who can do it all in the ring, and do it all for the company.  Need to bring credibility to a belt?  CM Punk can win it.  Need to carry a non-title story line?  CM Punk can do it.  Need a face?  CM Punk.  Need a heel?  CM Punk.  Need to help bring up a new up-and-comer?  Have him feud with and beat CM Punk!  CM Punk can take the losses, and still remain the Best in the World.

The greatness of CM Punk is the root of the drama.  Because of his greatness, and the many roles he is able to play for the company, his frustrations can be well understood, and it’s certainly believable he may have reached a boiling point.  And his greatness is in his personality:  A true-to-himself star who is just crazy and independent enough to actually quit.  Not “quit,” but quit.

The greatness of the WWE is roots of the stories.  The deeper the roots, the better the stories.  If this recent saga is in fact part of a story, props to the company.  Having obtained a reputation of being stale and predictable, this story could grow into the complete opposite.  Yet because of their recent history, successful execution of such a move is hard to believe.

That is all what makes this whole drama so thrilling.  Did the WWE really set this up, and successfully utilize his character to build up to an epic return?  Or is CM Punk really done, and we will all be waiting and watching and hoping for an epic return that will never come?  Will WrestleMania really come and go without the Straight Edge Superstar?  Or will the crowd go berserk to the unadvertised sound of CM Punk’s now instantly recognizable entrance music?

Did CM Punk’s greatest Pipe Bomb, “I’m going home,” get dropped silently only to Vince McMahon himself?

Only time will tell.  Leave it to CM Punk to keep the WWE universe unpredictable.  I, for one, am hoping we can still get our Ice Cream Bars.

Do you think CM Punk is really done? Let us know on Twitter at @thelastUShero

“Listen to me. Learn from me. I was not the best because I killed quickly. I was the best because the crowd loved me. Win the crowd…” – Proximo addressing Maximus in “Gladiator”

The crowd:  The true living breathing heart of the WWE.  Always has been, and always will be.

Since the beginning, there have been characters, and there have been stories.  There have been Faces and Heels, Heroes and Villains.  Hulk Hogan.  Ric Flair.  Brett Hart.  Triple H.  The Undertaker.  Shawn Michaels.  CM Punk.  The greatest wrestling superstars always play both sides, at one time a Face, another time a Heel, with the story of their turn playing out in front of live audiences across the world.  Sometimes two friends quarrel, and the crowd chooses sides.  Sometimes one tag team partner visciously turns on the other, and the crowd chooses sides.  Sometimes a superstar insults another fan favorite, or a city, or a Hall of Famer, and the crowd chooses sides.  Those who win the crowd earn the “pop,” those who lose the crowd earn the “heat.”  But in either case, the sincerity of the reaction is more important than which reaction is earned.

Always the crowd.  Shaping each and every event, and making or breaking every story.  Because in the WWE, the crowd isn’t just there to watch the show, they are a part of the show.  The fan reaction is vital:  Cheering the appropriate stars, booing the appropriate stars, starting the appropriate chants.  The more into the show, the better the event.  The more knowledgeable the crowd, the better the event.

The crowd is both critical, and the critic.  In the WWE, there is no need to wait for the day after a big pay-per-view to know which fights were great, because the crowds will tell you.  The superstars hear in the ring not just after the action, but during the action, the fan reaction.  “Booooorrrriiiinnnggggg” chants rain down on the weaker stories, the weaker fights, the weaker feuds (or all Big Show matches).  “This is AWESOME” chants rise above all else during the best matches, such as the recent GREAT match between Brock Lesnar and CM Punk.

But over time the crowds changed.  In the heyday of pro wrestling, childish adults formed the foundation of the crowd, avid fans who understood story telling, timing, botches, and all the subtleties.  They understood their role.  In more recent times, kids had taken on a larger role, and lower IQ fans.  Groups that would choose a superstar and cheer him no matter what, or boo him no matter what, or start mistimed chants or miss chant opportunities; the John Cena crowd.  The crowd that came to buy shirts and watch wrestling, instead of adding to wrestling.

And then there is Daniel Bryan.  The diminutive, technical, bearded fan favorite who has brought old-school pop back to the WWE.  Because there is pop:  The fans cheering you when you enter and exit, the fans cheering you after a fight.  And then there is POP!  The kind witnessed on RAW on January 13th (scroll to 3:20 mark of the video below).  The kind of reaction when the entire crowd is hanging on your every action.  The kind of moment when the entire crowd, Daniel Bryan fan or not, is directly tied to the superstar himself.  Look at the crowd, look at the different camera angles.  Everyone is standing, everyone is involved, everyone is in unison.

The crowd:  The part of wrestling that sets it apart from every other form of athletic entertainment.  They don’t simply react to the action, they create the action, enhance the action, form the action.  The crowd response a superstar stimulates supersedes winning any title, winning any belt, and winning any event.

Daniel Bryan has won the crowd.  And in doing so, he has brought back crowds that are worthy of the heyday of professional wrestling.  Is he WWE Champion?  No.  Does he currently hold any belt at all?  No.  Is Daniel Bryan what’s Best for Business?

YES!  YES!  YES!  YESSSSS!!!!

Like it?  Hate it?  Let us know.  Follow us on Twitter at @thelastUShero