A British Point of View: Mine's Bigger Than Yours!
by Martyn Nolan
I apologize to everyone that I have not been able to get as many articles up recently as I would like. For those who follow me on Twitter will know, I’m in the process of moving home and I haven’t had access to the internet properly for some time.
Now, back to the subject in hand…
We were treated to CM Punk using his ‘pipebomb’ again on RAW this past Monday and although it didn’t have as much kick in it as previous weeks it non-the-less filled an entertaining opening 25 minute segment on RAW.
The things that Punk said are obviously thoughts and opinions he still holds and the grin that Triple H showed at the end of the segment actually looked like someone genuinely trying to contain their anger on TV.
The announcement of CM Punk being re-signed when Triple H came out on Smackdown dampened my mood slightly as I realized that Punk possibly still making sporadic appearances here, there and everywhere were obviously out of the door.
Back to the opening promo though and it’s been said before and it’ll be said again, when we have a story or a situation when a superstar can come through your TV screen and make you believe what is being said, then you are doing something right.
One area of concern for me was the reception that CM Punk got. Nothing is ever going to top the Austin pop’s in the late 90’s but something last night didn’t seem right. Crowds didn’t appear to be going mental at the thought of seeing CM Punk. I also thought I would see more white T-Shirts in the crowd as well. I know that the shop has these shirts on pre-order but I’m presuming the merchandise stalls had them and I’m not sure if they would have sold them out with the amount I saw on TV? Another concern was the voting poll which came up asking who you would rather see as WWE Champion, the results were nearly 50-50. Yes, I’m sure that many kids jumped on to their parent’s computers and laptops instantly voting for John Cena. Or hopefully some top bod in WWE gave someone a nudge and told them to make it look close; again I expected more for Punk.
My one concern is the same things that Punk stated when he thought he was going to be stripped of the title, “Are we just going to go back to the way things were?” Is this just the summer storyline that will drop off favourably after SummerSlam for the arrival of The Rock?
Is this new direction stumbling already? Punk made history in Chicago in what is usually one of the better ‘filler’ PPV’s but now we are sitting on the edge of doubt. Fans aren’t jumping through the roof on reactions and there is an out for WWE to hand John Cena the WWE Championship and return to usual business.
I urge fans who are attending the next two RAW’s and SummerSlam PPV to make your voice be heard and show support to CM Punk. Not because of a storyline or his character but to demonstrate to WWE that the words that Punk speaks are valid ones. Not all fans are members of the ‘WWE Universe’ they are just WRESTLING FANS. They are people that want to be entertained between the ropes as well by characters which suit families and children.
WWE has shown that they can cater to all audiences in the previous weeks and I hope that small signs like Zack Ryder being a regular attendee on RAW are the start of something new.
RAW will need to continue its momentum now as apart from Punk being back on the stick this week there wasn’t a great deal to talk about. Last week we had Triple H throw his regime at us with the return of John Morrison and Jim Ross. This week the Michael Cole situation still wasn’t mentioned.
I was under the impression that Triple H was going to make his life a living hell on RAW until he packed his bags to Smackdown. As much as I love having Jim Ross back on the announcing table it still frustrates me that for most part of the night Michael Cole is still picking a fight with his colleagues rather than putting over what is really important in this business, TALENTED WRESTLERS.
WWE still have two weeks to go and I’m sure that if they continue to go in a direction like they did in Money in the Bank then they can make it successful and memorable.
The atmosphere in the Staples Centre might not be as loud as the Allstate Arena but I’m sure when the false finishes began to start we will be treated to another great match between the two.
Another mention from the ending of RAW which really bothered me was the use of music during the final moments where both John Cena and CM Punk were holding their titles high. I didn’t mind the segment (Which is now aptly named ‘My dick is bigger than yours’ by my girlfriend!) But the switch between music just seemed a little stupid. Either way, I’m still interested and I hope that Punk can get some in-ring action to go with his explosive mic skills as of late.
How did you rate RAW? Did you hope that WWE would go in another direction? How do you think the match at SummerSlam will fair compared to Money in the Bank?
Let me know your thoughts at beansontoastuk@msn.com or get in touch via Twitter @BeansOnToastUK.
Martyn
