You Just Got Punk'd

It seems like these days that the WWE have no clue on know how to produce a consistently good tv show to save their lives. However, the one thing that the WWE has done very well as of late is their PLE’s. (Premium Live Events)

A few weeks ago, I watched the WWE’s Survivor Series pay per view and I thought they put on one heck of a show.

The conpany’s annual November PLE saw the return of the Legend Killer Randy Orton whom had been out of action for about 18 months from a major back injury.

Orton came out to a loud applause but looked as though he was drunk the way he was stumbling as he walked to the ring.

At first, I thought that maybe The Viper had tossed back a few backstage but I’ll put it to maybe he was just a little nervous.

After all, it had been approximately 18 months since he last competed in WWE action so the anxiousness was certainly understable. I didn’t realize that he was out that long.

He also looked like he added about 15 lbs. of muscle to his 6'4 frame since his last appearance in the ring. I take it that he wanted to look his best since no one had seen him in such a long time.

Orton would be victorious in his return as he led his team to a huge win over the Judgment Day but that wasn’t the only big return of the night though.

Cues up Living Colour’s Cult of Personality as the Chicago crowd goes insane. When I first heard that music, I was in shock too because I actually believed the statement from Nick Khan that the WWE had no interest in the problematic superstar.

I was also a little bit surprised because I thought that the WWE was going to air a little bit on the safe side for awhile by staying away from any kind of controversy whatsoever.

The company isn’t too far removed from having dealt with the whole Vince McMahon beacoup of lawsuits. I guess once the sell of the WWE went through to Endeavor all bets were off now.

Back to Punk now and what he’s done thus far. He’s a done a few promos and backstage segments since his arrival. His first promo on Raw was met with mixed reviews by fans.

It appears some folks in the IWC (Internet Wrestling Community) weren’t too fond of his promo on Raw the night after the Survivor Series event.

Personally, I thought he did rather well. It was obvious that he was walking on egg shells somewhat but he said some things but didn’t say too much.

That alone will have fans on their seats wondering what he will say next or who his first feud will be with.

The wrestling rumor mill has no shortage of upcoming performers for the Straight Edge superstar.

There’s already talks about a match putting him against the WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns. I could definitely see that match happening just not so sure when.

Right now, the WWE seems hellbent on keeping him champion until Wrestlemania 40 so that Cody Rhodes can complete his story.

There’s still a bad taste in the fans’ mouth from Reigns retaining his belt against the American Nightmare at last years Mania so they might want to “send the fans home happy” this time around with a Rhodes victory.

A potential superbout that would put CM Punk against Stone Cold Steve Austin has also been discussed. However, I strongly doubt that the bout will ever happen.

First and foremost, Austin has to win so you have to put him in the ring with someone who will have no problem of doing the job (lose the match) for him.

I’m not so sure if CM Punk would be cool with losing to a part-timer even though he is one himself now. Austin is also very limited in the ring so he’s not going to be taking a lot of bumps if any at all.

He’s going to need someone who can bump for him which I don’t think would be good for Punk considering his recent injury history the last few years as well as his age.

I do think that a Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk would be ideal but I just don’t know when a match like that should take place. Rollins is also overbooked just like Reigns is and the company will see to it that he remains champion until Wrestlemania 40 also.

Plus, I’m not convinced that CM Punk is the right guy that should dethrone him. I think Gunther might be the man for that job. I mentioned about Punks’ fans earlier because I noticed a hint of boos when he came out to cut his promo.

I think Punk may be more of a heel (bad guy) at some point during his run here with the company. And speaking of here, Punk is here right now but he might not be around too much longer given his advanced age. The charismatic star turned 45 years old back in October.

Realistically, I don’t that he’s going to be wrestling 10 years from now. I’m not so certain that he will even finish out his contract which is reportedly a three year deal that the WWE inked him. Also, whatever they have planned for him they MUST make sure that they maximize every bit of it.

I touched a little on Punk receiving some boos from the crowd earlier and that’s because he’s such a polarizing figure in wrestling circles.

Now, I’m not going to delve too far into the image debate because, quiet frankly, folks in the entertainment business, which is what he’s in, don’t give two craps about it.

They’re only concern is that they keep you talking about them whether it’s good or bad and Punk has reportedly had more bad behavior then good these days.

Even through all the scrum, no pun intended, people still want to see what they have planned for him. CM Punk is the absolute definition of a divisive figure.

Some love him while others hate him but he draws a reaction either way. That’s why the WWE re-signed him because they’re banking on the fact that you will still watch him either way.

One last and very important thing that we all can learn from this is that money talks and bullshit really does walk.

No matter how many times you hear these entertainers spout how much they love the game and would play it for free, I guaran-damn-tee that there’s a dollar amount they always have in mind for their love.

It’s just like “the Million Dollar Man” Ted DeBiase used to say back in the day; Every man has his price.

So always remember ladies and gents, it’s always about the Benjamins no matter what Phillip tells you.