The Importance of…4.17.09: The Importance of CM Punk as a Top Face

Posted by Mike Chin on 04.17.2009

Could CM Punk become the biggest face in WWE?

In today's landscape of top WWE faces, it's difficult to find a major player everyone can get behind.

Sure, his longevity and ever-evolving offense have endeared The Undertaker to most fans, but by the same token, his size and undead persona keep him from getting much in the way of traditional face sympathy. What's more, while he's defied the odds by lasting in WWE pretty consistently for the better part of 20 years now, there still is going to come a point, before long, when he simply has to step aside and retire. And who else is there?

John Cena is probably the biggest mainstream WWE star of the moment, with his talking ability, physique and charisma. But it's no secret that John Cena does not appeal to every demographic of fans. He's over with kids, and over with a lot of the female fanbase, and yet cannot seem to sway the vast majority of male fans over the age of ten. He's derided for his cartoonish style of selling, propensity for immature promos, and the way in which his character seems to follow whatever the WWE machine thinks will get him over—rapper, marine, etc. With time, perhaps Cena might arrive as a more universally accepted hero for the business, but for now, he remains far too polarizing to make that a likelihood.

In spending the last three years as a face, Triple H has grown into the role to a great extent. He's no longer seen as the pre-eminent heel—a figure the fans are just waiting to see turn again. However, Triple H has far too much real-life business clouding his image in the eyes of the modern wrestling fan. Well-read fans are well aware of Triple H's place in The Clique, and all of the shenanigans and dirty deeds that went with it. All the more so, the entire fanbase is aware of Triple H's place in the McMahon family. Put plainly, it's hard thing for fans to put their full-weight behind a guy who they know will never has his place on the roster fall into jeopardy; a guy who has Vince McMahon's ear in a unique way, and a guy who could conceivably take over the business one day.

Speaking of The Clique, there's no overlooking its leader, Shawn Michaels. Like ‘Taker, HBK is a true part of the establishment, and a man who continues to perform at the highest level and earn fans' respect. But also like The Undertaker, he's not getting any younger, and is likely on his way out of the business before long. And then, like Triple H, he has The Clique in his history. Fans from the IWC, or who read wrestling books are no stranger to the immature, and mean-spirited nature of his past, and the way he politicked his way to getting and retaining a top spot for quite some time. On the whole, Michaels is quite popular, and yet there is always going to be a large segment of the fanbase that won't forgive or forget where he came from.

Not entirely unlike HBK is Jeff Hardy. A rising star who has worked his way up the ranks, Hardy has earned the admiration of many. Nonetheless, his real life issues have been a constant thorn in his side, and cost him the long-term trust of a lot of fans. Put simply, the guy has a well-established history with drugs, which has altered the direction of his career on multiple occasions, besides making him someone its difficulty for families to really get behind. Aside from all that, there's the fact that Hardy owes a lot of his overness to sex appeal—specifically endearing him to the young female fanbase, and doing him no favors with older men. Lastly, there's the weird factor. Over the years, Hardy has taken to weirder and weirder looks, including splashing on body paint, occasionally wearing weird full body suits, and increasingly covering his face with more paint than The Ultimate Warrior ever did. There have been no storylines to explain these changes, and their aesthetic appeal is hit and miss at best. With all of this in mind, Hardy may be the least reliable of wrestling's rising stars—over to many, but as likely a candidate as there is for wellness policy release, or, in a worst case scenario, another wrestling tragedy.

Other fans might turn to Batista as their face of choice. But of all the men here, Batista lags behind as by far the least developed as an in-ring performer. What's more, his imposing physical appearance both limits fan sympathy, and will make him the constant subject of steroid speculation—something the business doesn't really need at this point. What's more, The Animal is in the unique position of being a relatively new star on the world scene, while not, himself, being a young man at all. Batista is closer in age to Shawn Michaels than John Cena, doesn't have sort of conditioning that lends itself to a lengthy career.

On the opposite end of the spectrum from big, imposing, Dave Batista stands the littlest superstar—one Rey Mysterio. Mysterio's size, and the mask make him a favorite of young children. His innovative offense long made him the darling of the IWC. But now? Mysterio is still quite good, but far past his prime as an in-ring competitor, and one has to wonder how much longer his high-flying style can survive in his aging body. It's no coincidence that Rey has suffered his share of injuries in recent years. Beyond all of this, though, the WWE has often made the argument against little men as viable top of the card stars. It's a way of thinking that the company has overcome to a great extent, but one that hasn't gone away entirely. And when you think about wrestling, trying to perceive it as a realistic depiction of a violent sport, it is difficult to accept 5'6", 175 pound Mysterio as a legit threat in a world of monsters.

There are other WWE face stars worth noting, like Christian, MVP and Finlay. But when you come down to it, there is one man who stands out as the future of WWE heroes, and that man is CM Punk.

Punk brings an absolutely unique combination of attributes, experiences and abilities to the table. He has the in-ring ability to, time and again, deliver solid matches—the least of which have been seen in WWE rings. He has the indy cred to make him a favorite of the IWC and more serious fans of the business. He's strong enough on the mic to carry a promo—and again, WWE fans have yet to see the best he can do. He's good looking enough be a presentable face for professional wrestling, and sway his fare share of the female demographic. And then there is perhaps the most important piece of all—the defining characteristic of CM Punk's persona is that he is straight edge. In a time of steroid scandals and wrestling tragedies, Punk is a man who won't so much as have a beer. He's a role model for the youth, an example for the locker room, and a dude who's cool enough not to come off a square for shunning vices. Every wrestler will have his detractors, and yet the reasons to dislike Punk are far less clear than those for his contemporaries. He's the closest thing to a universally accepted top face WWE has.

Punk is not as big as the Cenas, Batistas or Ortons who stand alongside as the biggest new stars in wrestling, and so it will be interesting to see if or when he will break through that glass ceiling and arrive as a fixture at the top of the card. A second Money in the Bank victory seems to be a step in the right direction, and in moving to Smackdown, while Triple H heads back to Raw, it seems that Punk may be poised to lay claim to the top face spot on the blue brand. Sure, ‘Taker, Mysterio and Jeff Hardy may stand in his way, but these men are far from the "golden children" in the Monday night main event scene. There is a lot of latent potential in this move.

That's all for this column. Next week, we take a look at the importance of Backlash. See you in seven.