The Wrestling Bard 09.13.09: Big Match Analysis - Taker vs. Punk

Posted by Aaron Hubbard on 09.13.2009

The World Heavyweight Title is on the line in a submission match. Can CM Punk overcome the odds and retain his title against the most dominant force in WWE history? Or will Undertaker once again reign supreme as the top dog in his yard?

Greetings Ladies and Gentle…Greetings Gentlemen! I'm sure that some of you are probably sick of all the Breaking Point hype coming from the 411 staff in the last three weeks. In fact, three of our biggest articles this week focused on some of the greatest submission holds of all time. But I hope you will humor me long enough to enjoy this column.

On two occasions, I have done the Big Match Analysis for the money Pay Per View matches, the ones I felt were big time. I somewhat lament not doing Punk vs. Hardy in a TLC from SummerSlam, but I didn't want to do it because I would largely be repeating what I sais about Edge vs. Jeff Hardy at Extreme Rules. But this time, we have new stipulations and two new faces, so let's get going.

I know somebody *coughTRUTHcoughcough* here is going to complain that I'm writing in kayfabe. Guess what? I don't care about your opinion, and I don't care if you call me a mark. And…actually, you aren't worth my time to write about. I'll just copy and paste this…

Oh yes Truth. You got me panned. I'm such a nerd! I have no idea how I live with myself! I mean, I take a couple hours out of my week to write ONE column! Wrestling is my life! I watch ROH on Wednesday on Youtube and Smackdown! on Saturday. I'm SO obsessed! And I avoid RAW religiously. It takes up so much of my freetime! Hey this article required minimal effort...I'm really straining my brain pointing out the obvious. That's why I have plenty of friends on and off the computer: because I spend a few hours writing about wrestling! I don't know how I handle college, church, and work every week when I have to spend a few measly hours every week writing! I don't know how I'll ever get the time back.

You on the other hand, wasted a few minutes posting mindless dribble about someone who has ZERO effect on your life. Way to use your time. I'm sure you have nothing more useful to do with it than whine about other people's existence. And chances are, you've done the same thing countless times. How many hours have you wasted bashing people who you really shouldn't care about? At all?

If you hate my columns, don't read it, 'cause I'm not leaving. Nobody forces you to read, and I certainly don't want to deal with your garbage. The only person who can waste your time is you. And THAT is the "Truth."

The only thing there that's changed is that I watch ROH on Fridays and review it on the same day. SO, conveniently, I watch all my weekly wrestling and do all my writing on the same day! Man, ONE DAY a week! I have no idea where the time goes.

SOMERANDOMBREAK!



THE PARTCIPANTS
In the Blue corner, weighing in at 299 lbs, from Death Valley…

THE UNDERTAKER

Strengths
--- Demon From Death Valley: You could not ask for a better combination of physical traits than the ones Undertaker possesses. He's big and athletic. He has the power to throw normal men around like ragdolls and the agility to leap over the top rope and past the protective mats. When you add in his experience, his technical abilities, his effective soup bones, and an ability to absorb pain that may be unchallenged, and you have someone who is very hard to defeat. There is a reason that so few men have gotten a victory over him.
--- Submission Impossible: Undertaker has tapped out once. That was to a triangle chokehold from Kurt Angle in 2002. At the time, Taker had forsaken the dark side and was much more "human". A very tough human, to be sure, but hardly the unstoppable force that he is when he embraces his role as the Lord of Darkness. The chances of Undertaker actually tapping out in this match are slim to none. He may pass out, but he won't submit. And don't think passing out is going to be easy either.
--- Knock-Knock-Knocking on Hell's Gate: Whether you call it the Gogoplata or "Hell's Gate", Taker's modified triangle choke is every bit as mysterious, hard to avoid, and impossible to survive as the famed Bermuda Triangle. Only one man has managed to endure the hold and continue the match: that was Shawn Michaels. And in Taker's defense, he really didn't get anything offensive going at the time when he got it on. And no offense to Punk, but he is not Shawn Michaels. This is almost certainly a match ender.

Weaknesses
--- Ring Rust: Undertaker is returning to the ring after a lengthy sabbatical, without so much as a warm-up match on Smackdown! Taker may be experienced, but his timing will probably be slightly off, leading to small mistakes. Punk on the other hand, has been actively defending his title and has been having the highest profile and longest matches of his life. The champion will be able to capitalize on the smallest error.
--- Mind Games Don't Matter: They say that intimidation is half the battle, and none are more intimidating than The Undertaker. But one point is clear: CM Punk is not afraid of the Deadman. It's not just empty words for Punk. Punk believes everything he says and speaks with total confidence. Rest assured, Taker will have to fight the full battle when he gets in the ring with Punk.
--- Can't Hear a Pin Fall: For most of Undertaker's career, he has won matches via pinfall after one of three highly effective finishers: the Chokeslam, the Last Ride, and the Tombstone Piledriver. But there are no pinfalls in this match, making these moves fairly impractical. No doubt Taker can adapt well to it: he's no stranger to working a body part and trying submission holds to win. But still, not being able to use the moves to get a direct victory is going to throw Taker off his game a little bit.

Strategies
--- Assault The Arm: This should be simple for Undertaker, who often works an arm in preparation for Old School. Taker should simple take the arm work to the next step, setting up for moves like the cross armbreaker or the Fujiwara Armbar. Aside from possibly earning a submission, this strategy makes it harder for Punk to apply submissions and easier for Taker to apply the chokeholds he's so fond of. Working the arm will make the match a lot easier for Taker, as if he needed another advantage.
--- The Other Triangle Choke: Hell's Gate has earned a reputation as a match killer. Punk knows that if he gets put in the hold, he might as well hand the title to Taker. So I imagine he has quite a few counters in mind. But Taker can use another similar hold that Punk will probably not count out: the standard triangle choke. Taker started using this around 2003 and it served as a natural progression into the gogoplata. While not as efficient, the hold is still effective and its one great weakness is nullified by the rules. The one truly effective counter to the hold is a jackknife pin, but this is a submission match.
--- Let's Go Defense: Taker generally likes to carry the offense in his matches, but in this match, I think he'd be better served to play a more defensive game. Punk is small and smart, and can easily wriggle out of or counter many of Taker's big moves. Going on offense and being aggressive will leave Taker open to mistakes and will wear him out, in a largely futile effort. Taker would be better served to slow it down and pick his spots.

*****
And in the Red corner, weighing in at 220 lbs, from Chicago, Illionois, he is the reigning and defending World Heavyweight Champion…

CM PUNK

Strengths
--- Built to Last: Let's get this out of the way. Taker is bigger and stronger than Punk. But Punk is faster and has much more endurance. The longer the match goes, the more it favors CM Punk. This is a man who wrestled Samoa Joe to an hour draw, TWICE. The same guy that wrestled Chris Hero for over ninety minutes. Taker is no slouch in the endurance department, especially considering his age, but he does not have the same conditioning or youth that the champion has.
--- Been There, Done That: This is not the first time that Punk has come face to face with a much larger man, who was dominant to the point of unstoppable. Five years ago, Punk stepped into the ring with Samoa Joe, the unbeatable ROH Champion. He never beat Joe, but he came closer than most and pushed him to his limit. Punk is now older, wiser, and more experienced. And his opponent isn't going to be able to keep up with him for an hour this time.
--- A Wrestling Encyclopedia: Adaptability and versatility are hallmarks of great wrestlers. Punk has both in spades. Punk's knowledge of different styles of wrestling put most others to shame. He can wrestle, he can strike, he can brawl and he can fly. He is a master strategist and know when to use moves to make them most effective. That makes Punk unpredictable, which will make him a lot harder for Taker to scout. Conversely, Punk has tons of tapes at his disposal and has probably thought of several counters for all of Taker's signature moves.

Weaknesses
--- Size Does Matter: Punk thrives off of competition and loves to take the fight to his opponent. But he cannot match up physically with Undertaker. Taker is bigger and stronger, and can manhandle Punk if he so chooses. Punk has been wrestling men like Jeff Hardy and John Morrison for two months, and it's a big change to go from them to Undertaker. Punk will have to use strategy and patience to bring Taker down.
--- A Physical Toll: Punk likes to brag about he feels every bit of pain since he doesn't take painkillers, but he might secretly wish he had taken some after this match. In the last month, Punk has wrestled in a TLC Match, a Cage match, and battled a vindictive older brother twice. Not to mention Taker assaulting him at his leisure. He's taken quite a few bumps and bruises and can't be at one hundred percent. And Undertaker isn't an opponent you want to face unless you are operating on all cylinders.
--- Worst Case Scenario: Undertaker is nearly impossible to beat under normal circumstances. Walking away with the title due to a disqualification or count-out would be a moral victory against the Phenom. But in a submission match, there are no disqualifications and no count outs. So that option is gone. In order to keep his title, Punk has to make Taker tap out or pass out, and that may just be impossible.

Strategies
--- Straight-Edge Lumberjack: Punk needs to chop the redwood tree down by going after his legs. It's an obvious strategy, but it's obvious for a reason. Taker is not six-foot-ten when he's on the mat, and he can't chokeslam or Tombstone Punk when he's horizontal. Men like Bret Hart and Kurt Angle have been able to ground Taker successfully, and Punk should take a page (or a chapter) out of their book for this match. Much like Taker working over the arm, Punk makes submissions, especially the Hell's Gate, harder to apply by going after the legs and creates opportunities to dish out tons of punishment.
--- We Love Headlocks: Okay, actually, people hate headlocks. But guess what? They work. Taker is not going to expect a strategy so simple. Punk can slowly, methodically wear Undertaker out with headlocks while keeping his energy at maximum. Testing Taker's endurance is much more effective than testing his capacity for pain. The strategy also helps set Taker up for sleeper holds and the Anaconda Vice.
--- The REAL Best Pure Striker: Taker prides himself on his punching ability and people call him the best pure striker in the game. That's not really accurate: Punk is the real best striker in WWE. Sure, Punk would be unwise to trade punches with Taker, but Punk doesn't need punches. His kicks, his knees, his forearms and elbows can all be used. With the possible exception of Booker T, Taker has never wrestled somebody with Punk's striking style. It's unorthodox and can help Punk take control of the match.

*****

So, Who Will Win?
On paper, the match heavily favors the Undertaker. Undertaker is bigger and stronger. He can absorb tremendous amounts of punishment and has only submitted once. He has a trademark submission hold that has an incredible success rate, with only one person surviving it. Undertaker is as dominant a force as has ever existed in pro wrestling. Punk has had a grueling month where he's taken a ton of punishment, and he's feeling every bit of it. The odds seem insurmountable, and Taker is heavily favored to win. There are even some people that think this is going to be a cakewalk for the Deadman. Indeed, Taker must be thrilled that he is facing CM Punk instead of Edge or Jeff Hardy, two people that have given him fits. He probably expects to win this match.

But there's an old saying that goes "Pride goeth before the fall". And I think that's what's going to happen here. I believe everyone is underestimating Punk's chances in this match, including Taker. People expect Undertaker to win, and that's why he won't. Look at Punk over the last few months: Punk is no less confidant that he will beat Undertaker, and he has backed up everything he said. He put Jeff Hardy out of the WWE and beat him in his signature match. He has risen to dominance on Smackdown! when many said he would never rise above the midcard. He has survived and thrived in WWE, despite many naysayers, fans and non-fans alike. Punk is a success story, and he will succeed here. I just have a gut feeling.

Undertaker will not tap out, nor will he submit. As good as Punk is, he can't make Taker give up. But he will win the match, most likely after a brutal series of elbows to the side of the head and the Anaconda Vice. Taker will fall on this night. But it's not going to be easy: Punk will have to wrestle the match of his life in order to bring down this Leviathan of a man. But if Punk has proven anything, it's that he's always up to the task.

Winner: CM Punk

*****
Here is the final match up between the team of Toyota and Yamada and the team of Ozaki and Kansai.