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CM Punk
Jul 18, 2019 15:37:54 GMT -5
Post by Cap on Jul 18, 2019 15:37:54 GMT -5
Punk Punk Punk... what are we going to do with you...
Punk has some really great matches, but most of his best didn't hold up quite as well on rewatch (vs Cena and vs Joe). However he is a talent that can add a ton to a match before the bell rings. I want to revisit some of Punks best rivalries because I think he has a lot to really ponder.
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CM Punk
Jul 20, 2019 18:31:19 GMT -5
Post by bossrock on Jul 20, 2019 18:31:19 GMT -5
Punk is another wrestler I want to revisit. I do think the Cena and Joe matches are overrated, but stuff like the Brock Summerslam and Bryan Over the Limit matches are great.
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CM Punk
Jul 20, 2019 23:16:43 GMT -5
Post by microstatistics on Jul 20, 2019 23:16:43 GMT -5
Which Joe matches did you guys consider overrated? I think Joe vs. Punk II is definitely overrated and easily the worst of the trilogy. But I is one of the better 1 hr draws I've seen and III was my highest ranked indie match.
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CM Punk
Jul 21, 2019 6:29:09 GMT -5
Post by bossrock on Jul 21, 2019 6:29:09 GMT -5
I've only seen the second one, which starts off super slow but picks up and turns into a great match, but not an all-timer. I think I went like ****1/4 on it.
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CM Punk
Jul 21, 2019 8:24:41 GMT -5
Post by Cap on Jul 21, 2019 8:24:41 GMT -5
I think the series as a whole - including II - was probably a touch overrated at the time, but properly so now. I still have them all REALLY highly rated and I still probably think II is the best, but at the time they were getting greatest match ever/greatest feud ever hype. If we were doing a top 200 Punk/Joe II would have a shot at the list for sure. In a vacuum I can see how it might be the worst of the lot, but when watched together it still strikes me as the peak of the feud (or at least did last time I watched)
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CM Punk
Oct 23, 2019 8:51:26 GMT -5
Post by Cap on Oct 23, 2019 8:51:26 GMT -5
With talk of Punk returning to wrestling I thought maybe it would be prudent to bump his thread a little bit.
Punk turned himself into one of the hottest commodities in wrestling by leaving it (though he wasn't too shabby before retirement). While the buzz for him is still pretty high it probably peaked a couple of years ago. However it now seems like Punk might be on his way back in one way or another. Personally, I always felt that punk excelled when it came to make a match matter and getting over a genuine sense of investment and animosity. I think he is a very good wrestler between the ropes, but probably a step or two below the all time greats. However with Punk, like with many of the truly all around greatest, it is hard for me to separate the two. What he does to add character and depth to a feud or rivalry is woven into his work more often than not. I think that is what propels him for me and makes the prospects of him coming back so interesting. I for one would rather see him end up in AEW just because it would be something new. I suspect FOX money will win the day, but see Punk in the setting of AEW sounds far more interesting to me right this second. Punk v Moxley and Punk v Omega are two massively interesting matches. Punk and Jericho have always had great chemistry in the ring. Hell the roll Cody is on, I kinda want that match too and that doesn't even get into the slew of wrestlers up and down that roster that could do something new and fresh with Punk (Darby, EC3, Pac, Havok, Janela, Penta, Fenix, Paige, etc).
While we are at Punk, I am curious about people's favorite matches from him. Some of mine include:
Punk vs Raven (7/19/2003) Punk vs Joe I (6/12/2004) Punk vs Joe II (10/6/2004) Punk vs Joe III (12/4/2004 Punk vs Danielson (3/26/2005) Punk vs Joe vs Daniels vs Gibson (8/12/2005) Punk vs Cena (7/17/2011) Punk vs Bryan (5/20/2012) Punk vs Cena (12/25/2013) Punk vs Taker (4/7/2013) Punk vs Jericho (6/16/2013) Punk vs Brock (8/18/2013)
Some of the Punk vs Hero and Punk vs Rave matches are also really good in my memory, but I haven't watched them probably since they happened so I don't really know where they stand or how they hold up.
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CM Punk
Oct 23, 2019 9:23:20 GMT -5
Post by KB8 on Oct 23, 2019 9:23:20 GMT -5
My favourite of the Punk/Joe series was the third one, which I wound up thinking was really, really good. Haven't watched the Cena MitB match since seeing it live, but their match from RAW in early 2013 was badass. He had a bunch of fun matches with Rey as well.
I largely agree with Cap on how a lot of what makes Punk really good comes from stuff you don't always see bell to bell, though plenty of that certainly translates into an actual match setting (how well he can generate heat, the way he can build a feud, etc). He can be a really fun "little things" wrestler, and in an era where much of WWE feels sort of robotic that stands out even more. One example that stands out is during that match with Orton from Extreme Rules 2011, where he got battered up and down with a kendo stick and when he took back over on offence he used the kendo stick himself almost as a walking stick. It was a nothing moment on the macro level, but he did stuff like that a lot and generally speaking he's someone who will often think outside the box.
I never voted for him during the GWE, then a week later kind of regretted omitting him, but three years on I think I'd still leave him off. I've never loved him, but I get why lots of folks do.
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