Big win for CM Punk on WWE Superstars
The start button appears to have been hit again on CM Punk’s start-stop push, as Punk scored a clean victory over Chris Jericho in a good TV main event Thursday night on WWE Superstars.
Defeating a star of Jericho’s magnitude sure seems like a good sign for Punk, but I thought the same thing when Punk beat world heavyweight champion Edge in a non-title match three weeks ago on Smackdown. That win, however, was followed by a clean loss to Umaga at Judgment Day last Sunday, making Punk 0-2 on pay-per-view since winning the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXV.
With Punk’s victory over Jericho, WWE has yet another launching point for a significant push for Punk. Of all the guys who are just below the upper tier, Punk is probably the one closest to breaking through. I’m hoping it happens sooner than later.
Other thoughts on Thursday’s show:
Jericho has reached a level in his career in which a loss to a guy such as Punk helps Punk but doesn’t hurt him. Even in defeat, Jericho still has a lot of heat because his work in the ring and on the mic are so strong. ...
The Kofi Kingston-William Regal match was decent. The crowd is really starting to see Kingston as a star. ...
The Christian-Tommy Dreamer match for the ECW title was slow-moving and did not get much reaction from the crowd. During a near fall, Matt Striker said that “everyone jumped out of their seat on that one.” The only problem was that no one visible on camera even budged. ...
I suppose Jack Swagger’s interference means that there will be a triple threat match for the ECW title at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view on June 7. I’d much rather see another Christian-Swagger match with a stipulation than have Dreamer in the mix.
Comments
"I’d much rather see another Christian-Swagger match with a stipulation than have Dreamer in the mix."
I second that. At first, I was open to the idea of Dreamer getting a championship send-off, but how many matches has he won since his self-imposed ultimatum? If WWE is lukewarm to the idea of selling Dreamer as a contender, then I am lukewarm to the idea of buying him as such.
Posted by: Christopher | May 22, 2009 7:38 PM
More of Regal jobbing... At least I like Kofi and think he deserves a push.
Posted by: Andy | May 22, 2009 8:15 PM
Kevin,
Swagger to screw Christian at Extreme Rules and Tommy Dreamer to clean up the scraps and get a cheap victory to win the title? I'm sure it will be very short lived, though.
Posted by: Paul in Hawaii | May 22, 2009 8:36 PM
HUGE Punk fan! Great match! Glad he won, but I am more confused about his career than ever. Is he gonna be a star or not WWE, please let us know sometime soon???
I think that the WWE should not have Jericho lose too much. He just lost to Mysterio.
If a 3 way is set up for the ECW title, the Dreamer will be the next champ.
Posted by: rob the barber | May 22, 2009 8:59 PM
"I’m hoping it happens sooner than later.'
Ditto.
Posted by: AMC | May 22, 2009 10:26 PM
Kevin why does there have to be a glass ceiling to become top in WWE? I know that they have a huge roster, but that should mean that more people should be on top.
I'm thinking of the old NWA days when it seemed that the mid carders were main eventers (Magnum TA, Tully Blanchard).
Posted by: Frank King | May 22, 2009 10:28 PM
One thing though. Punk's GTS finisher alone is a problem in that he has difficulty delivering it to the bigger guys in a believable manner. He should start to utilize the Anaconda Vice as well. That was a cool finisher as well and would seem more practical against the big guys.
Posted by: AMC | May 22, 2009 10:46 PM
I really hope Tommy Dreamer is on his way out. He is slower than The Big Show and looks like he has a load in his pants.
Posted by: Jerichoholic | May 22, 2009 11:05 PM
I'll give Striker a pass for doing that. I'm sure he was just trying to sell the match.
Then again, I'm a little biased towards Striker right now because I think he's the best announcer in WWE.
Posted by: Jack Windham | May 22, 2009 11:54 PM
If Punk is going to break through, then he needs to find a new finisher now that every opponent has figured out to elbow him in the head. Maybe a leg-hold submission, like the Sharpshooter? Something in that vein would be a good fit for his character.
Posted by: Stephen | May 23, 2009 12:00 AM
I enjoyed the Punk match.
I honestly thought the crowd noise was pumped in for the Kofi match. If not he had the crowd in his hands and he didn't really get off a lot of his high flying stuff.
Dreamer needs to retire now. lol That match was kinda brutal to watch.
Posted by: Proctor | May 23, 2009 3:34 AM
Dreamer should be champion of the brand they call ECW, no question about it. He should hold the title "ECW Champion" because nobody else in the WWE should have that title, because he IS ECW. Since Dreamer represents ECW, he should hold the title, it's the only thing that will resemble the letters "E-C-W". I'm tired, but I know what I'm trying to say but I can't think of the right words. DREAMER RULES!!!!! Oh, and there seemed to be a good amount of "Tommy" chants.
Posted by: cowboysmb3dw28 | May 23, 2009 4:14 AM
I'm not a Dreamer fan either, but you sir, take Dreamer hate to a new level.
Posted by: Mr. Bronson | May 23, 2009 10:05 AM
I think it is great that punk has gotten back 2 back wins over jericho but if Umanga is not trying to win the breifcase what is the motivation for the attacks?
Posted by: frank | May 23, 2009 10:58 AM
If this is a well known fact, I apologize for asking, but does WWE add crowd noise to their taped shows? I attended the Smackdown/ECW/Superstars taping in Pittsburgh at the beginning of the month and don't remember it being nearly as loud as the shows make it out to be. I love the blog. Keep up the good work!
RESPONSE FROM KE: They do sweeten the crowd noise at times.
Posted by: Mike | May 23, 2009 2:46 PM