LOL Dont we all want to touch the Bellas Kevin?

The strange thing in hole promo was that Cena's home town was booing him and cheering for CM Punk which leaves me to believe that John Cena is going turn heel probably some Survivor Series screw job by Vince maybe the Nexus gets involved and turns on Punk is my guess the funniest thing of the night R Truth talking about spiders and The Miz looking back at the worker and him running into the something .

Kev, I usually agree with your analysis, but I have to detract slightly from the closing segment. Although I agree the "Ice cream line" was funny, I thought the whole spirit and set up of last nights segment greatly diminshed the intensity and believability of Punk's "shoot" from 2 weeks back.

In what I thought was a brilliant "shoot" segment began to fall apart last night with the contrived and stupid contract segment. All this red carpet, two chairs, one table B.S. screams 'scripted' to me, and when Punk started talking about a 'private jet'...the whole shoot now seemed watered down and made me sad.

Is it me, or does Vince look likes he's aged quite a bit lately?

Finally, the hard-edged Cena bugged me too. Sorry, I just didn't buy his 'act' as there were too many "tough guy, I'm a bad ass" cliches. Ugh, What had me standing up on my couch two weeks ago with mouth agape, now had me rolling my eyes.

In other things: Alberto's wild man ladder antics had me raise an eyebrow to hom for once.

And the Big Show/Mark Henry visual started good, but with them just lying there for 5+ minutes shoulder to shoulder after a 5 foot drop was too much. Both these guys have had multiple hard-core incidents before and get right up because they are 'big guy machines'...now a 5 foot drop sidelines them both for what seemingly seemed forever? Boo.

I don't know about anyone else, but last night I enjoyed RAW more than I have in a long, long time. I believe what we witnessed was the "Stone Colding" of CM Punk, as by the time the night was over he had the crowd in Cena's hometown eating out of his hand. It's been forever since I ordered a PPV, but I'm thinking I'll be ordering this one.

I think the most shocking thing of the night for me was when Vince dropped a "Phil" on CM Punk. I found that to be pretty funny.

Oh and the Miz quote on Jack Swagger's money in the bank win was pretty funny as well.

I dunno where you get off thinking cena was talented or great on the mic because that is the furthest thing from the truth. unless you are blind or death or just retarded (or possibly a brainwashed fan of wwe), cena is the worst thing to happen for them since doink the clown. next time try to be less biased in your crappy articles.

WWE ice cream bars trending on twitter? Punk is pure friggin' gold! If they some how can put Punk and Austin in the ring together at WrestleMania in Miami it may very well be off the charts.

awwwwsommmee

CM Punk is an American original.

You can insult Cena's father. You can insult Cena's wife. But don't you dare compare the Red Sox to the Yankees. Thems fightin' words in this town. Still, I liked how Punk yelled to Cena, "You're like Jeter and Steinbrenner."

Needless to say Punk blows way The Miz on the mike. And hasn't the sitting on the ladder routine become old? Christian and Jeff Hardy do it so much better.

I am sure you would like to touch one of the Bella sisters. But I am equally sure your wife would reply, "You can look but you can't touch."

RESPONSE FROM KE: Indeed, she would.

Was it just me, or was Cena laying on the Bahstahn accent extra thick on the show? It's as if he was a wrestler playing a character playing a character...

Is it crazy when a wrestling superstar gives the most on point critique to a baseball fanbase? RedSox fans hate it because it is true

Yeah, Punk was great again. I hope that the WWE really does realize that he's the breakout guy they've been needing for ages, and they run with it. Unfortunately, I think the most likely scenario is Punk loosing, then begging Vince to resign him on Raw, but since Punk has no leverage Vince tells him to "go to Hell!" Thus John Cena's still the hero, Punk's exposed as the hypocrite Cena claimed, and all is right with the WWE world. I'll NEVER watch wrestling again- and I mean that- but all will be right with the WWE world.

Don't forget when McMahon accidentally called Punk by his actual first name--Phil. And they played it off nicely.... and in a funny way I thought.

Even though I think Cena will probably win at MITB, I would not be surprised if Punk wins the match and loses the title again that night to the MITB winner--Del Rio. That way the writers still have three good story lines: (1) Punk "leaving" WWE; (2) McMahon "firing" Cena; and (3) Cena tries to re-capture title from Del Rio, who's been getting a major push lately.

I really found that last segment to be a bit disjointed and really didn't capture the same spirit that Punk tapped into two weeks ago. It was coming across as way too much of an angle as opposed to the quasi-reality from a two weeks ago. Not unlike the Nexus angle, WWE is dropping the ball again. Now if Punk wins the title and "walks" on Sunday, then we might be talking...

"Well, I can’t speak for Eve, but I want to touch her sister."

You and me both, Kevin, you and me both...

I disagree with the Cena on the mic was good...I thought he totaly took away from Punk and Vince. I thought Vince was not compelling at all. CM Punk if indeed is on his way out has been a breath of fresh air. I applaud the WWE for steppign out of "G' mode at least for a few weeks. I actually have been interested in tuning in to see what Punk has to say next. An Alberto Del Rio v Cena program I have zero interest in but that's where this is headed after Punk based on the foreshadowing of last nights ladder segment.

This was an excellent episode of Raw. C.M. Punk was completely golden on the mic, and Cena showed his talent as well. I agree with you that all the freedom WWE is giving C.M. Punk with the mic tells me that he may not be leaving after all, just taking a break. The fact the crowd was so pro-Punk when it just happened to be in Cena's backyard tells me this is a perfect opportunity to turn Cena heel and let Punk be the anti-hero that Stone Cold was in the 1990's.

About last night:
1. Still hate Cena. Love Da Punk.
2. I think Del Rio may have broken Miz's arm with that ladder toss.
3. Every male should have the right to touch a Bella.

I didn't hear the "malnurtured" malapropism. But it's funny.
Genuinely surprised by the Henry run-in, even though I should have seen it coming. I think the Ziggler bit where he was hiding distracted me.

Naw...I am not giving Cena any credit. He was no where near as entertaining as Punk and I know you are not saying he was. I just don't think he deserves any credit for making that segment entertaining. For instance the part where Cena was talking about how he hates vince and the whole dirty shoes things was corny and could never be confused with a real statement. I couldn't wait for him to be quite and let them finish. Punk and Vince were great. As much as I like Punk I think it would be cool if he left and stuck it to them. I am a fan of certain wrestlers not the company itself.

RESPONSE FROM KE: I didn't like that part of Cena's promo either, but I thought overall, he raised his game.

"Well, I can’t speak for Eve, but I want to touch her sister."

LOL, what a way to close the piece. You're not alone in that, Eck.

Again we're reminded that Mrs. Eck must never, EVER read this blog...

That confrontation flushed out any interest I have in their match on Sunday. They got way too pseudo-intellectual with the whole "you've become what you hate" logic, especially since neither one made any sense at all. Seriously.... John Cena hates being a top guy? Whatever. Lame.

I guess CM PUNK = $$$

The guy turned around the crowd against the hometown boy cena.Man!!! i have never seen a crowd so hot for a heel.Punk just ripped cena and mcman on the mic.

With all apologies to JBL, Punk is the "Wrestling god(little g emphasized)" This week, not only did he give us quality, he gave us quantity. With all the time he had to fill, I thought there would be more flubs & dead spots but IMHO, he was "gold Jerry, gold!" I really didn't think Cena was all that much better than usual, it's just that Punk's tide raises all the boats. Chaperone 2 must be starting production today!! And say what you will about VKM, he has obviously signed off on the edgiest material that's been presented in a long time. I haven't been this entertained by RAW much less any other wrestling show in a long time. I haven't purchased a PPV since the Lesnar-Goldberg debacle but if times weren't so tough, I'd be all in on this one. To Mr. Punk I say(& I'm sure he would agree), "We're not worthy, we're not worthy...

The best way they can pay off the Punk/Cena angle, regardless of who wins their match, is for them to work mega-stiff. The idea should be that Punk is going "off script" for their match because he expects it to be his last night whether he wins or loses, so he wants to show the crowd he can legitimately beat Cena in a real fight. It would be great to see lots of kicks from Punk and punches from Cena, and use them to set up the occasional wrestling spot because each guy still wants to show he's the better wrestler.

But I get the feeling that's not going to happen... yet. There's been too much invested in the set-up for this match for it to be a "one and done" feud. We know Punk actually has a couple more months on his WWE contract, so I expect a screwjob ending causing Punk to lose, infuriating him to the point that he keeps showing up on RAW despite "not having a contract" and baiting Cena into an "unsanctioned" match at SummerSlam.

Best Raw I've seen in years, Punk is incredible on the mic.

I can't believe some people are still complaining about that last segment. To say it should have been more of a shoot like 2 weeks ago is just stupid...back then we never knew if it was an angle or a shoot...now we know it's an angle so of course it will feel more like a work.

Bottom line is Punk has proved he can be a money player if they give him time on the mic and let him off the leash a little. Hopefully we'll see him stay on and become the star he should be, be it heel or face.

I have been becoming a CM Punk fan the past few weeks i agree that Cena's character does need to change its to goody goody Punk reminds of Edge and HBK when they first broke into the WWE .

Could we be looking at a double-turn like Austin-Hart in WrestleMania XIII? After all, Ausitin-Hart took place in Chicago too.

-CM Punk continues to dominate on the mike. This week, he had the Boston crowd (in Cena's backyard, no less) in the palm of his hand. What in the world is going to happen in Punk's hometown of Chicago for Money in the Bank? Cena's not going to be able to get out of the Allstate Arena in one piece if he beats Punk.

-I looked up "WWE ice cream bars" earlier today and they look pretty tasty. They should bring those back.

The last segment of Raw was very compelling television to say the least. And yes all three men did a good job, but without CM Punk to add the spark to the fire, the other two would come off without any credibility. I mean, again John Cena talking about how much he hates Vince McMahon, please.

Cena's arguments still make no sense. The problem is Punk can go there and shoot on these issues, but there is no reason for Cena to do the same. The best Cena can come up with to shoot on is how Punk is abandoning the WWE Universe like The Rock., which is a weak argument. But when Punk said Cena had become The Yankees, it was the truth. Just like The Yankees, the rules are stacked in Cena's favor for him to win. And just like The Yankees, half the people love him and the other half hates him. Punk got more cheers than Cena in his own home town, that's the reality of the situation.

To me personally John Cena is a heel. John Cena is the bad guy, first and foremost because he refuses to acknowledge or even address why people don't like him. It's like Cena and McMahon ignore the boos as if they don't even exist, and continue to portray Cena as the fighting man of the people, when in reality he truly no longer has any real connection to the people. And by not acknowledging this, it's only a slap in the face of the fans who reject Cena, which maakes them hate him more.

And people may not like the Tag Team Champions, but in reality, those two men would destroy John Cena, but in WWE's comic book universe, "Super" Cena cannot be beaten, and that's part of the problem. People don't want to cheer for an Invincible man. A man who is only invincible in the first place because the chairman of the company says he is.

And I've heard the arguments about Cena selling merchdise as to the reason he can't turn heel, and that's a valid point. But I think it also serves to highlight the fact that WWE is not very good at creating and marketing the type of merchandise that people outside of the WWE universe would buy. I contend that if John Cena turned heel, then the half of the WWE universe that rejects him would then embrace him and would start buying his merchandise, where as now they wouldn't be caught dead in a Cena T-shirt. The kids and moms would then be forced to buy someone else's shirt, where as right now they're not.

Another problem with Cena is that he thinks he really is a hero. That's his reality. But somebody needs to point out to Cena that he's not a hero, he just plays one on TV. John Cena is an entertainer, and the people have spoken. They have rejected him as their hero and they are embracing an Anti-Hero (CM Punk) as their chosen champion.

What do I want to see at MITB? A Cena heel turn. They (WWE) keeps getting presented opportunities to make it happen, yet they refuse to give the fans what they want. People want to boo Cena. So let them. People want to cheer Punk. So let them. CM Punk in the time span of two weeks has created more of a stir in the wrestling world than John Cena has in years. That's not an opinion, that's a fact.

Thought it was comical and fake how Cena came across being so anti-Vince when the fact is that Vince has always chosen him as THE guy, THE man headlining next year's Wrestlemania well in advance, and most importantly, the person who was hoisting the belt in the ring.

If there was ever a time for a Cena turn and CM Punk screwjob, the time is now. WWE would lose out huge if they went into any other direction because quite frankly a large percentage of fans will tune out again if Cena doesn't undergo a drastic change in his character. Even if Punk is booked to win, it's eventually going to go back to business as usual with Cena eventually winning the title back (think Nexus-Cena storyline). Cena's character needs to change if WWE is serious about moving forward.

I just don't see how Punk has any real chance of winning. It's supposed to be kayfabe when Vince says he doesn't want Punk leaving with the belt, but how is that not the actual truth?

How could they possibly let Punk win in a way that doesn't cheapen WWE, the title and Cena? I'm trying here, but I don't see how WWE pulls this off, especially given the utter lack of creativity and unpredictability in recent PPV main events.

Hey Eck, what do you think of this scenario.

Stipulation states that if Punk walks out of the building with the belt, Cena gets fired right?

So what if Punk wins but cant leave. Because on his way out, he is physically stopped by... Triple H.

This would make total sense because Punk has been calling out Hunter for several weeks now. It would further the Punk vs. WWE Establishment feud because it's well known that Triple H is part of the wwe brass. But it would be harder for diehard/IWC fans to boo Hunter because he is far more respected than Cena. And his comeback alone would initiate a huge pop even in CM Punk's hometown of Chicago.

To a lesser extent, Undertaker could be in this role too. As he is seen as part of the old guard and it is well known that he plays the role of enforcer in the dressing room. (See HBK's Montreal Screwjob story).

Neither of these men have been seen since WM. So it would make sense that they come back now right before a major ppv, SummerSlam. It would set up a huge and monstrous triple threat match at summerslam between Cena, Hunter, and Punk.

What do you think?

That final segment really fell flat in my opinion. It had a few good moments, but was nowhere near the level of CM's shoot two weeks ago. The whole Red Sox/underdog thing was incredibly lame. That sugarcoated the issue. The issue is that people are so tired of the same old stuff (Cena & Orton) and miss "professional wrestling". I'm not a TNA guy, but it seems that Vince & Co. see where they are headed and realize there is still a market for "wrestling". Maybe all of this will give the fans what they really want.
I think it would be awesome if Punk wins and "leaves" with the title. They could turn this into a huge angle. WWE should partner with ROH and NEw Japan on this. Have him show up at their events and other public places and turn this into a major storyline. So many possibilities, but i'm sure MIB will disappoint. They failed with the NExus thing, so why believe anything else.

I think that Punk has already signed a new contract. There is no way that Vince - or anybody, for that matter - let's a hot commodity like Punk slip through his fingers and say what he has allowed Punk to say the past few weeks and NOT have him signed. Because with the mainstream press and buzz that Punk has been getting, he could be the guy to turn around TNA or make ROH the number two promotion in the US if he left after MITB, belt or no belt. Even if he was going to stick around another month or two, he wouldn't be getting this much of a push. Sure, I guess Vince can bury him with a loss on Sunday and show him the door, but you know that there would be millions of fans tuning in to see what he says when the 90 day non-compete is up. And honestly, Vince (and Stephanie and Hunter) know they can't risk it.

On Sunday, either Punk wins with the help of Vince and they claim it was all an elaborate ruse to get Cena fired, or Punk becomes the new Stone Cold Steve Austin. One thing for certain: he'll be doing it in the WWE.

PS: Cena was DEFINITELY laying on the Bahstan accent in his final promo last night. Shocking, since I really never thought that he cared about being cheered or booed. Maybe he was trying to win over the hometown crowd by reminding then that he was raised amongst the people?

Kev? You thoughts?

I have no idea what alot of people are saying, john cena was fantastic on the mic tonight, he really showed why he is the best in the wwe right now and the most entertaining superstar and the face of the wwe.

Having said that CM punk is on fire lately and I really really hope they find some way of keeping him, i know iots scripted but this contractual stuff is not punks contract is really expiring, that too that stupid tat john laurtis, who also screwed up negotiating with jericho. All you Cena haters would be so upset to see him go really because you know as well as I do that this guy makes the wwe better weather you love him or love to hate him, you all react and are engaed when the guy is in the ring and on the mic.

I want to see more of the Bella's, KK and Layla on my TV. I want to touch not only her sister, but her too!!! If WWE would ever get the technology, could you imagine KK in 3D??

That said, C.M. Punk has me caring about wrestling again. He is so money and I think he'll eventually have the fan draw (if he don't already) of Stone Cold Steve Austin. And there is a good potential for a great long-term feud with Punk vs. the Establishment. McMahon just needs a few more guys in his stable as I see a heel run in John Cena's future.

I enjoyed the show and am sorry for those of you who didn't. Vince could have raised his game - I wonder if he's sick - but CM Punk is bringing the heat.

Did anybody else notice that Cena's Boston accent was creeping into his speech last night?

While the contract signing did get gimmicky, the material within was still incredible. CM Punk's one of the smartest, most entertaining guys in the business today and he didn't miss a beat in the entire time he had the mic. I too want the ice cream, Punk.

And also, win or lose, whether it be CM Punk or Vince, someone needs to make good on that belt redesign Punk promised. That gawdy monstrosity that Cena carries around went out of style with his Dr. of Thuganomics routine. I think we need to bring back the Eagle in a new design.

+ loved "CENA SUCKS" & "CM PUNK" chants in cena's hometown
+ loved punk mocking Mcman's power walk(much better than cena's seizure attack walk)
+Loved punk's megaphone touch and telling cena the music is too loud ala police style
+ loved Mcman asking punk to sign while he was sitting on the ramp
+Liked "del rio" chants after he destroed everyone

Hated

- As usual cena lame and "trying to be funny but bigtime fail" jokes
- Felt del rio got way too excited and threw the ladder which landed badly on miz's arm.I gues his arm is broken.Atleast a finger or two
-Bigshow's rivalry which ended in a week with delrio and he recovering from a car crash in a week
- mcgullicutty should not be even on raw.The guy has nothing but is still tag team champ

@kevin

I am from india and i don't have much knowledge regarding baseball but why was Cena so pissed when punk called him a yankee?

RESPONSE FROM KE: Nothing worse you could say to a Red Sox fan, as the Red Sox and Yankees are huge rivals.

PERV.

I guess WWE doesn't have to worry about losing in mechandise sales if cena turns heel

Because they are gonna make millions with the resurrection of the WWE ICE CREAM Bars...which i never knew existed

I think Punk wins at MITB. Then, whoever wins the ladder match, probably DelRio, cashes in the briefcase. But, in a shocker Punk defeats him. Then, says he is going to ROH for their debut on Sinclair Broadcasting. What a way for national exposure--the WWE Champion opening up for ROH on their grandest stage. Most definitely, not going to happen. But it is a thought.

Ziggler is trying to play up the value of the US title, so that if CM Punk wins+leaves. Then he would be the top champion. That may explain why he isn't in the MITB match

Is it just me, or did SmackDown copy the nutcase gimmick from Raw?
Here's the similarities between Christian and R-Truth:
1. They both think their fans are ruining them.
2. They both seem to be affected by the same "conspiracy".(R-Truth thinks the Raw GM is plotting against him, Christian thinks Teddy Long is plotting against him)
3. They both are obsessed with the world titles.
4. They both are against the "invincible" Superstars, who both hold the world titles (Cena and Orton).

Punk and McMahon are in cahoots and will screw Cena at MITB.

Punk's lip service reminds me so much of what Jesse Ventura would have done back-in-the-day if given more of a platform!

Its completely off base to say Cena doesn't have talent on the mic. Am I his biggest fan?No, but from the start of his wrestling career as the Doctor of Thuganomics to the Superman he is now, he's always had talent. The problem is he's given lame material to try and get over with. If WWE let him be himself on the mic, he would be really good. Is Cena's character in need of change? Absolutely a heel turn could not come at a better time in this point in his career. Its sad to see wrestling fans that let their hate of someone so much to the point where they believe someone is not even talented when in fact he is. I mean, I am a die-hard supporter of FSU football, and I could not stand Tim Tebow. But I recognized he was a great QB and a great person. Same thing applies with Cena. Its ok to not like him, but to say something that is in fact completely inaccurate is where I have a problem.

A 2.9 rating and many empty seats at the Boston Garden is a very bad sign. If the PPV does poorly, it just proves that making an internet buzz makes ZERO money and the WWE will certainly have to redo it's current model.

Anyone else notice when VKM came out and as he walked to the ring he saw a Zack Ryder poster, stopped, pointed, and smirked??

It was basically a Zack Ryder diss. Why his hatred for The Long Island Ice Z??

I commented a few weeks ago that Cena should be chasing Punk for the belt, going into Wrestlemania. I hope it happens.

Punk is the best thing going in staged wrestling today. I've believed it and said it for a long time.

Wondering if WWE is moving back to edgier programming.

Next time the Yanks are in to play the O's, you gotta get an interview with Curtis Granderson.

@burthart:
First, I would not call this article crappy at all. Where I am, we dont have this so this is great to be able to catch up with either what I missed or saw and wanted to get reaction about what happened. Secondly, no one is retarded or stupid about Cena. I admit, I used to like him back in 04 but now he has grown stale. This is not a pro WWE or Cena article. If you notice they also talk about TNA (Impact) or ROH. The solution for you is to not read this article.

@Kevin: Keep up the great articles.

Being someone who lives in a Yankees state and hates both them and the Red Sox (Go Indians!!!) it was hard to get into that bit.

Personally, I would love to see Punk win the title and, in a bizzare twist, is in cahoots with Vince all along to get the title off Cena. And suprise! he had a new contract all along.....BUT what is the reality in that?

Why is there a buzz around Del Rio winning the title??? Its similar to saying they are going to put the title on Devon Dudley in TNA. Both are not a smart move by any mean. Del Rio to me is a guy who has a bigger smile that what DDP had in 02 and more rental cars than anyone else. Who cares? He is a boring wrestler with an armbar finisher.

CM Punk is money on the mic.

If Cena doesn't turn Heel after MITB then he is never turning Heel!! WWE keep [screwing] up chances of turning him;-like last year with the Nexus.
The fact is WWE are scared to give John a chance, they're scared to try something new and different and are scared to take a chance. I know that Cena is good on the mic and those who disagree are ignorant, look back at all his old clips 2003-2006 he was very good. Cena is trying too hard to be kid friendly and during the Punk/Vince promo it just doesn't work! Its a very adult orientated promo and having Cena doing kiddie jokes just doesn't do anything but make him look like an idiot!
I say have them do a double turn. Have Punk be face and Cena be heel. Bring out new merchandise for both and bring back those ice cream bars, so Vince will still be making money. lol

After reading this, I had to use the wonders of the internet to find and watch the Punk segments. At first glance, brilliant.

1.) The complaint from some about the obvious scripting has two edges---the first is that this is wrestling--of course it has to be scripted at this point, and draw the situation back into a storyline which is compelling, (I feel it does). The second edge is that the frustration some fans feel of wanting it to actually BE real, and to reject it feeling scripted references the exact issues that Punk brought up in his rants. This is a good move on WWE's part---there I said it. Failing ratings, discontent and slipping PPV numbers obviously CAN make McMahon see reason.

2.) There ARE some major cons here, thought. First and foremost is the nature of Cena's involvement. There is a likely scenario to be extrapolated from this which aligns Punk and McMahon and again makes Cena the star. This is antithetical to the frustration that Punk is feeding on and reiterating to the delight of fans who truly do feel that he is being a "voice of the voiceless" right now. Punk's jabs at Cena seemed stultified by something, and we can only imagine that it is McMahon and WWE's reticence to take this all the way. Witness Cena's ridiculous assertion that he too hates Vince McMahon. In the context of what Punk is doing---this actually DOES pull us out of the story. A major point that Punk is referencing is Cena's golden boy, Hulk Hogan status---the superman who always "comes back" in primary colors and spouting childish philosophies in order to condition young fans and appeal to a casual audience---For those who point this casual audience out as financial bread and butter---are ESPN discussions of baseball or football for the "casual" fan? Who buys more MLB merchandise--the casual fan, or the hardcore follower? The problem is that WWE has not in years provided the quality to create and keep hardcore fans. Their current mediocre numbers are the sum and total of your "casual fans". The problem is that wrestling needs to move forward as a sport, scripting and storytelling as a part of the that sport, which takes itself seriously for what it is and isn't institutionally embarrassed for what it is---this is not a short term hit that you're going to see instant increase from. It is a longer term goal which WILL see better numbers and merchandise sales, (if that is what is important to some people and how they want to quantify it), on a steadily increasing curve over time.

3.) #2 contains the real x-factor of all of this. Is this a short term hit that shoots for ratings NOW, and sees Cena continue in the McMahon, "I'll tell you fans what you want" paradigm, and sees Punk turn full heel, with nothing changed and the frustrations referenced only used for a one-time storyline? Or is this part of a long-term, concerted effort to get wrestling back on track by modifying the biggest company to represent what the fans want? Yes the FANS. We've covered "casual" fans, and what they ultimately mean.
The fans DO matter, more than anything, and these two segments prove it. People exploded for Punk, because he actually made them feel involved, and made them feel spoken for. Ditto the enormous mainstream reaction he got, and the interest of hardcore fans all over who are suddenly looking to WWE again. These people feel like they are being reacted TO, instead of being asked, as they usually are, to blindly react to whatever is put in front of them.
Unfortunately, the problem lies in the ability for thoughtful execution. The naysayers and corporate brownshirts always come back with "internet buzz and hardcore fan reaction mean nothing--it doesn't put 'butts in seats'." Actually, it does. The problem becomes that the company doesn't often execute well on the quality that the fans expect. Take this situation for an example. If this Punk plot is treated as a one-off, short term quest for ratings---it will be easy to say that "internet buzz and fan reaction means nothing", because the numbers will balance out after the story is played. However, if the frustrations being referenced in the plot were addressed with long-term change to alleviate that frustration, then the numbers would go up---although the corporate sympathizers will then of course applaud McMahon and WWE's brilliance instead of recognizing that brilliance in any type of business is pretty simple--give the people what they want, and they will keep coming back.
Anyway, I'm hoping we see long-term change here. The Punk segments were exciting and interesting, and are amazingly enough, because it's McMahon's company--a public discourse on what is failing in wrestling and what might work instead in the 21st century.

Kevin,

I don't think you are either blind or retarded, but if you are in fact death than maybe you should concentrate on THAT job and leave wrestling blogs to the living. Dead people working are one of the biggest factors in our current unemployment crisis. Besides, the dead don't need health insurance or a 401k.

RESPONSE FROM KE: Very well done.

I think there was the case of some reality mixed with the scripted stuff. But it's impossible to tell what was supposed to happen from what we saw. What not was supposed to happen is Punk dominating VKM completely. VKM was left almost voiceless. I think he didn't expected this from Punk. Cena helps VKM out and to "prove" he hates the boss too he says a few things. Nobody likes a president (reminiscence to Capital Punishment). Punk never wanted to signs in public and had therefore his funny contract demands (he put in the unscripted stuff for his friends).

This stuff you can watch several times and it's still interesting. Obviously as seen last month, the kids love Cena ("Lets go Cena!") and CM Punk ("CM Punk!" cheer) is for the more mature fans. CM Punk knows this and that's why he whore the Stone Cold t-shirt.

I think there was the case of some reality mixed with the scripted stuff. But it's impossible to tell what was supposed to happen from what we saw. What not was supposed to happen is Punk dominating VKM completely. VKM was left almost voiceless. I think he didn't expected this from Punk. Cena helps VKM out and to "prove" he hates the boss too he says a few things. Nobody likes a president (reminiscence to Capital Punishment). Punk never wanted to signs in public and had therefore his funny contract demands (he put in the unscripted stuff for his friends).

This stuff you can watch several times and it's still interesting. Obviously as seen last month, the kids love Cena ("Lets go Cena!") and CM Punk ("CM Punk!" cheer) is for the more mature fans. CM Punk knows this and that's why he whore the Stone Cold t-shirt.

This was the best Raw in YEARS to me. Obviously the Punk-Cena-VKM thing was amazing, but the crowd was hot all night long and even the filler was entertaining. I really enjoyed the MITB highlight package, and I thought it did a great job of getting the match over with some of the crazy spots we've seen in the past.

But back to Punk. That guy is MONEY. When he managed to turn the the tables and make himself into the anti-hero against Cena -- in Boston no less -- I was just floored. At that point, my mind was racing with fantasy booking possibilities -- could Punk come back and actually pull off some sort of an nWo style "invasion" with a little bit of Austin thrown in that still feels fresh? Maybe bring in Colt Cabana too? Punk v. a returning HHH for with VKM's CEO role on the line at Wrestlemania?

I really hope this is a sign of good things to come for the WWE. But, knowing the way things have gone the past 5 years or so, they'll probably let him walk and screw it all up. C'mon Vince! Don't let your ego get in the way! Let Punk do his thing and print you some $$$!!!

Great stuff as always, Kevin!

I was literally hanging on Punk´s lips to not miss a single word he was saying.
Not that important but I was pretty surprised Punk mentioned Cena´s wife. I´ve always thought WWE keeps his marriage hidden so that all the girls who are oh so much in love with him aren´t disappointed that he´s already given to another one.

Since Punk has been bluring the lines the past few weeks why not go completley off WWE's script this Sunday and give us some blood!! That would really add to what we've already seen.

Cm Punk is pure gold. Chavo told Cena in his twitter account 2 bring it on n not to let punk do all the work tonight.

where have you been for the past week??? articles like these were posted like crazy last tuesday right after raw. you just another loser that needs to get lost and get a life.
http://bit.ly/nlJjyX

Does the C M. stand for

CHARLES MANSON PUNK?