Due mostly to time restraints, this won't be a full recap of the show. I'll be picking various segments/matches that peak my interest and ramble until I decide I'm done! Let's see how it goes.
Is Punk really a heel?
The basic definition of a heel in wrestling is a bad guy. To expand on that, a heel will cheat to win, insult the crowd and attack the baby faces (good guys) of the WWE, as well as any vulnerable people (such as announcers/interviewers).
Now, based on that definition, Punk is definitely a heel. He's done pretty much all of the above, although he does back himself up in the ring in terms of talent. But, he does what very few heels do. He explains why he does what he does, and it actually makes sense. From his viewpoint, he feels like he is being disrespected. Why? He is the WWE Champion, and has been for 317 days as of this writing, yet he has been playing second fiddle to people like John Cena. You can understand why he would be frustrated by that. Does it make him a heel? I don't think so.
About a month ago, he attacked Jerry Lawler because he wouldn't say that Punk is the best in the world. Jerry caught Punk's attention by accusing Punk of turning his back on his fans by attacking the Rock. Punk was annoyed by this, which again is understandable. The Rock doesn't represent the millions like he used to. Punk challenged Lawler to a match on Raw, which Jerry accepted. Punk then proceeded to beat the crap out of Lawler. Now, does that make him a heel? No. Why? It was a match. A match that Jerry accepted. He didn't have to accept it, but he did, and he got beat for it. Yes, Punk beat Lawler up post-match, but the guy was pissed off. Do you know who else was pissed off? John Cena, and what did he do when he was pissed off? He hit a guy in the gut with a lead pipe. Interesting.
Last week, Punk had a run-in with Mick Foley, who told Punk that he isn't the best in the world because he hasn't had that one defining moment in his career. As much as I worship Mrs. Foley's baby boy, I disagree with what he said. Punk has had at least two defining moments in his career that come to mind. His infamous promo and his Money in the Bank match with John Cena. After Cena attacked Punk later that night, he (as he explained last night) was looking for a doctor. He goes on to explain that Foley looked at him wrong and muttered something under his breath, so Punk put him down. Is that a heel? According to Punk, he did what any man would do. Compare that reaction to virtually everything Sheamus does. Sheamus attacked Miz for no reason last week on Miz TV, and yet he gets cheered for it. Sure, Miz is obnoxious and Foley is a living legend, but it doesn't condone the actions by the Great White.
So far, I can pretty much see where Punk is coming from. He denied Cena again at Hell in a Cell, but why shouldn't he? He's beaten Cena time and time again, yet Cena is back in the title picture? Did he win a #1 contender's match? No, so why isn't he at the back of the line like everyone else? Punk has nothing to prove to Cena. I can't see, so far, what is so heelish about CM Punk right now, other than being a victim of bias of the WWE fans.
Later in the evening, CM Punk interrupted JR's appreciation night. Surely this will make him a full-blown heel. He started off by telling JR just how much he respected him, and said he is the best announcer WWE has (true). JR fired back by telling Punk he has been acting like a jackass recently. JR is entirely entitled to his opinion, but that wasn't very nice. So Punk reacted as most probably would. He was annoyed at that, who wouldn't be? Being in that state of mind, Punk wanted to show JR just how pissed he was. He could've beaten him down, but he gave JR the choice, just like he gave Jerry the choice, and John Cena the choice to just walk away. JR, being the intelligent man that he is, chose to walk away. Sure, Punk made him walk up the ramp and out of the arena, but he felt JR would be getting away with it if he just sat back down at the announce booth.
So far, the majority of Punk's actions have been reactions of what others have said and done to him. He is more of a victim than a heel, surely. He explains in black and white what is pissing him off, yet he gets booed for it. That'd send anyone completely mad.
Do you think Punk is a heel? Do you think the moral compass of the WWE and its fans is skewed? Comment below and follow me on twitter, because I need friends. Thanks for reading!
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