CM Punk: 2012 Midcard WWE Champion

I'm going to sing the same old song about CM Punk I know I have sung before. This guy is no stranger to holding the top title of Raw, yet not holding the top spot on Raw's card. And it is happening again.

Last time I talked about this, I believe the cause of CM Punk being in the title scene not getting top hype was The Rock. The Rock and John Cena was obviously more important than CM Punk and Alberto Del Rio or Chris Jericho. John Cena, unlike Randy Orton, is still being pushed as a centerpiece. More importantly, Brock Lesnar has come back to take the spot The Rock left as the guy working with Cena. Brock getting this push is not surprising. This guy used to be the centerpiece of Smackdown. For almost 2 years, Brock was being built up as something great. He had the ball. This was a period on Smackdown that a lot of wrestling fans still view as great years, due in part to Brock Lesner, Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, and other great workers. But Brock was the top guy. Just for the sake of mentioning it, the top guy on Raw during this time was Triple H. Yeah, Jinder Mahal probably could have done a better job. No, not really. Point is, you once again have the centerpiece of the company feuding with one of the top names of the past. It was bound to eclipse Punk, much like Cena/Rock did.

But does Punk/Jericho deserve to be eclipsed? Punk is not the centerpiece. Jericho has never really been pushed as a true centerpiece. Nevertheless, both are great workers and are over. They are equals. They are not completely out of the spotlight. CM Punk came out there around the start of the second hour. That is one of the hot spots of the show. He also got a lot of time out there, including his promo, match against Mark Henry, and the aftermath with Jericho. Mark Henry has been getting title shots recently. I can understand not putting those matches in the main event, since they ended so indecisively. But the next encounter? Next week's match will have to decide it. I would hope that gets in the main event. It has build to it. Not only that, Jericho will likely be a part of the story in some way. This is a good feud. It has been going on for months now. It definitely deserves to share the top spot better. This week, the WWE sold John Cena vs. Otunga as the main event, not the title match. Can they pull something similar next week? It would be good if the WWE shifted the focus better, especially in these situations where the centerpiece and top Champion of the show are not the same person.