What went wrong as far as CM Punk goes? Assuming his departure from the WWE is completely real, something had to have gone wrong. There are a ton of reasons floating around as to why he left. Rather than speculating on all that, did he really bring the change that he talked a few years ago? Or did those pipe bombs just make more noise than cause damage? He got a lengthy run with the title, but was never pushed as centerpiece. He was still being pushed very well in recent months. If he was told he would lose to Triple H at Wrestlemania, a feud which it would be nice if CM Punk won, that might agitate him. Whether he has a right to walk out solely on that is another issue. Not only is Triple H taking a lot of attention, you still have John Cena being pushed hard. CM Punk criticized Cena being pushed so hard in his pipe bombs. That didn't change. Add Randy Orton into the mix. Orton may not have been a top target in those promos, but he might as well have been. He is someone the WWE has regularly pushed very well. And the cherry on top of all that might just be Batista. CM Punk criticized the WWE bringing back The Rock and shooting him into the spotlight at Wrestlemania. Batista has been gone for years, comes back, is booked to win the Rumble, and is getting a title shot at Wrestlemania. Batista is not The Rock. You can understand The Rock getting featured prominently because he can draw big. Batista is not that. Triple H, John Cena, Randy Orton, and Batista dominate much of the spotlight. This is the kind of thing you had for years even before CM Punk's pipe bombs. No real change.
What about Daniel Bryan? He may not have dropped a pipe bomb, but he is still a part of this issue. He is someone who has gotten over and is still being pushed under some of the other guys the WWE has relied on for years. None of those guys get the reaction Daniel Bryan gets. Daniel Bryan might as well do the kind of promo CM Punk did. And it does not look like Daniel Bryan will find his way into the title match at Wrestlemania. His feud with Kane is a sign that he will end up getting the push meant for CM Punk. That is not too bad, but the fans wanted more for him. They wanted him to win the Rumble. The WWE will not be swayed by those vocal fans. Part of CM Punk's promos a few years ago was about not accepting what is going on and letting your voices be heard. What is the point of these fans being so vocal about things if things never change for the better? Daniel Bryan is an example of that.
AJ Lee dropped her own pipe bomb last year. A fan recently asked her about that. She said she said the things she did because she wanted to make things happen for the division and get them more TV time, but the other divas did not take what she said well, so it was dropped. I went back and read what I had previously said about her promo, as well as reading a transcript of her promo. Let me talk about that promo again.
Honestly, she did misfire with that promo. I am not talking about her delivery of the promo. I am not talking about her mic skills. I am talking about her actual message. All she did with that promo was put herself over and completely rip apart all those other women. Go back to CM Punk's first pipe bomb. There was one thing he said that I found very interesting. He said he liked John Cena. You can talk about whether or not he meant it or was just being sarcastic, but the point is, he did not spend that whole promo just calling himself the best and shredding John Cena. He bashed Vince McMahon and how the company is being run. He was unhappy that he was not getting treated better. That was the message of that promo, and Cena was not the primary target. AJ Lee never really criticized the company for how these women are being mistreated. You don't even have to bash Vince McMahon. Just criticizing the company itself for the handling of the division would have been fine and better. You can say that AJ would have gone there if the storyline continued, but her initial pipe bomb wasn't like CM Punk's. I don't have too much hope that it would have gotten better.
You know what is really funny about all this? AJ Lee says she was trying to make things happen for the diva division and get these women more TV time, but these women actually were getting treated better prior to getting involved with AJ Lee. While AJ Lee was working with Kaitlyn, the divas on Total Divas were getting separate things to do. Ever since AJ Lee started feuding with these women, creative depth has gotten worse. I don't like that genre of television, but it was giving those women something to do. None of them have ever been pushed as well as AJ Lee. Even though I do not like CM Punk, based on his pipe bombs, I can buy his character of standing up for better treatment for himself and against the authority. Based on AJ Lee's pipe bomb, all I see is someone putting down women not being pushed as well as her. She puts herself over as the savior of the diva division, but it has only gotten worse.
It isn't like there is one set definition for what a "pipe bomb" promo is. To me, these promos aren't supposed to be just about putting yourself over as the best and shredding your foes. Being edgy is definitely a part of it. But you are supposed to be laying down cold, hard reality. In between the bitterness of CM Punk's message, he was bashing a status quo that does have real issues. Instead of bashing the status quo of the diva division, all AJ did was bash those other women.
I am not implying the WWE was aiming for this, but if AJ Lee had focused her pipe bomb less on the divas and more on the diva division, you could have had a "reality vs. reality" storyline. You have reality TV crossing paths with the reality of the diva division. It could have been interesting. Maybe a bit much. Once again, I don't think the WWE would have been willing to do it. CM Punk dropped a bomb on the status quo, not just John Cena. AJ Lee dropped a bomb on the divas, and the status quo was never really challenged. Even if it was, no real change would have come. But for the sake of a diva storyline as epic as what you had with CM Punk a few years ago, talking more about the reality of the diva division would have been nice. You shouldn't be digging so hard into women not getting the same great opportunities as you. That promo was just more venom than reality.
Some fans are saying that those people still chanting for CM Punk should just stop. He was the one that walked out on the WWE. If he cared so much, he would not have turned his back on the fans. I am not going to say which side of the fence I am with that. Point is, there is this idea that someone that walks out on you should not be so respected. Turn that idea towards the diva division. Doesn't it look like the WWE has walked out on its divas? I believe I have compared what has become of the diva division to a head coach walking out on his team when things are not going his way. If people want to side with the WWE in the issue with CM Punk because Punk walked out on them and did not handle things professionally, that is one thing. How about the WWE letting their own diva division collapse when they can't get their way? Is that the professional thing to do? Figuratively speaking, the WWE walked out on them and will not come back until they get their way. Sounds like a spoiled brat? That is what some people accuse CM Punk of being right now. Contrary to what you might hear in an AJ Lee promo, that division has not been saved. It would be nice if someone brought that up in a legitimate diva "pipe bomb" promo.
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