If a tree falls in the forest, but no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? I don't really care. I have a better question. Does CM Punk officially getting beat by John Cena and sent back down to upper-midcard matters mark the end of what I call "The Chicago Botch", or is this the crucial moment that actually makes the "botch" what it is?
So much hype just two months ago. All these internet rumors about CM Punk leaving the WWE culminated in a storyline that teased the possibility of him winning the title in Chicago, or an arena close enough to Chicago, and leaving the company with the WWE Championship. The WWE pulled the trigger and gave Punk the belt. He was gone for about a week. He pops back up, causing another controversy after John Cena had just won the WWE Championship. Punk vs. Cena at Summerslam. Punk still in the main event. Throughout all of this, fans did not want this angle to end like the Nexus angle did last year. They called that a "botch". Go back to Summerslam. Kevin Nash attacks Punk, which allows Alberto Del Rio to win the WWE (Undisputed) Championship. Nash was the one who distracted Punk and cost him his recent match with Cena. Kevin Nash is feuding with CM Punk, and the storyline also involves Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. But after the main event, Alberto Del Rio attacks Cena brutally. That is the last image on Raw. Cena, the centerpiece, is still in the main focus. Punk's changing directions and heading back south. This does not surprise me at all.
Did the WWE mess up the angle they started with Punk leading up to his match in Chicago? It definitely did not last as long as the elaborate Nexus feud against Cena. Punk still has something to do, and it is obviously an elaborate storyline, but it is definitely not in the same direction as things were going for Punk before. I remember 2008. Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels had a very elaborate storyline that lasted months and months. Aside from Jericho winning the World Championship near the end of it, it did not really involve the main-event titles. John Cena was still around on Raw. Even after he was briefly injured, Batista was still there too. Point is, it is possible to have a great storyline without it being in the main event. Question is, for CM Punk fans, is he the "Chris Jericho" in this situation or the "Shawn Michaels"? Both men looked great in the feud, but Jericho went on to be pushed all over the card, which is usual for him. Shawn Michaels never lost the hype. Forget Kevin Nash, he is just a pawn in the storyline. The main player for Punk, aside from whoever sent the text, is Triple H. This is a storyline for COO Triple H do be a part of too. He is definitely not the "Chris Jericho" in this. You look at how CM Punk was being pushed in the months and year prior to this big hype he is getting now. All over the place, just without winning as many midcard or tag titles as Jericho and probably losing more big matches overall. And that is where I think Punk will go when this is all said and done. John Cena will still exist as centerpiece. Triple H will most likely be around to hold some kind of legendary status, much like Shawn Michaels did. And CM Punk? He would be lucky if he gets sent over to Smackdown to cover the lack of stars over there. I don't see much hope for him on Raw.
I did not answer my own question. Did the WWE mess up CM Punk's angle? Well, it definitely gave him major hype and a new gimmick, which he still has going on for him. Thing is, the Nexus angle gave no less than 7 men hype and a gimmick that was intriguing. That fizzled out. People can also say that the WWE messed up the angle by having Punk come back too soon or unifying the titles too soon. Inserting Del Rio might not have made a lot of people happy either. In other words, you can say that the WWE was doing things that were hurting the angle for a while now, not necessarily intentionally, but the angle is definitely over. CM Punk is no longer WWE Champion, he was never really true top dog of the company for more than a few moments here and there, especially right after both times he beat Cena recently, and he now moves on to other matters while Cena closes in on another eventual title reign. There were definitely a series of "botches" along the way, but is what happened on Raw this week what finally ends the overall feeling of displeasure some fans may have had, or is this the ultimate "botch" that really ruined it? Depends on how you look at it. Are more fans upset that CM Punk's main-event push is over or that it was not being as developed and executed as well as it could have been? In one case, the depush is the "botch". In another, the depush simply ends the WWE from "botching" it further. CM Punk may be better off with his upper-midcard storyline. In any case, it doesn't even matter.
What does matter? Ratings. 3.0 this week. Yes, football is starting back up, but it can only get worse when the season really heats up. Also, for the sake of comparison, Raw ratings never did this low last year until September. Ratings have already dropped below 3.0 this year even before this week. The WWE has no good excuses. They invested all this in CM Punk. They are still having him speak his mind. They are still having him involved in controversy and mystery. They are trying to bring reality into the show and be edgier. They are starting to show a small amount of more interest in the midcard. Most importantly, John Cena, their centerpiece, is still there. Problem is, they are failing to create that major hype to really hook. Of course, Raw ratings were high last week, right after Summerslam. People tuned in for the fallout of the PPV. While the fans are there, they are baited, and the WWE has to follow through and hook them for the next show. Ratings dropping from last week to this week is not shocking, but dropping as much as they did is not a good sign. One last question. If Kevin Nash receives a text message, but many fans don't really give a damn about that or anything else the WWE is offering to tune in every week, do the ratings go up? No, not really.
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