CM Punk: New Midcard WWE Champion

The only point I want to make now is simple and obvious, but it is one of the major things I am always bringing up when talking about the WWE and how they push their talent. CM Punk defeated Alberto Del Rio to win the WWE Championship once again. Noticed where his match with Dolph Ziggler was on Raw? Midcard.

Ziggler and Punk had a great, long match. I know wrestling fans loved that. Not going to complain. But looking at the positioning of the match in the card, you get an idea of where CM Punk still stands. He is the World Champion of Raw. He has a match against the U.S. Champion. Champion vs. Champion. Where is this match? Start of the second hour. Doesn't get the main-event segment and overtime. That illustrates what it really means to be a centerpiece. If the WWE was not so centerpiece-driven, Punk would be ending the show. Being WWE Champion does not automatically give you that attention. To put it simply, it may be a different World title, different opponents, and a different hairstyle, but this is 2008 for Punk all over again.

What about Alberto Del Rio? Obviously, he is not going to get released now. He still has a rematch with Punk. The WWE really has been ruining his character for a while now. The least they can do is hold Cena down for one night and have the Punk/Del Rio rematch be the main event of Raw. Even if Punk does retain, let Del Rio save some main-event credibility.