One Year Later: Did They Botch?

CM Punk's epic rise started about a year ago. That is when he did a bitter "shoot" on the company during a title feud with John Cena. Would CM Punk leave the company with the WWE Championship? Would the WWE mess up, like many say they did with Nexus? Would he be killed off after a while and returned to the midcard? To put it simply, would they botch? One year later, have they messed up with Punk?

Of course, all this is from the standpoint of a certain type of fan. Before I get into that, how about looking at it from the standpoint of the WWE. This was their big summer angle last year. And yet, it did not draw great ratings. CM Punk became very over and sold a lot of merchandise, but ratings were not there. A year later, he is on the cover of video games. He is still very over. Ratings are moving back up, but I would not say that is because of him. Ratings are obviously not everything, but I find it interesting that not one conversation I have come across about how awesome CM Punk was last year ever mentions that ratings were not great.

How about reasons that fans might have to complain or say the WWE "botched" with CM Punk. Going back to last year, some fans did complain about CM Punk coming back so soon. I can overlook that. Zoom to 2012. CM Punk is one of the longest-reigning WWE Champions in the last decade. That should be something to keep CM Punk fans happy. And he has been putting on great matches. Problem is, when was the last time that he was in the main event of a PPV? That has not happened in 2012. He is still being overshadowed by John Cena, the centerpiece of the company. A lot of fans can have a legitimate complaint in that. Now, go back to the last PPV. John Cena was instrumental in the demise of John Laurinaitis. Wasn't CM Punk the guy who was challenging the establishment and status quo last year? Earlier this year, he was the one feuding with Laurinaitis. Funny how things just shifted away from that and to Cena feuding with Laurinaitis, isn't it? Once again, I would say that this is a legitimate complaint fans can have. Why shouldn't CM Punk look like the hero who beats the establishment? That was his storyline since last year.

All things considered, I don't think the WWE messed up at all. Some may complain about Alberto Del Rio winning the title last year, Triple H beating Punk, and Kevin Nash being inserted into the storyline, but there are other guys the WWE had to feature besides Punk and they have a right to try to develop the feud. Most importantly, it didn't even screw Punk. And even though he is a midcard WWE Champion, he is still holding the title longer than many thought he would. As for Cena getting what should have been Punk's feud, you just have to live with that. The status quo has not changed. CM Punk is still being pushed well. Has he lost some of his edge with his recent storylines? Yes. But he is still showing he has that ability to connect with the fans. I would say that the WWE has not "botched" with CM Punk. That is to say, not yet. What happens when he loses that title and gets cycled out? It will have to happen sooner or later.