No. But, for the sake of discussion, let’s humor ourselves for a moment. According to reports, CM Punk’s WWE contract expired on July 15th, ending speculation of a return for the time being. Punk has been rather silent since his sudden departure, but took to Twitter on Tuesday to make a statement on his career. WWE.com also moved Punk to the alumni section.
“Nope, thank YOU.Thanks for all the help and support through the years. Health and happiness above all. Don’t ever take any shit from anybody.” – CM Punk
Catchphrase or not, CM Punk’s legacy cements him as one of the best in the world. He paved the way for undersized and unorthodox wrestlers to climb the corporate ladder WWE places in front of their superstars. He showed us that you don’t have to look like The Rock, or sell kid-friendly merchandise like John Cena to become relevant in World Wrestling Entertainment. Punk laughed in the face of a traditional in-ring style, with a move-set ranging from a top rope elbow to the Anaconda Vice submission hold. He didn’t have “the look”, or the traditional “it factor”, but he had something. The straight-edged, sarcastic superstar is quite possibly the most unique WWE performer in history. CM Punk gave the industry something different; there isn’t a fair comparison to a wrestler of the past, but people will attempt to compare him to wrestlers of the future. The question is already being asked: will we see another CM Punk? The answer is ‘no’, but maybe someone else will give us something different like he once did.
Before CM Punk, Edge was main eventing against WWE’s traditional, heavy hitting, muscular superstars on magazine covers. Although the two don’t share much else in common, Edge created a slot that made it believable for alternative styles and sizes to fight in main events. Edge made us believe that a fast-talking, slimmer performer could beat up Batista or The Undertaker. His promos weren’t traditional wrestling promos; they felt a bit closer to being “real”. Edge was the first of his kind. In that sense, CM Punk became the next Edge, but he took the spot to another planet and made it his own. The takeaway is that we will never see another Edge, and we’ll never see another CM Punk. For the crop of superstars we’re trying to compare to CM Punk – it’s not about if they’ll become him. The question should be if they can learn from him and create their own spot like he once did.
Seth Rollins has often been compared to CM Punk, and it’s easy to see the similarities. Both have an indy style in the ring, and even share somewhat of a physical likeness. Like Punk before him, Rollins won the Money in the Bank ladder match, giving him a championship match at a time of his choosing. Also like Punk, many question if Rollins is ready to take that step. WWE certainly did not think CM Punk was ready the first time he cashed in, giving him one of the most lackluster title reigns in the last decade. By that logic, they’re similar. You can almost see WWE positioning Rollins into the CM Punk vacancy, but it may not be the right call. If Rollins is to become the controversial heel we can’t help but cheer, he probably shouldn’t have sided with The Authority (Punk never sided with authority figures, even in the depths of his best heel work). Rollins, while a solid talker, does not have the same grab to his personality to create something we’ve never seen. One could argue that of the three former Shield members, Dean Ambrose actually has the personality chops to match CM Punk, not Rollins. Ambrose’s ring style doesn’t equally compare, but his “lunatic fringe” has similarities to “voice of the voiceless” that was so cool with Punk. Lunatic Fringe, by the way, should already be on t-shirts.
Searching elsewhere, KENTA made his WWE commitment official last week, signing a contract to come over and get started in NXT. If you’re familiar with KENTA’s resume, you know that many say he invented the GTS, and Punk adopted it as his finisher. Whether it’s copying, borrowing, or learning, CM Punk’s in-ring style compares nicely to KENTA’s. The Japanese import, however, has other challenges. He’ll have to break through a language barrier to come anywhere near Punk on the mic. It’s conceivable that KENTA gets paired with someone like Paul Heyman to do his talking, or maybe he won’t talk at all. Maybe an absolute badass in the ring that does not say a single word will get over like we’ve never seen before. The opportunity exists for KENTA to be something unique, but he’s a long ways away. The same could be said for the rumored arrivals of Kevin Steen and Prince Devitt. They’ve created Punk-ish buzz on the independent scene, leaving WWE as their only mountain left to climb. Time will have to tell; after all, CM Punk did not happen overnight.
It’s not fair to Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose or KENTA to receive CM Punk comparisons. There will never be another voice of the voiceless, or best in the world. There won’t be a superstar that sits cross-legged on the ramp and drops a pipe bomb. Nobody will ask us if they have our attention now. The most we can hope for is a unique superstar that has learned something from CM Punk. In ten years, hopefully we’ll be asking if we’ll ever see another….
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