CM Punk just isn't over

[saintpat]

Forget ratings and buy rates. Listen to the live crowd -- he only draws superficial heat when he goes for the cheap shots at the city, and it's not because he's so over as a face because the pop he does get is lukewarm.

I thought it might be just this city or that city, a cold crowd here or there, but it's week after week. Face it, you can hear every word of his promos, he never has to wait for it to quiet down -- and don't tell me it's because they are hanging on every word.

Listen to the initial reaction when Cena, or Vince McMahon for that matter, emerges. Crowd goes nuts. For Punk, it's not a lukewarm boo with a few scattered claps. Vickie can barely get a word out because she has real heat. Punk could go unplugged because the noise just isn't there -- he practically begged for it tonight ("Please, show some respect as I unveil my choice") and got just mild jeers.

Brock could come out and blow his nose and the place would go wild. Even with Heyman, Punk isn't making people care.

If he's the next big thing, he should be able to get heel reax. He did it with SES for a while, but he just isn't getting it down. Blame booking if you will, blame creative, blame anyone but Punk if you must, but the fact is he just isn't getting this over.

[Bang Bang Bart]

The thing is, he got pretty damned loud cheers when he was face early in the year, even rivaling those of John Cena.

[juvijuiceisloose]

Maybe it's because the crowd doesn't wanna boo him.

[rapidfire187]

He makes my girlfriend seeth with rage every week. Nobody else even gets a reaction out of her besides Cena. Take that for what you will but I value this sort of insight from non-fans.

[flatsdomino]

Because he wasn't getting more unified face reactions than Cena before the turn, and doesn't manage to get decent heel heat off an awful, forced turn now.

Also, people stopped reacting as much to Brock during the Triple H feud. Why? Shitty booking making him feel like another guy. He didn't exactly blow the roof off the place when he came out at Raw 1000.

[B.A.]

you're kidding me, right?

[mizerable]

The heel turn was a huge mistake...and he's been a shitty heel since turning.

[YiHammer]

Ratings and buy rates can now be blamed on one guy

[Deleted]

Oct 15, 2012 19:44:47 GMT -5 rapidfire187 said:

He makes my girlfriend seeth with rage every week. Nobody else even gets a reaction out of her besides Cena. Take that for what you will but I value this sort of insight from non-fans.

That's what I was about to say. The non-fans I've watched with can't stand him, in the correct "what a jerk" sense, not X-pac heat.

FWIW, the only people that get much of a reaction from the non-fans I know are Ryback and Punk.

[deadstock]

I agree whit this 100% I think this whole heel turn is forced.
Even if it puts him in a better place in the card. Instead of
Second maybe third top face in the company Now he is the top heel.
The SES worked because it felt right not forced just natural progression.
The guy is talented , this run is not memorable Foley was right
You don't want to be a statistic long run nothing great who cares.
Short run great storyline an matches it will be remembered.

[mizerable]

Oct 15, 2012 19:48:17 GMT -5 YiHammer said:

Ratings and buy rates can now be blamed on one guy

Tensai

[Mayonnaise]

So you're going to ignore 6 years of being one of the most over guys in the company just to say he cannot get over because WWE wrote a heel turn that not everyone is buying into? Nevermind ignoring the reactions he's gotten in places like last week or in weeks prior since it torpedoes you're entire point, Punk just cannot get the job done?

[SEAN CARLESS]

Oct 15, 2012 19:46:12 GMT -5 flatsdomino said:

Because he wasn't getting more unified face reactions than Cena before the turn, and doesn't get decent heel heat off an awful, forced turn now.

The way they turned him heel was lame. He was over as a guy who told it like it is. And now, he's supposed to be booed for still telling it like it is, but being whiny about it.

The crux of his complaint is correct. The company never gave him the ball and still put all their eggs in Cena's basket. Right or wrong, he felt slighted, and it's kind of hard to not see that point. The manufactured whining from there just seems unrealistic. He should've turned heel by revealing that he really hated everyone and used WWE and the fans to get what he wants. Instead, his entire heel shtick is based on a truth.

That said, I find it kind of sadly ironic that Punk originally stood for shaking up WWE and exposing its broken, flawed way of doing business, and now, just over one year later, everything that was status quo has been reset.

[Dub H]

I don't know what the f*** you are talking about.The heel turn was forced ,yes.But Punk is over as hell as heel.

[PKO]

I'm not a Star Trek fan, I haven't sat through a whole episode in my life, so you'll have to excuse me. There's a picture of a Star Trek character played by Patrick Stewart with his head in his hands that has become a large Meme on the Internet. My Internet connection is shakey at the moment so I can't search for it.

It belongs in this thread.

[flatsdomino]

Oct 15, 2012 19:55:54 GMT -5 SEAN CARLESS said:

Oct 15, 2012 19:46:12 GMT -5 flatsdomino said:

Because he wasn't getting more unified face reactions than Cena before the turn, and doesn't get decent heel heat off an awful, forced turn now.

The way they turned him heel was lame. He was over as a guy who told it like it is. And now, he's supposed to be booed for still telling it like it is, but being whiny about it.

The crux of his complaint is correct. The company never gave him the ball and still put all their eggs in Cena's basket. Right or wrong, he felt slighted, and it's kind of hard to not see that point. The manufactured whining from there just seems unrealistic. He should've turned heel by revealing that he really hated everyone and used WWE and the fans to get what he wants. Instead, his entire heel shtick is based on a truth.

That said, I find it kind of sadly ironic that Punk originally stood for shaking up WWE and exposing its broken, flawed way of doing business, and now, just over one year later, everything that was status quo has been reset.

I'm with you on all that, and the message behind that has made watching WWE just depressing lately. What I was saying, though, was that Punk's managed to turn shit into gold with good heel work, as he's been going for some 7 years now.

[Brainbustaaah!]

Oct 15, 2012 20:00:19 GMT -5 PKO said:

I'm not a Star Trek fan, I haven't sat through a whole episode in my life, so you'll have to excuse me. There's a picture of a Star Trek character played by Patrick Stewart with his head in his hands that has become a large Meme on the Internet. My Internet connection is shakey at the moment so I can't search for it.

It belongs in this thread.

And I oblige.

[Savage Gambino]

Oct 15, 2012 20:00:19 GMT -5 PKO said:

I'm not a Star Trek fan, I haven't sat through a whole episode in my life, so you'll have to excuse me. There's a picture of a Star Trek character played by Patrick Stewart with his head in his hands that has become a large Meme on the Internet. My Internet connection is shakey at the moment so I can't search for it.

It belongs in this thread.

Do you mean this one?



Or this one?



Either way, it's applicable. Hell, I don't even like the guy, and I wholeheartedly disagree. People just don't wanna boo him, but they find themselves in positions where they shouldn't cheer him.

[Deleted]

This won't end well

[saintpat]

WWE history, especially recent history, is full of heels that were cheered -- Edge got great pop when people were supposed to boo him, Randy Orton same thing. Punk is getting crickets.

I thought the crowd was hot for McMahon last week, not for Punk. Someone else could see it differently, of course, but don't tell me he got any reaction tonight with his initial segment. Or two weeks ago.

You don't think people want to cheer Brock when he appears as a heel? They do -- and they actually cheer. And some of them boo because he's a heel. The point is the react. But you can't convince me that Punk is getting anywhere near that kind of reaction either way.

Punk heel should be getting enough heat that he can't go through entire promos without crowd interruptions. Even if people broke out in cheers and he had to resort to "I don't want your cheers, just shut up and let me talk" to get some boos out of the rest of the crowd, it would be a reaction.

And if he's the best in the world, he could generate heat out of this heel turn. He just can't do it, or hasn't so far.