Better In-Ring Performer: Punk or Bryan

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

We've had this discussion many times before, but since there is a tiny, miniscule chance we've seen the last match from both man in WWE I thought it was a can of worms worth re-opening.

To clarify this has 0 percent to do with mic work and 100 percent to do with their in-ring performances.

[Push R Truth]

I will always say Bryan is more exciting in the ring and Punk was more exciting on the mic.

[Hypnosis]

I like both, but I give the edge to Bryan.

[Jedi-El of Tomorrow]

Bryan easily.

[Deleted]

On a scale of 1-10, Punk's a solid 8 in the ring, 10 on the mic. Daniel Bryan's a 5 on the mic (being generous) but a 15 in the ring. The "better wrestler" question kind of depends on which of those matters most in your opinion, but there's no question that Bryan's the better in-ring performer.

[TOK Is the Target Demo]

There was a small period of time when the answer to this wasn't Bryan, and that was only in his first few months in WWE. And to his credit, he was coming off a sabbatical and was getting used to completely new psychology, while Punk was just coming off of having some of the greatest matches in his career with Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio. Save for that 5 month span, the answer is Daniel Bryan. His strikes are much better looking than Punk's ever were (which when looking at the two's movesets, is huge), he's more athletic, bumps better, and in my view, can tell more varied stories in-ring. I'm not knocking Punk's abilities or work at all, he's just not a born athlete.

[Deleted]

Bryan. I've never really seen Punk as anything special in the ring honestly.

[bigalbass86 AKA Smokin Vokoun]

It's kind of like a Flair vs Steamboat argument. Punk, like Flair, was great in the ring. But better on the mic. Bryan, like Steamboat, was just okay on the mic, but are amazing in the ring. Put the two together and you have magic. It's a shame that Punk is gone and Bryan is hurt. Because a heel Punk vs a face Bryan would have been amazing.

[angryfan]

Different performers, different strengths. Punk, I like the Flair (or Dusty, or Piper) comparison. The man was a damn fine worker, but his strength and his gift was evoking emotion from you with his mouth. He could talk you into the building. As a heel, he could make you want him dead, and he could play those puppet strings beautifully.

Punk's gift was the pre-match or build-up.

Bryan, he's a worker plain and simple. He has a charisma that is undeniable, but his skillset, as evidenced by the man who he's said is and has been his mentor, the canvas for his art is the ring itself. He uses facial expressions during a match, or does something just so, so that that in and of itself tells a story.

Both could bump, but I'd say Bryan just plays the better face in peril.

[abjordans]

I think Punk may be getting a bit underrated for his ring work in this thread. He had that Shawn Michaels-esque ability to make a match seem epic. He had the big fight psychology down pat and that is the kind of matches I enjoy most. Bryan is more flashy, and while I loved watching his rise this year, I think Punk is my preferred worker. I watch matches for the psychology, the epic-ness if you will. Punk developed into one of the masters of that.

[Savage Gambino]

Daniel Bryan, and it's not even close. CM Punk may talk "Best in the World", but Bryan lives it.

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

I actually agree with Bryan, but as the OP of this thread I'm a little shocked how much he is winning by.

Also, for the record what really detracts from Punk for me is some shortcomings he has in his psychology. Particularly the criticism that many of his signature moves are done simply because they look cool rather than being an effective way to beat an opponent, which I think is pretty accurate. I'm kind of surprised to see criticism of his athleticism. After those hour long bouts with Samoa Joe and 90 minute draw with Chris Hero, the guy obviously has/had amazing cardio. He was looking worn down later in his WWE run and was not at his most athletic then, but running on the WWE schedule long enough will do that to a lot of people.

[TGM]

Punk is a very good wrestler but he's not anywhere close to Bryan. Bryan is just somebody who gets wrestling and you don't see that kind of wrestler very often.

[Deleted]

It's closer than the poll indicates, but Bryan is better in the ring. You could ask this with just about anyone and Bryan would dominate.

I think Punk and Bryan have had a similar number of truly great matches though, Punk was f***ing great and I don't want that to be forgotten.

[The Captain]

Bryan is one of the best pure wrestlers in the world. Punk's great, but Bryan's in a league of his own.

[Deleted]

Since it's about in ring I voted Bryan but the more I think of it the harder it is to come to that conclusion. Everything Bryan does is really crisp where CM Punk can be pretty sloppy at times (like his elbow drop that looks like he's falling out of a building) but he's more of a three dimensional and nuanced in his character work than I'd say Bryan is. That's not to say that Bryan's bad in that regard, I think Bryan is more over the top as a character in the ring while Punk plays things with far more subtlety so it just kind of depends on what you're looking for. It's also easier right now to say Bryan because he's at the peak of his career while Punk left with a whimper, so Bryan's work is fresher. So yeah, I'd say Bryan but it's really close between them.

[Deleted]

Like I said earlier, you can make a case for either one being the "better wrestler", but those 4 people who actually think Punk was the "better worker" are the kind of people who make me hate... people.

[Bub (BLM)]

Punk was VERY sloppy in many instances. Bryan on the other hand is insanely crisp. Bryan is the better of the two without question.

[Tiger Millionaire]

If Punk had a better finished in the WWE, it would be a closer discussion.

[Deleted]

Oct 7, 2014 13:09:28 GMT -5 Tiger Millionaire said:

If Punk had a better finished in the WWE, it would be a closer discussion.

I'm not even sure what you're discussing now...

Do you mean if he had a better finisher?  If he had a better finish to his career?