“Your arms are too short to box with God” 10 years later

[ChitownKnight]

So it’s been around 10 years since this promo took place. Punk talks about how he did the Pipebomb for himself and not for the fans talked down to the fans as well. How do you feel about his heel run a decade later knowing everything that happened since? At the time nobody wanted a heel Punk, but I think that character fit his real life persona more than his 2011 character did

[A Little Doo Doo]

As someone who started watching again because of CM Punk, I thought that 2013 heel run was awful.

[Lizuka #BLM]

I largely stopped watching after Punk's heel turn - watched the Rumble and that was it until the night after Mania - but in the bits and pieces of that time period I've seen since, yeah, it was absolutely horrendous. Think the only redeemable part of it I have seen is the Taker match and that's only good because it's a decent match on an otherwise terrible show.

[Push R Truth]

cm poop sucks

[Rudy Gobert Weather Machine]

If only I knew 10 years ago how hilarious the concept of CM Punk being a boxer would be in 3 years time

[Fade]

It was very weird.

He certainly felt like a main eventer and the Ryback stuff was good shit. Even that particular line, and that promo with Rock, he had his moments.

But a lot of it felt so meandering. He was trying so, so, hard to be disliked and an asshole (insert joke here) but it felt forced or boring a lot of the time. And Paul kind of went to waste.

It’s funny to hear Heyman talk about when they were both originally paired up, how they both devilishly squealed about the company “not knowing what they did” by pairing them up and the “shit they were going to do”…they didn’t do anything really lol.

Paul’s current usage with Reigns makes the Punk one look all the more lackluster.

One of the biggest “highlights” of Phil’s heel run was him incredulously socking a fan. If you can call it that.

[A Little Doo Doo]

I know he was a face again at this time, but man, I wish SummerSlam 2013 was Punk's last night with the company. Because the feud with RyBaxel and Heyman after... hoo boy. Fall 2013 was just a really bad time (at least for me, both personally and my interest in the product)

[Big DSR Energy]

Rock's response: "No they're not!"

[Lizuka #BLM]

Jan 19, 2023 15:58:16 GMT -5 A Little Doo Doo said:

I know he was a face again at this time, but man, I wish SummerSlam 2013 was Punk's last night with the company. Because the feud with RyBaxel and Heyman after... hoo boy. Fall 2013 was just a really bad time (at least for me, both personally and my interest in the product)

I'm still so utterly baffled at how they told that feud completely backwards. Punk fights Brock and loses to him but gets his hands on Heyman in the match, then he fights Heyman's B-tier flunky Axel, then he kicks Ryback's ass one-on-one, then he has a handicap match with Heyman where Heyman spends the entire thing hiding from him. Every step of it would make far more sense if you did it in the opposite order.

[BorneAgain]

It was an interesting experience because Punk's SES run definitely could have been better, but he constantly elevated potentially weak angles/promos because he was nailing that heel role.

The run from Summer 2012 to the WM match was almost the opposite, where everything on paper seemed great ... but Punk felt so forced into the heel role and (March Raw match with Cena aside) things rarely ever felt like they completely clicked.

Punk did some fine work in the period, but I think one can make a decent argument that Summerslam 2012 through Royal Rumble 2014 had a lot of failed potential given how good he was.

[1 Free Moon-Down with Burger]

f*** man. It was tough being online during that run. lol.

Like, he was fine. He’s obviously a good performer but the screeaaaaaaaming about how his promos were so incredible during that title run. Spare me. Oh my god, spare me. That title reign went on like 5 months longer than it should have.

Don’t even get me started on his face run after with the Bart Simpson as Wolverine look where he’d cut the same exact promo every single week. “I’m not here to talk, I’m here to fight”

[Andew9001]

Awful heel run in my opinion but that is an awesome line

[Starshine]

Jan 19, 2023 15:58:16 GMT -5 A Little Doo Doo said:

I know he was a face again at this time, but man, I wish SummerSlam 2013 was Punk's last night with the company. Because the feud with RyBaxel and Heyman after... hoo boy. Fall 2013 was just a really bad time (at least for me, both personally and my interest in the product)

Some of the booking in 2013 was just weird in general. Remember Ryback losing to Mark Henry then being set up as John Cena's first title challenger the next night?

[chazraps]

Ahh yes, the line CM Punk stole from an Xzibit song and never properly credited in the years since. That promo.

EDIT and yes, it was the title song from a Delores Hall musical in the 70s and the saying existed beforehand, but Mr X to the Z was the one who had the most famous late-90s early-2000s use of it that brought the saying into popularity.

[The Rick Jericho]

Jan 19, 2023 15:44:36 GMT -5 A Little Doo Doo said:

As someone who started watching again because of CM Punk, I thought that 2013 heel run was awful.

And don't forget months before this he tried to carry Ryback to a 5 star match...... and failed.

[Fade]

Jan 19, 2023 18:42:04 GMT -5 chazraps said:

Ahh yes, the line CM Punk stole from an Xzibit song and never properly credited in the years since. That promo.

EDIT and yes, it was the title song from a Delores Hall musical in the 70s and the saying existed beforehand, but Mr X to the Z was the one who had the most famous late-90s early-2000s use of it that brought the saying into popularity.

I was going to say lol..the origin’s old as hell.

[chazraps]

Jan 19, 2023 18:47:07 GMT -5 Fade said:

Jan 19, 2023 18:42:04 GMT -5 chazraps said:

Ahh yes, the line CM Punk stole from an Xzibit song and never properly credited in the years since. That promo.

EDIT and yes, it was the title song from a Delores Hall musical in the 70s and the saying existed beforehand, but Mr X to the Z was the one who had the most famous late-90s early-2000s use of it that brought the saying into popularity.

I was going to say lol..the origin’s old as hell.

Definitely. Earliest I could find was James Weldon Johnson's 1927 poem 'The Prodigal Son' -

Young man—
Young man—
Your arm's too short to box with God.

But Jesus spake in a parable, and he said:
A certain man had two sons.
Jesus didn't give this man a name,
But his name is God Almighty.
And Jesus didn't call these sons by name,
But ev'ry young man,
Ev'rywhere,
Is one of these two sons

And the younger son said to his father,
He said: Father, divide up the property,
And give me my portion now.


And the father with tears in his eyes said: Son,
Don’t leave your father’s house.
But the boy was stubborn in his head,
And haughty in his heart,
And he took his share of his father’s goods,
And went into a far-off country.


There comes a time,
There comes a time
When ev’ry young man looks out from his father’s house,
Longing for that far-off country.


And the young man journeyed on his way,
And he said to himself as he travelled along:
This sure is an easy road,
Nothing like the rough furrows behind my father’s plow.


Young man’
Young man’”
Smooth and easy is the road
That leads to hell and destruction.
Down grade all the way,
The further you travel, the faster you go.
No need to trudge and sweat and toil,
Just slip and slide and slip and slide
Till you bang up against hell’s iron gate.


And the younger son kept traveling along,
Till at night-time he came to a city.
And the city was bright in the night-time like day,
The streets all crowded with people,
Brass bands and string bands a-playing,
And ev’rywhere the young man turned
There was singing and laughing and dancing.
And he stopped a passer-by and he said:
Tell me what city is this?
And the passer-by laughed and said: Don’t you know?
This is Babylon, Babylon,
That great city of Babylon.
Come on, my friend, and go along with me.
And the young man joined the crowd.


Young man’
Young man’”
You’re never lonesome in Babylon.
You can always join a crowd in Babylon.
Young man’
Young man'”
You can never be alone in Babylon,
Alone with your Jesus in Babylon.
You can never find a place, a lonesome place,
A lonesome place to go down on your knees,
And talk with your God, in Babylon.
You’re always in a crowd in Babylon.
And the young man went with his new-found friend,
And bought himself some brand new clothes,
And he spent his days in the drinking dens,
Swallowing the fires of hell.
And he spent his nights in the gambling dens,
Throwing dice with the devil for his soul.
And he met up with the women of Babylon.
Oh, the women of Babylon!
Dressed in yellow and purple and scarlet,
Loaded with rings and earrings and bracelets,
Their lips like a honeycomb dripping with honey,
Perfumed and sweet-smelling like a jasmine flower;
And the jasmine smell of the Babylon women
Got in his nostrils and went to his head,
And he wasted his substance in riotous living,
In the evening, in the black and dark of night,
With the sweet-sinning women of Babylon.
And they stripped him of his money,
And they stripped him of his clothes,
And they left him broke and ragged
In the streets of Babylon.


Then the young man joined another crowd’”
The beggars and lepers of Babylon.
And he went to feeding swine,
And he was hungrier than the hogs;
He got down on his belly in the mire and mud
And ate the husks with the hogs.
And not a hog was too low to turn up his nose
At the man in the mire of Babylon.


Then the young man came to himself’”
He came to himself and said:
In my father’s house are many mansions,
Ev’ry servant in his house has bread to eat,
Ev’ry servant in his house has a place to sleep;
I will arise and go to my father.
And his father saw him afar off,
And he ran up the road to meet him.
He put clean clothes upon his back,
And a golden chain around his neck,
He made a feast and killed the fatted calf,
And invited the neighbors in.


Oh-o-oh, sinner,
When you’re mingling with the crowd in Babylon’”
Drinking the wine of Babylon’
Running with the women of Babylon’
You forget about God, and you laugh at Death.
Today you’€™ve got the strength of a bull in your neck
And the strength of a bear in your arms,
But some o’ these days, some o’™ these days,
You’ll have a hand-to-hand struggle with bony Death,
And Death is bound to win.


Young man, come away from Babylon,
That hell-border city of Babylon.
Leave the dancing and gambling of Babylon,
The wine and whiskey of Babylon,
The hot-mouthed women of Babylon;
Fall down on your knees,
And say in your heart:
I will arise and go to my Father.

[Rudy Gobert Weather Machine]

Shoutouts to the WWE Originals Making Of mini doc that was on WWE Confidential and showed Booker T in the booth like HEY I JUST MADE SOMETHING UP CHECK THIS

He proceeded to say you either get down or lay down.

[tirtefaa]

No one wanted a heel CM Punk because everyone knew what route that would take, which was to lose to John Cena, or The Rock by proxy.

It doesn't matter what Punk's real life persona was or would become...what mattered at the time was he was a nice alternative to those who didn't care for Cena.

I mean, for a company that was willing to split the brands and have two World titles, they were absolutely adamant about having one focal point babyface. Yeah, there were other faces, but they were always regulated below Cena's status. And for a time, Punk was the closest to being that top brand alternative.

[BorneAgain]

Jan 19, 2023 18:39:24 GMT -5 Starshine said:

Jan 19, 2023 15:58:16 GMT -5 A Little Doo Doo said:

I know he was a face again at this time, but man, I wish SummerSlam 2013 was Punk's last night with the company. Because the feud with RyBaxel and Heyman after... hoo boy. Fall 2013 was just a really bad time (at least for me, both personally and my interest in the product)

Some of the booking in 2013 was just weird in general. Remember Ryback losing to Mark Henry then being set up as John Cena's first title challenger the next night?

Heck on a Raw in 2013 Ryback lost via ref stoppage.. to the Miz, who wasn't even actually doing anything particularly heinous to him. He was just tied up in the corner and the ref stopped the bout to ostensibly save Ryback. It was baffling.