I’m not one for conspiracy theories. I believe we landed on the moon, Oswald shot Kennedy and 9/11 was not an inside job. Pro wrestling has had its fair share of conspiracy theories as well, most of which I don’t believe either. That being said, every once in a while, someone presents a theory that makes sense. So much so that you start to question what you know.
As I watched RAW on Monday, there was one sound that could be heard loud and clear all night. The chants. The chants for CM Punk. I couldn’t help but feel a little bad for Daniel Bryan. Sure, he still got his usual thunderous reaction when he was out there, but now instead of chanting HIS name all night like they had only a week ago, they were chanting for Punk. It was almost as if CM Punk saw the swell of support for Bryan, then took himself off TV in order to manipulate the fickle nature of the smark fans into chanting for HIM instead. But that couldn’t possibly be the case.
Or could it?
CM Punk is no dummy. Especially when it comes to pro wrestling. He understands how the art works, he understands how the business works, and most importantly, he understands how the fans work. All of the businesses best have understood how to manipulate and work the fans into giving them the reaction they want, and as Punk has said himself, he’s the best in the world. He’s proven it time and time again. When he wanted people to hate him, he became the self-righteous opposite of all the things most wrestling fans loved. When he wanted folks to love him, he became the anti-establishment “voice of the voiceless”. Punk knows what wrestling fans want, because he is one.
On the other hand, according to some, WWE doesn’t know what wrestling fans want. Even in the case where that is true, they do know what wrestling fans remember. It’s the reason they have used the same characters (in different incarnations) over the years, and why they continue to turn real life drama into easy television. The Montreal Screwjob causes controversy and boosts ratings? Let’s do it at next year’s Survivor Series and cause a stir. Fans resent The Rock for trying to branch out into Hollywood? Let’s bring him back as an egotistical Hollywood star! WWE remembers what fans remember, and CM Punk remembers because he is a wrestling fan. So it’s safe to assume he probably remembers the summer of 2002 as well.
The similarities of the CM Punk situation and the Steve Austin “taking his ball and going home” controversy from 2002 was pointed out here by Aaron Wrotkowski. People are also quick to point out the similarities between Austin and Punk as anti-establishment anti-heroes. Is it possible that CM Punk saw a great, memorable moment of real life drama from WWE’s past and tried to duplicate it? History would say yes.
CM Punk has a tendency of taking great moments from the past and duplicating them to greater effect. When CM Punk first made an impact in Ring of Honor he generated anger in fans by claiming to be “better than them” because of his drug and alcohol free lifestyle. Sound familiar? It was the same idea he used to craft the Straight Edge Society for WWE in 2009. Bigger audience, bigger reaction. Fast forward to 2004 and the “Summer of Punk” in Ring of Honor. Punk orchestrated a grandmaster plan to generate interest by winning the ROH World Championship and proclaiming that he would lay it at the feet of Vince McMahon when he left the company. This would be the germ that would grow into Punk’s defining moment in WWE when he gave his “pipe bomb” speech and said he would win the WWE Championship…and then leave the company behind. Punk is a fan, and remembers how this real life drama with Steve Austin (an apparent influence) resonated with viewers. Why wouldn’t he continue to follow a successful formula by taking this story and making it his own to greater effect?
While that in itself is a thought provoking idea, it becomes more muddled when you think about the time frame in which this is occurring. Punk’s contract is up in July. If this groundswell of vocalized support for Punk continues, he will have some serious bargaining power come negotiation time. WWE doesn’t want to risk losing Punk to someone else, because he IS a proven star. But, in the last few months, his star hasn’t shined as bright next to Daniel Bryan or John Cena. With thousands of people chanting his name at shows and WWE scrambling to keep them quiet and take away their signs… he is once again the focus of the fans, and that can be the difference maker between a pay cut and a raise.
It all fits! Punk gets some time off, makes the WWE sweat a little and comes back a conquering hero of the people at the top of the card with a more lucrative contract! It all benefits Punk! The recreations, the bargaining power, the cult like status! It’s all there! He had to know what he was doing, pulling our strings like a master puppeteer, manipulating the fans into thinking he was fed up with the politics of WWE when really it’s all part of another CM Punk master plan to keep himself on top! IT ALL MAKES SENSE!… or maybe it’s just another crazy conspiracy theory, concocted by a fan who has thought about it waaaaaaay too much.
I want to know what you think. Is it possible that CM Punk orchestrated his “walkout” as a way to regain popularity with the smark market? If you think so, #conspiracyyes. If you think the wrestling business has finally driven me crazy #conspiracyno.
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