{"id":121732,"date":"2023-12-09T20:38:24","date_gmt":"2023-12-10T01:38:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=121732"},"modified":"2023-12-09T20:38:24","modified_gmt":"2023-12-10T01:38:24","slug":"cm-punk-nxt-dream-matches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2023\/12\/09\/cm-punk-nxt-dream-matches\/","title":{"rendered":"CM Punk NXT Dream Matches That WWE Should Consider Booking\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2023\/11\/30\/cm-punks-first-wwe-feuds-revealed\/\" target=\"_self\">CM Punk<\/a> <\/strong>has done nearly everything you can in wrestling but has never been on <strong>NXT<\/strong>. Looking at possible CM Punk<em> NXT<\/em> dream matches are some of the last totally unique moments that <strong>WWE<\/strong> can give its fans. Making his first foray into the land of White and Gold would shoot ratings through the roof. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">So, if WWE decides to use Punk on the developmental brand for a limited amount of time, after his appearance at this year&#8217;s\u00a0<em><strong>NXT Deadline<\/strong><\/em> event, there are ample opponents to throw at him. Each one has their own set of skills and attributes. Despite their relatively young age, each would be a significant dream match.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">NEVER. SAY. NEVER.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CMPunk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@CMPunk<\/a> has just returned to WWE at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SurvivorSeries?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#SurvivorSeries<\/a>!!! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0dpG6vyT5r\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/0dpG6vyT5r<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1728622725885751428?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 26, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Noam Dar<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><strong>Meta-Four<\/strong> has recently been an enjoyable part of <em>NXT<\/em> programming. Their leader, <strong>Noam Dar<\/strong>, is consistently one of the best workers on the card. With an entire faction behind him, he has started to shine outside his technical prowess. The Meta-Four segments are good entertainment, and so is CM Punk. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Segments between Meta-Four and Punk would be fun, and with multiple people playing the numbers game, Punk can be the conquering hero taking them to task.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Meta Four Entrance - NXT: Aug 08, 2023 4K\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/h3FS59naKUY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A part from some fun television segments, Noam Dar vs CM Punk at an <em>NXT<\/em> Premium Live Event (PLE), would be perfect. Dar can take the loss if needed or defend his Heritage Cup in a surprising upset later in Punk&#8217;s return run. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Both men are technically gifted, and the match would look a lot like what CM Punk&#8217;s most ardent fans come to expect and worry about him having in the WWE system. That makes for an appealing matchup should CM Punk decide to make his first-ever appearance on<em> NXT<\/em>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Carmelo Hayes<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Except for maybe <strong>Bron Breakker<\/strong>, nobody exemplifies today&#8217;s <em>NXT<\/em> better than <strong>Carmelo Hayes<\/strong>. He&#8217;s been the brand&#8217;s plucky underdog and the cocky heel to perfection. Slowly but surely, Melo worked his way through <em><strong>NXT 2.0<\/strong><\/em> and, in many ways, crafted Tuesday night wrestling in his image. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">With CM Punk being the self-proclaimed best in the world, he will want to face off with the best WWE offers. The best of <em>NXT<\/em> is Carmelo Hayes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Melo is the perfect opponent for CM Punk. He can hold his own in the build to a match and absolutely can deliver after the bell rings. He is also one of the biggest draws on <em>NXT<\/em> television. Hayes works an active style, which is what CM Punk and his legions of followers appreciate most. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A young and agile performer taking on the grizzled veteran in Punk will highlight both men meaningfully, adding to their characters. With Hayes being involved in a budding <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2023\/07\/05\/carmelo-hayes-vs-trick-williams-for-the-nxt-title\/\" target=\"_self\"><strong>Trick Williams<\/strong> feud<\/a>, without a title, he is open for a run-in with Punk for a massive main event.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Dijak<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Sometimes, it&#8217;s fun to see a little guy try and fight a big guy. Cheering for the underdog against physical odds is universal and the tenant that wrestling was built on. Not many people can make CM Punk look like an underdog in the ring, regardless of his size. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">An athlete of <strong>Dijak&#8217;s<\/strong> caliber would be and is, absolutely, a CM Punk <em>NXT<\/em> dream match. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2018\/12\/19\/dominik-dijakovic-makes-his-nxt-character-debut\/\" target=\"_self\">Dijak<\/a> seems able to work almost any match type. He can get into brawls with the best and keep up with higher work-rate talent as well. CM Punk can also work with nearly everyone. Pairing them off is primed to create a dream scenario together.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">If CM Punk has only one match in him, it won&#8217;t be with Dijak. However, working an entire program on<em> NXT<\/em> could open the door for a monster heel to make Punk&#8217;s life more difficult. Dijak can play that part exceptionally, turning it on when the bell rings, though. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">With call-ups coming around <em><strong>WrestleMania<\/strong><\/em> this year, this match may get time on the main roster instead. If Dijak doesn&#8217;t get the call for some reason, he could still get his moment one-on-one with the iconic voice of the voiceless.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Ilja Dragunov<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">If CM Punk plans to stick around, the NXT title is one of the few he hasn&#8217;t held in a storied wrestling career. Anyone defending (or losing) that championship to Punk would be a seminal moment in NXT history. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">At the moment, though, the title is on one of the best wrestlers in WWE, and indeed one of the most accomplished European wrestlers in a very long time.<strong> Ilja Dragunov<\/strong> is at the top of the list for CM Punk <em>NXT<\/em> dream matches.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ilja Dragunov doesn\u2019t fear pain: WWE NXT, Oct. 4, 2022\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AydBs0u0IdU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Ilja is a top-tier worker, having fought his way through Europe until finally bringing his brand of intensity and violence to <em>NXT<\/em>. His hard-hitting action would be reminiscent of some of Punk&#8217;s recent classics. Punk is also keen to work with the next generation, but not necessarily inexperienced workers. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Ilja is world-traveled and could keep up with Punk. Giving Punk an <em>NXT<\/em> match he would love could be central to keeping the CM Punk experiment going as well as it has. Giving him the &#8220;Mad Russian&#8221; would likely be his choice for a true dream match.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Projecting Some CM Punk NXT Dream Matches<\/span><\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CMPunk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@CMPunk<\/a> Since you\u2019re in Bridgeport and have some time, let\u2019s forgo the phone call and talk in person. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/eOtzwkzKQI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/eOtzwkzKQI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Shawn Michaels (@ShawnMichaels) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnMichaels\/status\/1733586788776550771?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 9, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">CM Punk is not advertised for a run on <em>NXT<\/em>. However, as mentioned, he did appear at <em>NXT Deadline<\/em>, to the delight of the live crowd. Whether or not he&#8217;s poised to <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2023\/11\/28\/cm-punks-return-wwe-wrestlemania\/\" target=\"_self\">make an impact at the brand<\/a>, the CM Punk<em> NXT<\/em> dream matches are too great to pass up. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CMPunk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@CMPunk<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WWENXT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#WWENXT<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p>You just never know what may happen&#8230; \ud83e\udd14<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NXTDeadline?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NXTDeadline<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7GEyU7p7zA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/7GEyU7p7zA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 WWE (@WWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1733655368033546625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 10, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The talent on <em>NXT<\/em> would match well with Punk&#8217;s Indy wrestling style. Punk has historically been upset about &#8220;working with children.&#8221; That could make <em>NXT<\/em> a bad fit. If he can work through it, and the <em>NXT<\/em> talent is willing to learn, they can shock the world again.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/h3>\n<p><em>Header photo \u2013 WWE \u2013\u00a0<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Stay tuned to the\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/watch.wwe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WWE Network<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Peacock<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CM Punk has done nearly everything you can in wrestling but has never been on NXT. Looking at possible CM Punk NXT dream matches are some of the last totally unique moments that WWE can give its fans. Making his first foray into the land of White and Gold would shoot ratings through the roof. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4470,"featured_media":121756,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,2192,4,5,3],"tags":[7740,140,8630,2514,427],"class_list":["post-121732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-north-america","category-wrestling","category-wwe","category-nxt","category-wwe-universe","tag-carmelo-hayes","tag-cm-punk","tag-dijak","tag-ilja-dragunov","tag-noam-dar"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4470"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}