The Smackers Thread

[Dai]

27 minutes ago, The King of Old School said:

Must be watching different things, a loud CM Punk chant started after that line. People often see what they want to see.

Reigns/Punk at Mania ?

Huh? I've listened to it a few times now and don't hear a CM Punk chant at all, let alone a loud one? Regardless, after a line like that, Punk was clearly expecting a big, AEW crowdlike 'Ohhhhh' or a big laugh, but it's clearly a compete non reaction. 

[TheScarlettChad]

The promo was great. The AEW dig was wasted on that crowd. 

[d-d-d-dAz]

6 minutes ago, Dai said:

Huh? I've listened to it a few times now and don't hear a CM Punk chant at all, let alone a loud one? Regardless, after a line like that, Punk was clearly expecting a big, AEW crowdlike 'Ohhhhh' or a big laugh, but it's clearly a compete non reaction. 

No, they definitely did chant his name after the line. There was a clear awkward moment, and then they started chanting again.

I think there was a pretty huge, glaring non-reaction to that line though, but I’m not sure it tells the story the tribal folk on Twitter want it to tell.

I may not have loved the promo, but he was super over and 99% of what he said was super over. The one line that had people like ‘huh?’ was the AEW thing. I think that’s probably, if anything, more a them problem.

But, I think the morale is that fans these days just want to enjoy wrestling. It’s 2023, Phil.

As for ‘why rush?’ @Lion_of_the_Midlands - I just think he’s aimless, delivering middling promos and struggling to find his voice. I think he needs someone to bounce off. I appreciate he’s over right now, but the longer he just hangs there remembering peoples names and talking about being home, the quicker the air leaves the balloon I think. Sign the Raw contract, pull apart brawl with Seth and let’s move on. It’s a wrestling programme, not a Phil Brooks personal reality TV show, and I’d rather they just move into the wrestling stuff.

For one, the more they have him engage with the AEW stuff, the more AEW will feel obliged to reply and we’ll end up with two shows being petty and tryhard.

Edited December 9, 2023 by d-d-d-dAz

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

@d-d-d-dAz it will be decided which brand he is on on Monday, not that that matters really. After that there are loads of ways they can play it. WWE audiences have chanted his name for 10 years, they aren't getting bored in 2 weeks. WWE and AEW taking digs at each other happens whatever happens. Neither side can help themselves. 

[d-d-d-dAz]

6 minutes ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

WWE audiences have chanted his name for 10 years

Have they?

They didn’t even chant his name in the run up to Survivor Series, really.

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

Just now, d-d-d-dAz said:

Have they?

They didn’t even chant his name in the run up to Survivor Series, really.

Loads of times over the years dazzler, and it's not like he went on to have a big Hollywood career like The Rock or Batista to keep him fresh in people's minds. He did nothing for ages and then went to AEW  where he was on and off TV over a couple of years. He did a bit on that ESPN or Fox show but that was it. In ring promo performers haven't been distracted by Batista chants while he's been away have they. 

[d-d-d-dAz]

I’m not saying he’s not a huge star - he clearly is - but over the last few years I can’t remember an incident where Punk chants were notable on TV. The WWE audience, as we’ve argued on here ad nauseum, just seem to want to watch and enjoy a good wrestling programme. Which is presumably why the AEW line died on its harris.

Maybe I’m wrong and he can just wander about doing nothing at all and people won’t get bored, but I will. Possibly a function of watching both programmes, I guess, but there’s no real novelty for me in Punk wandering about remembering things. It was only this year I was watching a hairier version of him wrestling hour long 6 man tags on Collision.

[Supremo]

No-one is saying this run is dead or that he isn’t over. But it sure is wild watching him discover in real time just how much the landscape and fan demographic has changed.

In 2023, when everyone’s coming to have a good time and invest in the characters and stories at face value, someone taking pot shots and making insider references just feels awkward and weird.

It’ll be interesting to see how he reacts to this, considering so much of his character and lore is based around it. Hard to be the voice of the voiceless when the crowd have found their voice and it sounds nothing like yours.

[d-d-d-dAz]

Just now, Supremo said:

No-one is saying this run is dead or that he isn’t over. But it sure is wild watching him discover in real time just how much the landscape and fan demographic has changed.

In 2023, when everyone’s coming to have a good time and invest in the characters and stories at face value, someone taking pot shots and making insider references just feels awkward and weird.

It’ll be interesting to see how he reacts to this, considering so much of his character and lore is based around it. Hard to be the voice of the voiceless when the crowd have found their voice and it sounds nothing like yours.

I think this is bang on, but it’s also worth saying that they tried it the other way too and everyone shoved it back in their face.

He’s the Jordan of wrestling. No one really cares about her when she hasn’t got her norks out, but it’s nearly 2024 and no one has time for anyone wandering about with their norks out. People have just moved on.

It’s why I think they just need to throw him headlong into a proper meaty feud. The Rollins thing seems to be over - if they can avoid making it about Colt Cobana that’s probably fine, or just do something completely out of left field. Have him in with LA Knight or something and have it be a wrestling feud.

His ability to inspire emotion and deliver a line is still there, so let’s use it for wrestling.

[DavidB6937]

He's the square peg trying to fit into a round hole. WWE has turned into the positive place he always wanted and he's now the negative one.

I'm oddly fascinated by it. Not the AEW references or whatever. Just by the absolutely bizarre nature of him now being back "home".

I was a fan for many years. I enjoyed him as an on-screen character from ROH onwards. So I know he's talented and capable of delivering something worth watching. I'm curious to see where it goes and how it settles. There's an odd feeling out process going on right now.

[Loki]

Sorry, but that promo was fucking AWFUL.  Much of it was just boring, the crowd were bored and kind of zoned out I think.  A stilted roll call of other people's names isn't "classic Punk" - and if you're having to announce at the start that your last promo was rubbish, it's not a good sign.

11 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

The WWE crowd... seem to want to watch and enjoy a good wrestling programme.

This is it exactly.  The modern crowds are soap opera fans, they like the good guys and bad guys, stories and matches.  CM Punk's "disruptor" wall-breaking schtick just isn't relevant any more.  So 10 minutes of a tired looking middle-aged man chuckling at his own inside jokes goes down like a lead balloon.

Punk used to have swagger.  LA Knight has swagger, Punk just looks like a man out of time.

If this is some complex slow heel turn, just skip to the end and have him start actually feuding and wrestling with someone.

----

On a different topic, some of the entrances in WWE are amazing - Dragon Lee's one where the entrance door is the flames coming out of the dragon's mouth.  Very, very cool.

 

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

7 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

The WWE audience, as we’ve argued on here ad nauseum, just seem to want to watch and enjoy a good wrestling programme. Which is presumably why the AEW line died on its harris.

The implication of your line seems to be that they don't watch AEW because it isn't a good show, so thats why the line didnt land, which I'm not sure is what you meant. 

I would also say that I don't think any of us particularly fit into the mould of average WWE fan, though I am probably fat enough to fill that mould. We like the actual wrestling which is so often merely filler to get to the promo in WWE. I'd imagine that you, like me have watched that 6 man more than you've watched any of his WWE comeback. 

Your Jordan comparison is miles off though, if he was Jordan he'd be getting his norks out in the jungle with Nigel Farage while Ant and Dec made him eat a blended kangaroo bollock. 

[SuperBacon]

I like that t shirt. I mean I wouldn't wear it as I already have 2 embarrassing Punk t shirts, but it's fun.

[d-d-d-dAz]

I think it’s a combination of people either not being aware, or not caring.

As I’ve said before, I’m a Punk fan but I have to agree with others in this thread that he just seems to be floundering to find his voice in modern WWE.

His delivery is still technically good, and he has fans on his side, and there’s plenty to work with. But I just think they need to get to a point where he’s working with someone on something substantial.

Him doing a Peter Kay routine, naming wrestlers isn’t good for anyone, and the AEW references are dead on arrival. Just move on.

Edited December 9, 2023 by d-d-d-dAz

[Matthew]

I don’t see the dislike for that promo, I came away from it thinking he did a great job with both the delivery, and the content, and that it set the wheels in motion for almost a year’s worth of feuds.