CM Punk chat

[Slapnut]

9 hours ago, Suplex Sinner said:

Unfortunately, Punk isn't a draw

What metric are you basing this on? A quick google search suggests that’s not even remotely true.

https://twitter.com/wrestlenomics/status/1584200975706890243?s=46&t=yE-tBZKwrPez822DXmyxbQ

Edit: not sure how to embed a tweet sorry

Edited June 22, 2023 by Slapnut

[gmoney]

There's loads of stuff you can legitimately skewer Punk for, I've no idea why people make up shit. 

[David]

9 hours ago, Suplex Sinner said:

Unfortunately, Punk isn't a draw and didn't have any impact on the shows other than making them slightly worse.

Nah, I'm not having that. There's a reason why promoters are willing to put up with his arsey behaviour. It's because he shifts merchandise and attracts fans. 

[Carbomb]

27 minutes ago, David said:

Nah, I'm not having that. There's a reason why promoters are willing to put up with his arsey behaviour. It's because he shifts merchandise and attracts fans. 

Yup. I daresay Tony Khan has weighed up the money Punk has drawn against the financial damage his behaviour will have done, and decided it was worth it.

[IronSheik]

He's a top name and definite draw. Anyone that says he isn't a draw is allowing their emotions to skew reality. 

[Michael_3165]

It depends what you call a draw. Sure nowadays, but that's a relatively low bar, comparative to Austin, Hogan or Rock. I wouldn't really say ANYONE can legitimately be called a draw in 2023. 

[David]

15 minutes ago, Michael_3165 said:

It depends what you call a draw. Sure nowadays, but that's a relatively low bar, comparative to Austin, Hogan or Rock. I wouldn't really say ANYONE can legitimately be called a draw in 2023. 

It's all relative, isn't it? For me, someone who is a draw manages to draw attention and eyeballs to a product. And is a defining factor in selling tickets. 

The Austin, Hogan and Rock eras aren't really comparable in 2023. It's like when people talk about TV ratings today, as if it's still 1998 and everyone is using traditional cable to consume content. 

I personally haven't watched a TV show via traditional television means for years now. I subscribe to services online. 

Back in the day, Hogan, Rock or Austin didn't have to lean as much on social media. The internet wasn't as big a factor. The landscape has changed quite a bit, and it's like the old timers who would say "well, this Austin or Rock fella isn't a patch on Bruno or Andre." Well, yeah, but it was a different world back then as well. Different parameters for measuring success. Not to say that Bruno couldn't have been a success in the Rock and Austin era, as we don't know how he'd have changed his act to adapt to modern times. Maybe he'd have positioned himself as a more hairy Bret Hart? Who knows?

But yeah, Punk clearly has the fans interest. We're all talking about him now, and have been for months. He's polarizing, and has got wrestling fans in 2023 to do that weird tribal thing they feel they need to do with everything. It's WWE or AEW. Vince or Tony. Wrestling or Sports Entertainment. And it's Punk or The Elite. 

Basically, he matters. People are gonna boo him, or cheer him. And having him around has increased the level of buzz and online chatter, which to me, is up there as a yardstick in this day and age with the antiquated TV ratings measurements.

[thatvinylgeek]

Been sitting on this for a while....but genuine question, has anyone else had any good experiences of meeting Punk? 

The reason I ask is because I was on a show with him I guess back in 2004 when he was over in the UK and he was genuinely really nice...

Now granted he was being paid, but still, he arrived early, made sure to go round all the workers and introduce himself as Phil and get their names. He was more than willing to let us all ask questions and answer them (which considering we were mostly a bunch of amateurs in there late teens early 20s must have been grating for him). 

He worked an opening angle where he saved my little brother (who I think was 10 at the time) from being powerbombed and took the time to talk him through what was going to happen, and then worked the main event where he was more than willing to listen to what his opponent wanted to do, show some arse and have a pretty competitive match.

All in all it was great...surely I can't be the only one? 

[DavidB6937]

2 hours ago, thatvinylgeek said:

Surely I can't be the only one? 

I mean obviously not. Plenty of people in the industry have been friends with him and had good words to say. But that doesn't mean he's not a cunt sometimes.

[thatvinylgeek]

11 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said:

I mean obviously not. Plenty of people in the industry have been friends with him and had good words to say. But that doesn't mean he's not a cunt sometimes.

Ha! Very fair

Just seems everyone on here who has had a run in with him has had a very negative experience.

Maybe he was just having a good day, some hockey team probably won something 

Edited June 24, 2023 by thatvinylgeek

[David]

I think he's a decent enough bloke. Until you cross him. Be it real or imaginary.

[d-d-d-dAz]

3 hours ago, David said:

I think he's a decent enough bloke. Until you cross him. Be it real or imaginary.

This is definitely it, I think.

Obviously, the absurd part about all of this is none of us really know what’s happened and are picking sides based on vibes, but Punk definitely seems like someone who is on hyper-red-alert for anyone taking advantage of him.

It’s almost as if he’s a product of the industry that came before him, making his way in the industry he helped create but isn’t able to adapt fully.

He was part of the group that helped make wrestling more collegiate, more accepting, more human. But now it’s there - I’m by no means saying wrestling is perfect, but it’s definitely less defined by it being an industry for a pack of rabid, psychopathic mercenaries - I don’t know that he can shake off the feeling that someone’s going to take advantage or do something awful to him.

Even sometimes in his promo’s these days when he’s grinding axes, it’s hard not to think ‘woah, man, chill… play a video game with everyone else and have a smile - this is supposed to be fun now.’

 

[JakeRobertsParoleOfficer]

On the subject of being a draw I'd argue that Hogan, being able to sell the merch he did, venues he did and attract the kind of global attention he did without the outlets we have now is a far bigger accomplishment and representative of being a draw (and to a slightly lesser degree rock and austin as they came later), than anything that can be achieved today. 

Punk for me just isn't in that league

[FUM]

It’s all relative. Hogan, Rock and Austin didn’t have the marketing available now sure but they also didn’t have the luxury of being able to tune in on-demand or just check out their segment on YouTube meaning you don’t even have to watch the show.

One look at YouTube views for Collision last week and this shows that plenty will go out their way just to watch his stuff. His promo last week is double any other video from the show in terms of views, second place is his match which is about 3x any other segment on the show. 

I’m a prime example - I’ve watched 2 AEW TV shows this week when I’d probably watched about 1 full Dynamite in terms of TV stuff all year before Punk’s return. There’s a stat out there where if you look at Miocic and Overeem’s previous main events then there’s a good argument to say CM Punk added a huge boost to UFC buys on the event he debuted.

He is a draw and someone not doing “100k in the Silverdome, brother” doesn’t change that.

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, FUM said:

His promo last week is double any other video from the show in terms of views, second place is his match which is about 3x any other segment on the show.

The numbers don't lie, and they spell curtains for the Bucks at Sacrifice.