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Saturday, September 15, 2012

The Cult of Personality: CM Punk’s Heel Turn

Over the last ten years, WWE hasn’t had any real competition. Therefore, the company has been able to do things its own way without many consequences.

In the process, it seemed as if some arts of character establishing were lost. The people behind the gimmicks were now more tightly wound than they had been, and in return seemed as if Vince McMahon went back on what he promised back in 1997.

When the seeds were hatched for CM Punk’s turn to the dark side on RAW 1000, there was skepticism.

Not only was Punk still getting cheered like a mad man, but Jerry Lawler on commentary made a double-standard that somehow made Punk look more face-ish than almost ever.

It started out with The Rock who pretty much side-stepped Punk in a promo earlier in the show. It should be noted that the continuity from the initial pipe bomb promo was inexplicably absent.

Then it was Lawler’s misstep on commentary. This led to Punk downright owning Lawler multiple times on the microphone and inside of a steel cage. 

Then it was John Cena telling him that respect needs to be earned every night at every arena. A Falls-Count-Anywhere match led Punk to interfere on his “night off”, and perform Go-to-Sleep on Cena on a Chrysler 300.

Add in a dash of Paul Heyman, who was the driver of said 300 (not the SE Spartan Edition), and we got a slow-burn heel-turn that quite frankly is kicking all sorts of ass.

While many people don’t see the sense of a Punk and Heyman pairing, it should be noted these two had been going back and forth on Twitter months leading up to the reveal. Punk having a manager in Heyman would also bring attention to not only themselves, but also to Brock Lesnar, and this could lead to mega main-events on PPV’s for months to come. Some people have also watered at the fact that the breakup (which is inevitable in yo-yo WWE writing) would have some epic shoots.

Punk, whose status as WWE Champion apparently means nothing in the universe, can really elevate himself to the wide-open spot of top heel if he can carry this momentum past Night of Champions. With Heyman as a manager, the possibilities seem endless.

With Lesnar as mentioned before, Heyman has some former clientele on the roster. There is Big Show, whose potential affiliation with Punk and Heyman could potentially salvage his floundering heel turn. Also there is Tensai, who as A-Train, was seemingly coming up through the ranks with Heyman as a manager. Tensai is not in a good place right now, and a sense of familiarity from the past could very well awake a sleeping monster.

That four-man alliance (Punk/Lesnar/Show/Tensai) could easily be a new ‘Dangerous Alliance’. Make a team of Cena/Rock/Triple H/Undertaker, men with various chips on all their shoulders, and we have ourselves a main event for Survivor Series that could blow the roof off wherever that event takes place.

I’m really curious as to see where Punk’s assholetry is going from here. Punk’s been a capable heel before, but he’s in a new echelon now. May the Alliance begin!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Jerry Lawler’s Heart Attack Post

Monday night, I went to bed earlier than usual. It was an exhausting day, and quite frankly, sleep sounded more important to me than a seemingly normal episode of RAW.

As I was getting ready to go back to work the next morning, that’s when I saw the headlines.

Oddly enough, AOL.com had a picture of a distressed Michael Cole with a tagline revolving around losing it on air. Cole has had a heel character for quite some time, so I was thinking maybe he went off script.

Only something far worse occurred off script, and it may very well change the foundation of the WWE.

WARNING: THIS VIDEO IS UNCOMFORTABLE AND DISTURBING. DON’T WATCH IF YOU DON’T WANT TO!

The video enclosed up above shows the event in progress as Daniel Bryan & Kane were taking on Prime Time Players (Titus O’Neil and Darren Young). The commentary turns stone silent as the rest of the match rolls on. Cole stayed true to his colleague all the while being professional. This must be commended, even if you’re not a fan of the guy. Cole would then update the WWE Universe on Lawler’s condition. The expressions on Michael’s face were all too reminiscent of Lawler’s when he saw Owen fall to his death in May of 1999.

From sources I have read, the heart attack was caused by a massive blockage in his arteries. The blockage, caused by plaque buildup, restricts blood flow to the heart. The heart’s primary job is to pump blood back out into the body. It’s imperative to note that since no blood was coming out of the heart, no blood was reaching Lawler’s brain. This could have caused permanent damage, and  further tests needed to be done in order to assess the damage done.

This morning, the tests came back with the knowledge that JERRY’S BRAIN WAS NOT DAMAGED! While King has a long road to recovery, I wish him nothing but the best. For a 62 year old, he is still amongst the most versatile members of the WWE roster. His absence for the next little while will be felt tremendously.

With Lawler’s heart attack front and center in everyone’s thoughts, it is important to discuss heart health. Jerry’s heart attack is an event that very well could have been prevented if the warning signs were detected early. The heart is a muscle, just like biceps or triceps. Underworking or overworking a muscle can do damage, in addition to other lifestyle choices. The plaque buildup can be attributed to other causes (like smoking, high cholesterol, etc.) and can also be prevented by lowering already-high blood pressure and LDL’s (or the “bad” cholesterol). Moral of the story: While there is nothing one can do about a sudden blockage, this case seems to have signs that very well could have been spotted YEARS before the actual attack.

On a side note, I would like to acknowledge another wrestling endeavor Jerry Lawler has been involved with, and no doubt his absence will affect in just over a week.

Northeast Wrestling, an organization I’ve mentioned in the past, will be presenting their biggest event ever on Saturday, September 22nd. “Wrestling Under the Stars”, located at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill (New York), is the first NEW event held at a locale other than either the Mid-Hudson Civic Center or a high school gym. This is an event so big, that HULK HOGAN was contracted to do this event!

Michael Lombardi, promoter of Northeast Wrestling, is also friends with Lawler. While Jerry shows up to most of the events to begin with, it was only natural for Lawler to participate in a match in the undercard tagging with former Yankee Joe Ausanio against Luke Robinson and Romeo Roselli (whom in a nice treat would be managed by ‘Mouth of the South’ Jimmy Hart). Now the listing for the bout is Ausanio, with a partner.

As a fan of NEW for many many years, I just want to say to Michael Lombardi himself: If you’re reading this, I just want to say that while Lawler’s absence will be a huge void, ‘Wrestling Under the Stars’ will be a smash success nonetheless, and it will be the greatest spectacle for your organization yet!

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Tonight, please hug a puppy. They’re our best friends, have happy dispositions, and…

Oh wait, I don’t think those there the PUPPIES Lawler was talking about!