Cliff in Control: CM Punk vs The Undertaker

Cliff in Control: CM Punk vs The Undertaker

Posted by Cliff Rushing on August 26th, 2009 No Comments Printer-Friendly

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Cliff in Control: CM Punk vs The Undertaker

With The Undertaker making his return at SummerSlam, and chokeslamming the new World Heavyweight Champion down to the mat below, it’s safe to say it’s obvious that the WWE plans to feud CM Punk against Undertaker for at least the next month or so. That’s all well and good, but I think hotshotting this feud at Breaking Point and perhaps October’s Hell in a Cell is the wrong move. It’s not that I don’t want to see the two lock horns in the ring, but I feel that making fans wait for the climax would generate excitement to a fevered pitch.

There are two instances of feuds that simmered beneath the surface for months before coming to any sort of fruition. In 1991, Ric Flair debuted in the WWE with the big gold belt around his waist, proclaiming to be the real world’s champion. This didn’t sit well with WWE’s champion at the time, Hulk Hogan. And so it went on for months, a back and forth between the two about who really was the real world champion. It didn’t happen a few weeks after Flair debuted, the fans had to wait for a while before Flair and Hogan went at it in the ring. Flair would talk a big game, and then duck Hogan at the eleventh hour. The fans went nuts when Hogan finally got Flair in the ring, and bested him.

Another example comes during the Attitude Era. Chris Jericho debuted in late 1999, memorably making his first appearance by calling out, of all people, The Rock. Did they wrestle each other at the next pay-per-view because Rock’s feelings were hurt? No. The tension simmered beneath the surface, and they didn’t officially lock up with anything on the line until December…of 2001. That’s over two years of history between the two without wrestling each other ten times to make the feud seem stale. You never see that anymore.

Do I think WWE can afford to wait two years for Punk v Undertaker? Of course not, but I think the Flair and Hogan line of booking could really work to their advantage. With Jeff Hardy, Punk had a target that he could rip apart with his straightedge wisdom in promos.

What can he say about The Undertaker? I’m anxious to see what they do, but I can’t think of anything off the top of my head. In this case, I have Punk admit that he’s frightened of Taker (after all, who wouldn’t be?) and proceed to duck him for the next few months or so. Have Punk take on other challengers like John Morrison, Rey Mysterio, and Matt Hardy in the meantime. Those three matchups alone should easily get you to the Royal Rumble with Punk and Taker never having officially faced off.

Punk will run out of ways to duck Taker, though, because I’d have The Deadman win the Rumble once again, and officially challenge Punk for the World title at WrestleMania 26. Now a feud that started in August of this year can culminate on the big stage some seven-plus months later in Phoenix. Heck, you can even make an argument for Punk being the Superstar to finally end the streak. By the time April rolled around, fans would be clamoring for Taker to finally get his hands on Punk and the championship.

By doing it this way, you keep the Punk and Undertaker matchup fresh, which is important because I definitely feel as though this can be a real money feud for WWE if they play their cards right. Undertaker is an absolute legend, and Punk is finally becoming a top guy for the company. If Taker can build Punk up, and maybe put him over even, WWE will have finally created a new star.

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