I started my tuesday morning pretty much like I do every week- I got breakfast,came to work, & read the report from last nights RAW ( since I havent watched in nearly a month)....and the report was strong.

CM Punk, weeks away from leaving the WWE, cuts what was probably the best promo anyone has done on any national tv wrestling show in a decade, making references to A variety of people & subjects, all under the "he's shooting" & "this isnt supposed to happen" motto.

Punk has reportedly been unhappy for some time, & the intention, at least a few weeks ago, was for him to leave when his contract was due, which is in fact next month.

I have mixed feelings about the entire "shoot" interview style- all too often, they have nothing to do with business, & usually involve some red assed former WWE/TNA talent who takes a big shit on his former employer, talking about how underutilized he was, etc etc etc, all to get a crowd pop from the "hardcore" fans that are "smart" to how wrestling works.

These interviews usually take place in front a small but rabid crowd of so called "smart marks" who usually think they know & understand the wrestling business far more than they actually do...these particular fans, admittedly a very devout bunch, also usually delude themselves into thinking that every guy who they think is great should be on top in the big promotions, usually overlooking their lack of stature,charisma, or promo skills- things that are kinda important when your working for a promotion thats fanbase spreads the globe.

Worse yet, alot of these niche promotions will set up angles where they intentionally " go against the script", with the guys "shooting" while the promoter & his assistants run down the aisle screaming "they're shooting! they're shooting" like a bunch of petrified teenagers.

In reality, these fans, supposedly "smarter" than the alleged backwoods, toothless, redneck , & dumb fanbase of WWE,TNA, Etc fall victim more easily than the aforementioned- but in their own perverse way, they still think they don't- much like in days of past, when "maybe the undercard was fake, but that main event sure wasn't" mentality ruled the roost.

By the way, I'm not knocking anyone who "believes" what they are watching- thats the biggest element thats missing in wrestling now- and the more people believe, the more they pay, react, etc- which is what this business is built upon- I just take certain exception when a small group of fans looked down on the broader base of fans...while generally understanding it about the same, if not less.

The Punk promo, while obviously inside, & over the head of many, if not most, of the fans, does what angles & promos like these are supposed to do: create a stir, get people talking, & bring them back in.

Now, make no mistake: this interview was fully endorsed by Vince McMahon- but, thru the delivery & references, its designed to make you think its real ( and every indication is most of these are Punk's true feelings) & make you believe its really possible not only for Punk to win the title, but leave & never return-& taking the top prize with him as well.

Many of you may be aware that Punk did this exact angle when he left Ring Of Honor (ROH) right before he signed with WWE- and for that crowd, it worked quite well- he won the title on his last night...allegedly never to return. However, he did return, lost the title, & went on to have a great run in WWE.

Wouldn't it  be a huge breathe of fresh air if WWE played this out similiarly- with Punk winning the title? Can you imagine the exciting possibilities of spending the next 6 weeks, leading up to Summerslam, with WWE & Cena trying to woo Punk back for one last match?  Its enough to make a booker salivate, & probably enough to bring some disenfranchised fans back into the fold. Would it work for you?

Until next time...
SSS