CM Punk’s Unprecedented WWE Championship Reign Has Run Its Course

Posted by Joe Lisnow on January 23, 2013 at 12:42 PM

At first, CM Punk’s championship win at Survivor Series 2011 seemed like any other. Championships change hands so frequently that it’s easy to lose track of who held the title two years ago.

The WWE championship dates back to 1963 and for those first 25 years, the number of times the title changed could be counted on two hands. With so many wrestlers and shows in the modern era, to remember a particular title run is not easy –they all seem like one giant blur. If it wasn’t for the internet, I wouldn’t know who was WWE champion in June of 1993.

This current reign of CM Punk is special, as he currently sits at 430 days as WWE champion. With such an impressive run that must end, because everybody losses, it leads one to wonder who deserves to stop a record that might not be surpassed for decades to follow. With monumental matches against Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan and even John Cena the number of possible opponents is dwindling.

Then the epic Raw 1,000 came in July and The Rock notified everybody he was given a shot at the WWE championship come the Royal Rumble. After CM Punk turned heel later in the evening and laid The Rock out with the GTS, it was obvious the two would meet at the annual January PPV. The question still remained: does The Rock deserve to end this title run?

I think all signs point to yes. There’s been too much buildup and I can’t see The Rock losing. While The Rock made a name for himself in the WWE and Hollywood, it just feels wrong that he gets the strap after barely being with the WWE for the last eight years. He draws ratings and is still a hit amongst old and new fans, so he has that going for him.

The biggest pet peeve is what happens after he wins and finishes his WrestleMania commitment. Granted he drops the championship to someone at WrestleMania, which is my guess, then he’ll likely just return to Hollywood. That’s the fault in him winning the title, since within three months a new name will hold the gold as The Rock quickly disappears from WWE programming. Now if he was to stay for an extra six months and build a program with a few more wrestlers, I’m all for the title switch. I just don’t see that happening.

CM Punk has brought integrity and meaning back to a championship reign. It’s difficult to select whom he should drop the title to at the end of his unprecedented run. It’s not an easy task, but at this point The Rock works. There’s been enough buildup for the “Best in the World” to finally drop what has been his possession for the past 14 months. If CM Punk does manage to retain, don’t expect to hear a complaint from me.

About The Author: Joe Lisnow

Joseph Lisnow is a New Jersey native who has a passion for the MMA, professional wrestling and writing. He’s working to obtain his master’s degree at Montclair State University in English with a concentration in writing. He has been writing for Rebellion Media since the 2012 summer. For years, he held various editor titles at local papers.

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