Wrestling Forum banner

Rate The Rock vs. CM Punk Feud

  • Underwhelming :punk3

    Votes: 78 20.6%
  • Decent/Good :rock

    Votes: 171 45.1%
  • Great :punk:rock3

    Votes: 130 34.3%

Official The Rock vs. CM Punk Discussion Thread

823K views 9K replies 1K participants last post by  Nimbus 
#1 · (Edited)
wwe.com said:
Perhaps the parade was premature. Perhaps the celebrating, the humble tweets to The People and the legions of Team Bring It, and the proclamation that FINALLY, The Rock was WWE Champion once again jumped the gun by just a bit. Maybe, just maybe, The Rock put the horse before the cart when he celebrated his latest triumph on Raw Roulette, because CM Punk is not done with The Great One by a long shot.


How could he be, either? When a Superstar holds the WWE Title — Punk’s “life’s work,” in his own words — for 434 days spread across three calendar years, he does not just simply throw up his hands and call it a good run when the prize is taken from his clutches. So it was of no surprise when, during The Rock’s celebratory address to the WWE Universe as its new champion, The Straight Edge Superstar himself declared would be evoking his rematch clause – “granting” Rock a rematch was how he earned it – at Elimination Chamber. It was also of no surprise that The Rock gladly accepted.

But once again, maybe Rock is counting his proverbial chickens too early, because for all CM Punk’s feverish boasting in his final days as champion, he was right about one thing after the Royal Rumble: Hedidpin The Rock. It was one-two-three in the middle of the ring, although it took a sneak attack by who we can only assume was The Shield to weaken The Brahma Bull enough for Punk to make the pin. And it was only after Mr. McMahon restarted the bout that The Great One found enough of a second wind to silence CM Punk and put The Straight Edge Superstar to sleep, claiming his eighth WWE Championship in the process.

So at Elimination Chamber, the most brutal pit stop on The Road to WrestleMania, The Rock will face his own personal demon yet again. And The People’s Champion will have to be very, very careful, because CM Punk does not make the same mistake twice, and he is very, very angry. The very real opinion exists — depending whom you ask — that Punk should still be WWE Champion. And with it, the very real possibility exists — should The Rock think one victory equals winning the war — that The Brahma Bull’s parade could end as soon as it began and that CM Punk will be champion again, with history in his hands for the third time.


Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson said:
Over 100 years of Heavyweight Champions.

3 generations in my blood.

New WWE Champion.

My honor. TEAM BRING IT.


wwe.com said:
Attitude Era original Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will compete in his first World Title match in more than a decade when he challenges WWE Champion CM Punk, the longest-reigning WWE Title holder of the past quarter-century, at Royal Rumble on Jan. 27.

The WWE Universe has anxiously awaited The Great One’s return to the WWE Title picture since he announced his championship opportunity on Raw 1,000 last July. Though there was no guarantee at the time whom The Rock’s opponent would be, the always-confident Punk fired an opening salvo that night, cutting down The Rock with a clothesline before knocking him out with a picture-perfect Go to Sleep. The following week, The Voice of the Voiceless defended his actions by suggesting The Great One, having been “gifted” a WWE Title match, viewed victory at the Royal Rumble as a foregone conclusion.

Whether a real or perceived slight, the implication that The Rock places himself on a higher plane than the current WWE Champion was seemingly all the motivation Punk needed to make sure he would still have the title on Jan. 27.

In the half-year since Raw 1,000, The Second City Saint stunned WWE fans by aligning with Paul Heyman and ratcheting up the vitriol of his speech. More important than either of those details, he has — by hook or by crook — maintained possession of the championship gold. Having turned back challenges by John Cena and Ryback in recent months, The Best in the World now looks ahead to testing himself against the seven-time former WWE Champion who vowed in 2012 to regain the title.

For The Rock, an A-list Hollywood action star and third-generation Superstar who has sports-entertainment coursing through his veins, the Royal Rumble title match represents the start of a potential career renaissance inside the ring. Since March 2004, The Most Electrifying Man in All of Entertainment has competed in only two sanctioned WWE matches, teaming with John Cena to shred The Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth) at Survivor Series 2011 and overcoming the Cenation leader at WrestleMania XXVIII.

But by vying for the most treasured prize in sports-entertainment, The Rock is committing to more than another appearance as a “special attraction.” Rather, he is setting his eyes on again becoming WWE’s gold standard.

Hell-bent though The Rock may be on introducing a new generation of WWE fans to The People’s Champion, there is no discounting Punk’s deftness once the bell rings. Controversial endings to several high-profile title defenses may have tarnished The Second City Saint’s reputation in the eyes of some critics, but they have done nothing to change the fact the WWE Championship still sits around his waist. Before his seedier side came into focus in late summer, Punk spent much of 2012 disposing of WWE’s best and brightest, ranging from Chris Jericho and Daniel Bryan to Dolph Ziggler and Kane. How will the WWE Champion match up against one of the pillars of The Attitude Era?

As the WWE Universe excitedly counts down the days until Jan. 27, the back-and-forth between two of WWE’s most compelling talkers is bound to pick up steam. It will not be until the Royal Rumble, however, that the trash talk gives way to the gravity of a game-changing WWE Championship bout, the likes of which hasn’t seen in years. Will Royal Rumble mark the rebirth of a championship Brahma Bull, or will it only underscore what Punk has claimed all along, that he is untouchable and in a class by himself?
The Rock explains why he wants WWE Title

WWE part-time star The Rock revealed why re-capturing the WWE Title is important to him in a new interview with WWE Magazine. It's a statement that has been missing from WWE television leading up to the Royal Rumble PPV.

"It starts with recognizing what the WWE Championship represents to me," Rock said in the February 2013 issue. "Every time I hold that title over my head in victory, it not only signifies the fact that I have delivered the absolute best entertainment that I could to the WWE Universe, but that I'm taking a moment to live an experience that all the generations of wrestlers in my family strived to achieve.

Rock continued, "There is no other award that I could receive that's as deeply ingrained in my blood and history as the WWE Championship - and that's why it means so much to me."

At the same time, Rock said that after his first WWE Title reign - which came in 1998 - he decided that he would never allow his possession of or lack of the WWE Title define his career.

"After my first WWE Championship run came to an end, I made a conscious decision that night that I would work harder than any other Superstar in the locker room to become the type of WWE entertainer who, if I never had another championship run again, it would not define my career. I never wanted to rely on a title run for success."

Rock's next statement reflects his recent approach to mixing "entertainment" with "seriousness." Rock concluded, "My goal was to get to a place where I relied only on what I could bring to the table in terms of being entertaining and having a one-of-a-kind - and electrifying - connection with all of the WWE Universe."

[ FYI: Rock's interview is part of a cover-feature on Rock in the latest WWE Magazine. ]

Link - http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_68014.shtml














 
See less See more
9 2
#8,642 ·
People, if The Rock can take out Hulk Hogan (who has longer title reigns than Punk), Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and countless others, it can take out Punk.

Also, Rock316AE made a very compelling case for The Rock using the People's Elbow. He said that it symbolizes his special connection with the crowd. Remember when Punk said the people don't matter, and that they don't deserve to win? Rock countered with words, and then he countered with actions by using the people's elbow. Makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

The only problem I would have with The Rock not finishing with the Rock Bottom is that it kind of renders his promo on Smackdown's go-home show moot, but this way feels right too.

I don't know what's going on with the WWE's audio equipment, but like someone else said, they need to upgrade it. That live fan report states that the crowd wasn't dead once, yet on TV there were some dead moments. Fix that WWE. FIX IT NOOOOOOW!!!

Also, I hope everybody is preparing for the mark wars that will ensue when RTWM heats up again. What are you doing to get ready? I'm building a bomb shelter, myself.
 
#8,645 ·
CM Punk getting bigger crowd chants The Rock.

READ THE WHOLE THREAD FIRST

I thought it was nice to see CM Punk getting louder chants and crowd reactions than The Rock considering Punk being a heel and and The Rock been the most popular guy in wrestling.

By this I mean from the beginning of the match until Paul Heyman hits The Rock it was nice to see CM Punk getting loud CM Punk chants from large sections of the crowd. But as soon as Heyman hit The Rock than the cheers got quieter and faded out. Even though The Rock is more popular it is nice to see talented guys getting the reactions they deserve for the hard work they put in.
 
#8,653 ·
Re: CM Punk getting bigger crowd chants The Rock.



You didn't read the whole thread then.
 
#8,649 ·
Re: CM Punk getting bigger crowd chants The Rock.

Punk did't really get cheered louder, but he matched Rock at certain points. For the majority of the match, the crowd was 55-45, 60-40 at best in favor of Rock. However after The Shield attack, the crowd became completely pro-Rock all the way through to the end.
 
#8,650 ·
Re: CM Punk getting bigger crowd chants The Rock.

Punk is the most over wrestler in wwe and has been for about 2 years now, outpops nearly everyone, his next face turn will make the fans love him even more.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NearFall
#8,655 ·
Re: CM Punk getting bigger crowd chants The Rock.

It was your typical "we cheer the bad guy cause he's cool" smark out there.

I thought it was sad and disrespectful tbh.
Definitely smarky but there were some genuine Punk fans there, and I wouldn't call it disrespectful to cheer for your favourite guy, that's kinda the whole point.

Either way, I don't think the Punk chants outweighed the Rock chants, but at one point they were even for a while.
 
#8,657 · (Edited)
Rock vs. Punk II at Elimination Chamber :mark:



wwe.com said:
Perhaps the parade was premature. Perhaps the celebrating, the humble tweets to The People and the legions of Team Bring It, and the proclamation that FINALLY, The Rock was WWE Champion once again jumped the gun by just a bit. Maybe, just maybe, The Rock put the horse before the cart when he celebrated his latest triumph on Raw Roulette, because CM Punk is not done with The Great One by a long shot.

How could he be, either? When a Superstar holds the WWE Title — Punk’s “life’s work,” in his own words — for 434 days spread across three calendar years, he does not just simply throw up his hands and call it a good run when the prize is taken from his clutches. So it was of no surprise when, during The Rock’s celebratory address to the WWE Universe as its new champion, The Straight Edge Superstar himself declared would be evoking his rematch clause – “granting” Rock a rematch was how he earned it – at Elimination Chamber. It was also of no surprise that The Rock gladly accepted.

But once again, maybe Rock is counting his proverbial chickens too early, because for all CM Punk’s feverish boasting in his final days as champion, he was right about one thing after the Royal Rumble: Hedidpin The Rock. It was one-two-three in the middle of the ring, although it took a sneak attack by who we can only assume was The Shield to weaken The Brahma Bull enough for Punk to make the pin. And it was only after Mr. McMahon restarted the bout that The Great One found enough of a second wind to silence CM Punk and put The Straight Edge Superstar to sleep, claiming his eighth WWE Championship in the process.

So at Elimination Chamber, the most brutal pit stop on The Road to WrestleMania, The Rock will face his own personal demon yet again. And The People’s Champion will have to be very, very careful, because CM Punk does not make the same mistake twice, and he is very, very angry. The very real opinion exists — depending whom you ask — that Punk should still be WWE Champion. And with it, the very real possibility exists — should The Rock think one victory equals winning the war — that The Brahma Bull’s parade could end as soon as it began and that CM Punk will be champion again, with history in his hands for the third time.
 
#8,661 · (Edited)
Once again it doesn't really matter who wins to me. If Rock wins, it's Rock/Cena II and Punk goes on to face Taker since Lesnar is now definitely gonna be preoccupied with HHH. On the other hand, if Punk wins, it means we're saved from Rock/Cena II as a triple threat between Rock, Punk, and Cena would be much much better. Only problem with that is what does Taker do? I think it'd mean he's not gonna be there for Mania, which would kill a lot of my interest for the show, and as I mentioned in another thread, I'd end up selling my tickets because of it.

So now that I think about it, for the slight chance of Taker being there to face Punk, I'd rather have Rock win the match at EC. Plus Punk just lost the title and while him beating Rock and being in the main event of Wrestlemania would be big, unless they put Taker against... I don't know... Orton or Ryback, I don't know who'd he face. Orton is gonna probably be feuding with Sheamus, so Ryback would be the only option, which I'd be okay with, but I think it'd be better if they save that for 2-3 years down the road if at all.

I also think Rock and Punk won't be riddled with Shield controversy and will actually be a straight-up one on one match that will be much better than their Rumble one. Oh well, looking forward to it. Punk was once again awesome, though Rock's promo I thought was his weakest since his return in January. Didn't really like it at all.
 
#8,662 ·
Taker's going to be at Axxess so I'm not getting any indication of him not wrestling at Mania this year. If Taker is not facing Lesnar, I can see him facing Punk for sure. So yeah once again a lot rides on what direction they go with the Rock/Punk match again lol.
 
#8,663 ·
Yeah another good segment between them, said in the Raw thread that Punk brings out intensity in Rock that Cena never could with his goofy laughing man antics. Happy to see another match between them but I'm disappointed Rock won't be in the chamber match, I was looking forward to seeing all the potential collisions with the other participants but oh well.
 
#8,664 ·
Punk got such a great reaction because there is a solid portion of fans who resent Rock winning the title as a part timer not necessarily because they all liked him more. As a Rock fan even i will admit it does look bad for Rock to just walk back after months away to win the title so i can imagine what anti Rock peeps thought
 
#8,668 ·
But Taker Vs. CM Punk feels like such a throwaway if they start interacting after Elimination Chamber. Dont know how they will set it up.

They hype a Undertaker return and he gets beat up by The Shield/CM Punk?
CM Punk does something that makes The Undertaker mad?

Just seemed like a rushed match with limited build.
 
#8,669 ·
Well, there's 7 weeks between EC and WM so there's enough time to build the feud + logic/consistency has never been their strong suit. If they've decided on Punk/Taker, then its going to happen regardless of whether it feels rushed or not.

One direction I think they could've gone with is for Punk to come out, talk about how it was an injustice the way his reign ended and brag about his 434 (or whatever it was) day streak being the most impressive streak in history. He's already put his streak over some of the longer ones in his earlier promos by mentioning how they didn't wrestle as much as he did, how he's made the title more prestigious etc and that way, you at least have some logic and basic layout for a feud with Taker.

But now, they are continuing the feud with Rock all the way till EC and we'll have to see how it goes. Still think Punk/Taker is likely but there's a very small chance of Rock/Cena/Punk can go down with the type of promo Cena cut putting both men over.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top