It's time to take a look at a few things bothering me this week in the world of pro wrestling. I'll be discussing these more in-depth tonight on my live Voice of Wrestling show, starting at 6:30/e. Then, I'll return immediately following WWE Raw, joined by WZ's Adam Gorzelsky, for VOW Reaction. You can visit VOWLive.com for more details, plus the live feed and chat room for tonight's shows.
#3. WWE Raw Tonight
Clearly, the actual show is not bothering me, seeing as how it hasn't aired yet, but the overall buzz, or lack thereof, is certainly a problem. Does it feel like the Royal Rumble is only six days away?
I don't hate the idea of Rock vs Cena II as much as some do, but I do hate the idea that WWE might be consequently looking past this Sunday's main event as a result. Rock and Punk doesn't feel special. It doesn't feel epic. And it absolutely should. This match has something even Rock and Cena didn't have last year in Miami – the WWE Title on the line. Shouldn't we be on the edge of our seats by now?
Rather, WWE seems to be okay just going through the motions, and in Rock's case, recycling his work from the Cena program. But it's CM Punk who's really losing in this scenario. And I'm not talking about the title.
Last week on Raw, "Rock Concert: Revisited" took priority over buzz, confrontation, and emotion. Punk's promo earlier in the night was tame, especially by his standards, and was virtually forgotten by the time it was over. Is this a case of WWE being afraid Punk will outshine Rock in their verbal showdowns, or do they really think last week was the best way to sell this pay per view? I know which one I think it is.
Maybe I'm still pining over the fact Punk turned heel in the first place. It's not because I don't think he's a good heel; he is. He's incredible at it, in fact. But I think it's the root of a major problem that exists in WWE today – "protection" is given to the wrong stars. How do we make sure Cena and Rock remain the fan favorites? Easy! We'll turn, and limit, the one guy that might steal their thunder, before he has a chance to do it.
WWE shouldn't care who fans cheer or boo anymore. Especially in these fantasy matches that may only take place once in our lifetime. Put Punk's "best" against The Rock's "best", and let the chips fall where they may.
I know my argument is a lost cause at this point, but I still believe Rock vs Punk can feel like and be a much bigger event. The only problem is they only have one more night to make it that way.
