Input required for this weeks podcast

The team is going to record this weeks podcast tomorrow night and I thought I would set a question for you to answer. Best answers will be read out.

What have been this years highlights, lows and biggest disappointments in both WWE and TNA.

Over to you....

(Could prob add more but the ones that spring to mind.)

WWE - Highs - Punk being built up to almost being the guy, he just needs that clean win over Cena imo to be seen as an "immortal"
Ziggler winning money in the bank.
Cena taking a backseat where the title is concerned.
The beginning to what looks like a very decent stable led by punk.
Bryan getting fully over with the crowd because at the rumble his title reign began to look like a bit of a flop.
Paul Heyman being back on T.V.

Lows - Raw going 3 hours.
Jericho's return.
The way Brock Lesnar has been booked.
Del Rio and Sheamus's long battle.

WWE - Highs -

Match of the year - CM Punk vs Chris Jericho - Wrestlemania 28
Wrestler of the year - Daniel Bryan
Best Heel - CM Punk
Best face - Ryback
Best newcomer - Damian Sandow
Best non in ring performer - Paul Heyman
Tag/US/IC titles beginning to feel more important

Lows

Worst match - John Cena vs Michael Cole
Ineffective use of RAW GMs/authority figures
Faces being too cheesy



TNA -

Highs
Best match - Jeff Hardy vs Austin Aries - Bound for glory
Best wrestler - Christopher Daniels


Lows
Aces and Eights story line dragging out for too long
Hogans taking up too much TV time
Lack of decent faces
Claire Lynch storyline
That douchebag from America's Big Brother

Highlight

The new crop of guys coming through, fans moan that no new faces get pushes yet we've got a PPV main event coming up consisting of the following;

Ryback, Daniel Bryan, Kane, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns.

Only one of those is really a WWE guy of long standing. Yes it's a result of CM Punk's injury but WWE could have easily shoved Big Show v Sheamus or Cena v Ziggler in as the main event but they've gone with the new gen.

Add to that the likes of Cesaro just week after week putting on a fantastic match and the likes of Ohno and PAC probably coming onto the roster in the near future and it makes for an exciting time in WWE.

For me it’s been the emergence of CM Punk as a top drawing main eventer, back in 2011 after ‘that promo’ as its affectionately become known WWE had no other option than to buy into the momentum and hysteria generated by the shoot. Not only did the IWC go potty for it but the main stream fans brought into Punk and what he had to say, the industry itself was a buzz and many insiders both past and present took to social media to comment and debate the gravitas and repercussions of his words. It’s a very rare thing in the current pro wrestling climate for a moment, promo or even a match itself to create such shockwaves so when Punk dropped that infamous pipe bomb it really did change the landscape.

However it’s the developments since then that have been my highlight, Punk has gone on to not only rejuvenate a dwindling world title scene that was suffocated by cena title run after orton title run after cena title after orton title run and so on and so on but also made the title relevant again, a year plus title reign that hasn’t even felt like a year is testament to his ability to keep himself fresh and move with the times. The WWE title should be the holy grail for the entire wrestling industry and over the last 5 years or so it hasn’t been presented in that manner, Punk holds that title like it the most important thing in the world, he carry’s it in a way that if he was to be without it his world would end and that’s the essence of his success for me. Punks managed to spin a full 360 from heel to face and back to heel and still be the most over and interesting guy in the business, couple that with multiple match of year candidates with Jericho, Bryan and Punk and this really has been one of the most monumental years in history for any one wrestler.

The final cherry on top will be when Punk eventually drops the title, all his hard work will be complete when he puts over the new champion which be arguably a career defining moment for the challenger to break the run of one of the most dominate and over champions in recent times.

MtotheC wrote:For me it’s been the emergence of CM Punk as a top drawing main eventer, back in 2011 after ‘that promo’ as its affectionately become known WWE had no other option than to buy into the momentum and hysteria generated by the shoot. Not only did the IWC go potty for it but the main stream fans brought into Punk and what he had to say, the industry itself was a buzz and many insiders both past and present took to social media to comment and debate the gravitas and repercussions of his words. It’s a very rare thing in the current pro wrestling climate for a moment, promo or even a match itself to create such shockwaves so when Punk dropped that infamous pipe bomb it really did change the landscape.

However it’s the developments since then that have been my highlight, Punk has gone on to not only rejuvenate a dwindling world title scene that was suffocated by cena title run after orton title run after cena title after orton title run and so on and so on but also made the title relevant again, a year plus title reign that hasn’t even felt like a year is testament to his ability to keep himself fresh and move with the times. The WWE title should be the holy grail for the entire wrestling industry and over the last 5 years or so it hasn’t been presented in that manner, Punk holds that title like it the most important thing in the world, he carry’s it in a way that if he was to be without it his world would end and that’s the essence of his success for me. Punks managed to spin a full 360 from heel to face and back to heel and still be the most over and interesting guy in the business, couple that with multiple match of year candidates with Jericho, Bryan and Punk and this really has been one of the most monumental years in history for any one wrestler.

The final cherry on top will be when Punk eventually drops the title, all his hard work will be complete when he puts over the new champion which be arguably a career defining moment for the challenger to break the run of one of the most dominate and over champions in recent times.

The Rock

Seriously though I do agree with what you have said but for me he still needs that decisive victory over Cena which he won't be getting in this reign.

I can see what your getting at, it wouldn't be that monumental for the rock personally to take the title from punk but punk losing could produce an equally monumental moment for the fans, a mark out moment if you will.

Agree he needs that clean victory over cena.

Do you think rock will 100% take the title at the rumble? I'm still undecided.

I dont want the rock to win, I want Punk to beat him then go on to beat Cena at wrestlemania. The one negative I have for punks current title reign is I have never felt he was in any trouble and looked like he would be losing the title within the build up to his matches. At least beating the rock and Cena would put him on the same level because while it has been a long title reign it hasn't established him.

I just wanted to add the fact that enhances my point above. If you compare this reign with Cena's first back in 05, Cena is presented as the man and had clean victories against everyone while punk hasnt. I know there is a slight difference because punk is heel but if you compare him with HHH of 2000 then the point still remains in my opinion.

You can't compare the reign of Cena and the reign of Punk, the two are completely different characters and should be booked as such, CM Punk upon beating Cena at Money In The Bank 2011 was never booked as a guy who comprehensively beat everyone. John Cena is/was looked upon as a modern day Hulk Hogan and has been booked accordingly, CM Punk on the other-hand is booked more like Bret Hart which is absolutely fine and far more logical

Cena was booked as the Superman who won't stay down regardless of what he's hit with and who he's hit by, he's the paragone of virtue of the WWE and stands for all that's Holy, that's his character... CM Punk is the work horse who has found the peak and will do anything he can to stay there, that's his character

The fans love Punk, its been hard for them to transition into booing him, remembering the objective is to entice the crowd to be appalled by him the very last thing they want to do is give the crowd a reason to sit up and think "wow, Punk deserved to win that", that won't get him disliked, that will gain him respect which is totally against how the WWE want the fans to go

Its also hard to use early 2000s Triple H as an example of the kind of heel he should be either, HHH was a great heel and I loved how strong and sadistic he was, but HHH had Cactus Jack, The Rock, Steve Austin, The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels to go up against, those guys had over the years been presented so strongly that they didn't lose against weak, cowardly heels, a heel had to be as badass as them before he could go over so that was how HHH was then presented, if Punk suddenly became that then the fans would love him as only Cena and possibly Orton have been presented in that manner over a prolonged period of time in the last 4/5 years