That was awesome! (clap clap clapclapclap): Wait a dadgum minute ... that isn't Jeff Hardy!

by Sergio Hernandez on Nov 16, 2011 6:00 PM EST in History

I'm not going to lie. I'm kind of over CM Punk.

I still think he's a damn fine wrestler and one of the best Superstars the WWE currently has on the roster but his brief stint as the biggest name in the company revealed -- at least to me -- what kind of person he is.

He just doesn't seem very nice.

I know that seems childish and lame but I always thought of Punk as the kind of guy I would like to grab a Pepsi with. And maybe all of the attention he's received since his infamous worked shoot promo this past summer has put so much pressure on him that he simply can't be bothered to deal with idiot marks that tweet him or even the occasional level-headed wrestling fan who lets him know that his current direction pretty much sucks.

And while I've kind of soured on him as of late, I can still appreciate him as a performer and one of my favorite moments of his -- nay, in all of wrestling -- came back in 2009 after Punk defeated Jeff Hardy in a steel cage match, forcing "The Charismatic Enigma" to leave the company.

But he returned the next week... or did he?

The kids' reactions, oh, the kids' reactions are amazing. Especially the shaggy haired kid. He looks like something dookied a shooter in his bowl of Cookie Crisps.

The segment ended with brother Matt Hardy rushing the stage and defending his younger sibling. Matt was always the most sensible one of the two, you know?

Nevermind.

If you have any ideas for something that made you say "that was awesome!!!" pass it along. Make sure to include either your name or your SBNation handle -- whichever you'd like to be used -- and you'll get a shout you out if your idea is used! Contact me at sergio.hernandez.tx@gmail.com.

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This was hilarious..in this case, awesome. Was watching this just like two days ago, The shaggy-haired kid’s reaction (1:08) was priceless.

"Don't be limited by fixed ideas nor by some trifling common sense...break the standards!"

by The One Who Wears The Crown on Nov 16, 2011 6:40 PM EST reply actions

really ? I never thought punk was a nice guy

and that exactly why i liked him

by SLAUGHTERHOUSE on Nov 16, 2011 7:10 PM EST reply actions

He’s been underwhelming to me since he took off that black and yellow Nexus shirt. He lost a lot of that defiant and irreverent attitude that made him interesting. Now he’s making cute jokes and smiling and wants to entertain and make things FUN….

….yeah.

He needs to go back to being more like he was then:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tw_oqSQxYI

by Mr. Sunny Days on Nov 16, 2011 7:44 PM EST up reply actions

yes

i was a huge punk nexus fan also… i have to admit i dont like the way they make him look but i expect it to be better when champ.

by SLAUGHTERHOUSE on Nov 16, 2011 9:25 PM EST up reply actions

Oh, damn

I know that was only a few months ago, but look at how different things are now eh?

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 458 posts (08/24/11)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Nov 16, 2011 11:39 PM EST up reply actions

yeah he's been a dick for years

by JDP1981 on Nov 16, 2011 9:00 PM EST up reply actions

Any ideas as to why this is? Typical straight-edge attitude?

Signed, Pick'em Champs 2011-2012: Michael Jordanesque in our picking skills.

by mountaineers101 on Nov 16, 2011 9:46 PM EST up reply actions

I can answer this.

If you’re from Chicago…and you’ve spent any amount of time in the punk scene here…you develop a really sharp tongue and a really thick skin.

by TheAngryApe on Nov 17, 2011 12:20 AM EST up reply actions

It takes a lot of patience to be a famous wrestler

The sad fact is that a ton of people behave poorly around people that they see on television. Whether it’s interrupting them working out at the gym, eating at a restaurant, or sleeping on a plane, so many fans want a moment of their time. Then you have the people who just shout the wrestler’s name to get their attention in shopping malls or other public places, or follow them around wherever they go. It’s probably even worse when the fan is yelling that the wrestler sucks.

I’ve got to imagine that it gets really tiresome. And if you’re a reasonably intelligent and well-mannered person (which I think Punk probably is), you probably get more annoyed at the behavior of lot of fans. It must be hard to put on a happy face, or even tolerate, even the most polite fan who comes into contact with you after being harassed every waking hour by rude people.

That’s why I leave wrestlers alone if I see them in public.

by Jeff D. on Nov 17, 2011 5:45 PM EST up reply actions

Those crowd reactions are priceless! Amazing how well wrestling works a crowd at times!

As for Punk, he has been underwhelming since Summerslam but I’ve missed whatever scandal outside the ring that’s soured him to you. You’re upset about his Twitter behavior? I’m really missing it.

by Mr. Sunny Days on Nov 16, 2011 7:37 PM EST reply actions

It's hard of...

Hard to explain.

I guess underwhelming is a good way to describe it. Also, right around Money in the Bank I started following him on Twitter and he would RT people saying that he was stupid for leaving WWE and all that. It was funny because it seemed fitting with his character. Once he came back and started paling around with Triple H, it took a lot of sting out of those jabs, you know?

There wasn’t any scandal or anything. I also listen to the latest Art of Wrestling podcast with Daniel Bryan and he seems like such a likable, down to earth guy who geniunely enjoys his fans while Punk now seems to be the opposite.

Tumblr / Twitter

by Sergio Hernandez on Nov 16, 2011 7:58 PM EST up reply actions

Off topic, but—Daniel Bryan. He did seem incredibly likeable and sensible in that podcast. I.e., he is nowhere near ruthless enough to make it in WWE. To me he came off as possibly depressed. He seems resigned to the fact that he’ll never be on top at WWE, and it sounds like he’s lonely on the road. He made the observation that he’s rarely around people who love him and actually care about his well-being. That literally brought a tear to my eye.

As for Punk, I enjoy his grammar-Nazi-ing on Twitter because, well, he’s right. I suspect a lot of his other shenanigans are for effect. I thought what he did for Gregory Iron was pretty darn charming.

by joliemadchen on Nov 16, 2011 10:47 PM EST up reply actions

I caught...

That too, the remark about not being around people who loved him.

I don’t know if he’s depressed, I think he understands that what he’s chosen to do comes with sacrifices. I mean, he said it best himself: he doesn’t make a whole lot of money but he doesn’t spend much anyway. I have the feeling that if he woke up one day and decided he didn’t want to wrestle anymore, he wouldn’t be financially crushed.

Twitter

by Sergio Hernandez on Nov 16, 2011 11:09 PM EST up reply actions

I can kind of see what you mean, but it doesn’t really bother me, probably because his imagined niceness wasn’t part of the appeal to me. For me, I liked (and still like) CM Punk because he seems easier to identify with. He’s a little bit nerdy, he comes from the perspective of a fan during the attitude era, and his wrestling philosophy is probably closer to the IWC ideal than any other top guy.

by evisruc on Nov 17, 2011 5:20 AM EST up reply actions

I see what you mean. But there is truth to his character though. He can’t completely fake being flippant and prickish. It works in kayfabe but I’m not surprised he has trouble moderating himself outside of it. The ironic thing is that he can drop pipe bombs on TV but can’t criticize the storylines too much when off TV. And then he’s going off on fans who do. There’s definitely some comedy there.

by Mr. Sunny Days on Nov 16, 2011 8:49 PM EST reply actions

I know what you mean about Punk on Twitter

I wouldn’t say that he doesn’t seem like a cool guy to hang out with, though. He seems the kind of person that needs to “accept you” or whatever before you’re cool- I know a few people like that.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 458 posts (08/24/11)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Nov 16, 2011 11:45 PM EST reply actions

Haha, now that...

You put it that way, I totally see that. I know some of those kinds of people too.

Twitter

by Sergio Hernandez on Nov 17, 2011 12:17 AM EST up reply actions

Hands Down

Easily the best feud of that year. Hell, it was compelling enough that I actually watched like 7 episodes of Smackdown. (In fairness though, not in full, and I think I may have had a stroke during moments of each one.)

That really seemed to be a jumping off moment for CM Punk. He took the mic and he ran with it, and that was when it finally seemed like he was a star. The feud was booked excellently. There was legitimate heat (if not in the beginning, it developed by the end), Jeff was ridiculously over, Punk was the antithesis of Jeff in every way, and ‘Creative’ actually did a number of things right in this. Blows my mind. This moment was probably my favorite of the whole thing. The heat he got from that crowd was just perfect. Shame Jeff wasn’t there anymore, the pop he’d have gotten from this would have been nuts. But, hey, the next week Punk got to cut a promo about how he’d never be arrested with a large amount of drugs. More heat, more truth. Love the world we live in.

by buzz_killr on Nov 17, 2011 10:31 AM EST reply actions

wait...

how did the tats not give it away

Players who should be in the Hall of Fame: Pat TIllman, Dwight White, Donnie Shell, L.C. Greenwood, Ray Guy, Steve Tasker, Jack Butler, Greg Lloyd, Andy Russell, Cris Carter, Kevin Greene, Curtis Martin, Willie Roaf, Andre Reed and Jerry Kramer
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by WVPiratesfan on Nov 17, 2011 11:53 AM EST reply actions

He was wearing...

Those Hardy armbands and at first, everyone just assumed it was Hardy. But obviously, they caught on pretty quick.

Twitter

by Sergio Hernandez on Nov 17, 2011 12:57 PM EST up reply actions

I would not have recognized him.

by joliemadchen on Nov 17, 2011 1:17 PM EST up reply actions

Yea, the stringy long hair, the outfit, the facepaint, the lights, his maneurisms, Punk pulled it off, it wasn’t until he hit the ring that most people started figuring it out.

by buzz_killr on Nov 17, 2011 2:00 PM EST up reply actions

This was an awesome moment in SD history.

And Punk being an ass to some of his fans is what makes CM Punk who he is. He can be an ass to many of his Twitter followers, but he still gets a loud ovations in arenas.

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by TheHeat on Nov 17, 2011 4:18 PM EST reply actions

I don’t know what’s funnier to me, the fact that you sound overly emotional about a guy you don’t know either being a nice person or not. Or the the fact that you turn around and take a blatant and uneccesary cheap shot at Matt Hardy in the same piece, seriously I can’t be the only one who caught that am I?.

"@bigfootsilva, I want to tell you a joke so funny it will make your head grow. It goes like this..Oh wait, I see you have already heard it." -Chael Sonnen

by Raker on Nov 19, 2011 5:37 PM EST reply actions