Jim Ross: CM Punk has been positioned to lead the next generation of WWE stars

Jim Ross is best known as the lovable blow-by-blow announcer who talked his way into our hearts for years on end as the lead man on Raw each week. But he's also been a talent scout who was directly responsible for bringing some of the more successful superstars of our time into the WWE fold.

That's why his opinion on such matters holds at least some weight.

In a recent blog post, Ross spoke of CM Punk and dished out quite a bit of praise to "The Second City Savior," as well as offering some insight into what he believes the future of WWE will be:

Based on WWE TLC PPV and Monday's Raw from Philly, it certainly seems as if CM Punk has become the newest 'face' of WWE. No, John Cena hasn't disappeared and Cena will still face The Rock at WM28 in the longest promoted and, arguably, the biggest Wrestlemania main event ever but Punk has been positioned to be the leader of a transitioning roster of young, WWE Superstars, many of who are 'this close' to taking the much needed step to the next level.

These men who are 'this close' to elevating to the next level need to be willing to maximize every minute that they are afforded in a WWE ring and also willing to figuratively elbow their competition out of the way. It is imperative for the growing list of young talents remain hungry and willing to outshine any and all their contemporaries.

Considering the manner in which Raw this past Monday night was booked, Ross definitely has a point. Punk is the leader of a new school of superstars, a general band of misfits who worked hard to get to the top under less than desirable circumstances with even longer odds against them.

And yet, this would seem to cast John Cena aside.

To piggyback on Sergio's post last night, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Cena has a great deal of value to the company, perhaps just as much as anyone else at present time. But he fails in an area that Punk excels -- the ability to elevate talent without sacrificing himself.

We all know the old saying about how Ric Flair could wrestle a broomstick for an hour and by the time he was done, the broomstick would be over, right? That's what made "The Nature Boy" so damn special. Not only would he get the broomstick over, he would make you legitimately believe the broomstick had a chance of winning the match.

Walking the tightrope between winning in impressive fashion, winning but barely escaping and losing, all while keeping your credibility, is the most difficult aspect of being a professional wrestler, hands down. There are very few who ever master that ability. Flair is one; Shawn Michaels is another.

John Cena will never be that guy. CM Punk isn't quite there yet but he's extremely close to it.

That's not to say Cena is a terrible worker. I'm not tooting the horn on that train. It's got too many misguided passengers as is. I've watched Cena have enough incredible matches to jump off. In fact, I remember watching him go an hour on Raw against Shawn Michaels and keep up with HBK step-for-step. That's an impressive feat.

But could he do the same against a far less talented and less established superstar?

The answer is no and that's the biggest reason Punk leading a new generation is the right move. He's the "agent of change" who will make WWE interesting again and the best way he can do that is by maintaining his spot near the top and having four-and-a-half star matches against guys like Dolph Ziggler and Cody Rhodes.

A match between Punk and Ziggler on Raw a month or so back springs to mind here. They kicked off the start of the second hour and turned in what was probably one of the best matches on free TV this year. When all was said and done, as Ziggler walked to the back, Punk looked his way and mouthed the words, "I'll see you again."

It's the little things that make all the difference, you see, between an actual leader and a guy who is just at the front of the line.