I can’t remember the last wrestling crowd that stood for an entire match, or reacted to every big spot like the Cameron Crazies during a crucial home game against North Carolina. Say what you want about wrestling, but this was a moment. Only an hour from hitting the open market (or so we were expected to believe), Punk scurried up the steps as fans happily slapped his back, stopping atop the lower section and holding up his championship belt triumphantly. After outlasting John Cena in 45 grueling minutes to capture the WWE title, Punk hopped into the crowd right before McMahon and his flunkies reclaimed the belt. Last Sunday’s Money In The Bank pay-per-view - held in Chicago, Punk’s hometown - cemented his superstardom and nudged him towards the mainstream. In the words of our own David Shoemaker, Punk mastered the art of the “worked shoot.” 1 The sport (you’re damned right I called it a sport) always works best when it straddles that real/fake line and makes you think, “Wait a second, what the hell am I watching?” No wrestler straddled that line better than CM Punk these past few weeks.
Starting with a candid “shoot” interview on Monday Night Raw, Punk parlayed his impending free agency into something more significant: He transformed himself into the People’s Champ, a carefree renegade who aired real-life gripes with Vince McMahon’s company in his “fake” interviews. The WWE’s recent CM Punk angle was the most brilliantly executed storyline in recent wrestling history.