Where you happy with WWE's direction following CM Punk's PIPEBOMB promo?

[The Naitch]

What did WWE's direction LACK following the pipebomb promo?

What were the POSTIVES to come out of this?

What were the NEGATIVES to cme out of this?

Also, what the hell was Kevin Nash doing here?

I wasn't watching the product consistently during this time. I figure this era was monumental (the best thing to happen since Austin's KOTR speech) or am I just exaggerating things here?

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DISCUSS

[Bad News Gertner]

Exactly what happened I predicted: it became boring fast because it wasn't done in moderation.

[Schlomey]

Exactly what happened I predicted: it became boring fast because it wasn't done in moderation.

This to a T. They "blew their wad" and it was done in the new school way instead of the old school way. Meaning they blew it up way to fast to get the big pay day instead of being creative and driving the story around the country.

Punk should have stayed gone longer.....sooo much they could have done without the title in WWE instead they threw the "new" title on Cena. Should have kept Punk out at least until a big 4 so the MITB main event that really was a great show down would have had even more meaning.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Kevin Nash returning at SummerSlam was fine, but it should have been in the Christian vs. Orton match, where he would reveal himself as Christian's new heel bodyguard. Nash would have been fine as hired muscle on the SmackDown brand.

The WWE brought back CM Punk way too early, I feel. Rey Mysterio winning the WWE Championship was fine. They probably could have brought in a new title belt to represent the WWE Title at this point. Rey Mysterio vs. John Cena would have been an appropriately huge SummerSlam main event.

Triple H eventually turning heel and feuding with CM Punk would have been fine. That could have been a WrestleMania match.

[Keith]

WWE didn't milk all it could out of "tweener" Punk's status as "Top Guy" back then. They saw the fan reaction he was getting, got all giddy about it and had him return too soon. Not only that, they did away with his "tweener" status and had him do a full "face" turn.

How do we know they turned Punk "face" too early? Well, because he turned heel again about a year later.

Never understood why we never had Nash vs Punk, either. That could've been great.

I think WWE dropped the ball with Punk in the summer of '11. I mean, it wasn't a disaster by any means, but they could've gotten so much out of that angle, and didn't.

[James Steele]

They had to have CM Punk on their 2nd biggest show of the year. CM Punk becomes super red hot and you keep him off of SummerSlam? Makes no sense.

[MoFo]

2 months of teasing leaving the WWE, leading to him leaving for like a week.

[Keith]

They had to have CM Punk on their 2nd biggest show of the year. CM Punk becomes super red hot and you keep him off of SummerSlam? Makes no sense.

At least they could've left him out 'til Summerslam.

[James Steele]

He was the hottest thing in the company. They had him headline the 2nd biggest PPV of the year. Common sense. In the grand scheme of things, a couple of weeks wouldn't have mattered.

[Lock Jaw]

Yeah, bringing him back was the right move. Everything they did after with Nash and whatever was kind of iffy, but in the end it all ended up all right for CM Punk.... with him as a major face beginning a historic WWE Title reign.

If anything, I am still not convinced that turning CM Punk into a heel again was the right move since he still had steam as a face.

[Emperor Smeat]

Think him leaving with the title could have been a bigger moment had the WWE not started the new champion tournament the next night and then rushed the belt right back to Cena. Sort of undid the entire storyline leading up to that moment when Vince no longer cared and just had a new belt ready.

Would have been better to let it soak in that the belt is really gone for a few weeks while Vince tries everything to get Punk to come back. The tournament still gets done later but is seen more as a last ditch move by Vince to restore the integrity of the WWE title than something that happens the first day Punk is gone.

[DAMN iNATOR]

At least they could've left him out 'til Summerslam.

Yeah, agreed. But the reaction to Punk showing up was fucking EPIC...
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