Straight edge as a gimmick
 

Although I do believe CM Punk's new "edge saviour" gimmick is the most entertaining thing on WWE at the moment, I can't help but feel slightly crushed when I think of all the wrestling geeks and kids who "accept" straight edge into their life because they like Punk.
Seeing as I've been edge now for 9 years and it's been probably the most important factor in my life since becoming, I've always cringed when seeing little kids X'ing up their fists, this includes people who've never heard of edge before Punk entered WWE or have never had an affiliation with the hardcore scene.
Does anyone else feel CM Punk kind of sold out his beliefs by agreeing to make an angle out of it?
Anyone who knows about hardcore and straight edge will realise it's a movement that doesn't look to kindly on being raped by mainstream entertainment of financial purposes.

It's now a fad, lulz.

V

It's only a fad in wrestling though. I'd be more upset if it were a fad on MTV or Disney Channel.

Good fucking god.

This is true.

who cares?

He's basically the living entity of "don't do drugs" commercials from the 80's and 90's. It's already been pretty trendy since pop-emo and screamo invaded the music scene. It's sorta like getting annoyed at Undertaker for making goth a bit more commercial.

Well I'm def rep'n you Xero cuz that avatar and sig is beyond awesome!

Punk has been using this stick for around 9 years or more, just because WWE just recently let him go with it on their programing doesn't mean he sold anything out. He lives the lifestyle but he was also smart enough to realize it's a genius way to get heat.

Just like Kozlov gets heat because he's a foreigner. He's not selling out Mother Russia, he just loves Double Double E.

I think it was Foley who said the best heels are the ones that believe that what they are doing is completely right. That's all Punk is really doing. He believes in the straight edge lifestyle to the point that he is willing to stop at no end to "save" the WWE universe. Aside from the cult leader/ straight edge Jesus aspect of it, all he is really doing is telling kids to say no to drug, and alcohol and to think for themselves. Hell he is just one "say your prayers and eat your vitamins" away from being an 80's wrestling hero.

CM Punk has always made an angle out of Straight Edge. Face or Heel.
He's never "sold out his beliefs" because he's always himself.

Example: As a face, Punk is just the sXe guy who will take on any obstacle. As all faces are.

As a heel, he's a the exact same person. The only difference is he adopts the militant attitude similar to the group known as FSU.

If anything, whether this lifestyle (portrayed in gimmick form) is represented in a good or bad way. It's the best type of character to have around kids.

The only downfall I see to it is the faces telling him it's okay to intoxicate from time to time. So if there's anything you should have a problem with, it's antonymic feedback that is received from it.



Also.....lighten up

I've tried to be funny here...I just got negative reps.
From now on I'm being as serious as I can be and see how I go with that.

Murphy's Law: Try to please everyone, and no one will like it.

I see his point. As an awesome person, I am dissapointed that The Miz is making awesome people mainstream.

Hulk Hogan ruined milk and vitamins for me.

promotions need to look at pop culture more for wrestling gimmicks as a way to connect with the fans more, vampires are pretty big at the moment so maybe they should be looking into that but not in a gangrel sort of way but in a vampire without the blood lust way.

also they should look more into scene kids, emos and other faggy stuff that kids are doing nowerdays.

i mean back in the 90's it was about grunge,metal and rap and the promotions at the time seemed to be full of rockers, grungers and rap type gimmicks.

It's the new fad, like booing John Cena and cheering for his heel opponent, fun as hell.

It's all a gimmick anyway. Who cares?

i'm joining the SES and by that i mean i am shaving my head, i got half way through when my shaver ran out of power now i have to sit here for 2 hours whilst it charges, i bet CM punk doesn't have this problem

Of course not, he would never shave his own head.

but if he did he wouldn't botch it like i am

True.

that's because he is better than i am

I can't help but feel this is the case of 'I was straight-edge before it was cool, now everyone's straight-edge and I don't stand out anymore'.

I felt the same when Dream Theater signed with RoadRunner Records in 2007, thankfully they're still not a very mainstream band. :)

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/o_Tw5l1SBzc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/o_Tw5l1SBzc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

He can beat of them zhem.

Yeah, it shouldn't be about whether it's mainstream or not, it should be about your beliefs, especially in this instance. There will always be posers.

If it makes you feel any better, most children don't drink or do drugs anyway, so they're technically straight edge already. You should be thrilled with the promotion.

Well, if anything it's turning a majority of them OFF to Straight Edge because Punk comes off as a pretentious ass.

A lot of edgers do too, but still...

Punk wasn't always that way, though. He was still a straight edge as a face. It's promotion regardless.

Oh I agree.

Wish he'd start wearing DARE shirts again.

So many potheads wear DARE shirts, though.

Better than Jeff Hardy as a role-model.

Good roll-model, though.

I'm sure he's sex free as well.

I'm so rude.

Rep is dumb. Don't worry about it.