It's apparent that I never post here, possibly because I spend so much time actively discussing wrestling with so many people, but the events of Monday Night Raw on 6/27/11 inspired me to commemorate them.
Let me begin by saying that while WWE certainly hasn't been as entertaining as it used to be (due to various reasons), I'm not one of these smart-mark haters that whine ad nauseam about "tv-pg" and whatever else annoys them on the show they watch week in and week out. Wrestling, to me, has always been like a friend, and if you truly care about a friend, you stick with them, good times or bad. The past few years have not been memorable, surely, but it had to go low key for some time, considering the fallout from Benoit, steroid scandals, other untimely deaths, media scrutiny and the simple fact that the Attitude Era was so epic that it drained the energy for the period that will follow. But that's all in the past, because what transpired at the end of Raw on Monday has generated more hype in the wrestling world than ANY angle over the past 4-5 years.
After cheering for Cena's loss to R-Truth (who's also been excellent as of late), Punk cut that promo up above, while myself and two of the most diehard fans of all time (and a lovely lady who's developed quite the admiration for the business) watched with mouths agape, barely believing that Punk was actually saying what he was. Not only did he finally point out the elephants that have taken up way too much space in the living room, he assaulted them verbally, in such an honest and unabashed and fiery manner, that they can no longer be ignored. As some have said, Punk just had his "Austin 3:16" moment, he just changed the game. Now Vince has personally "suspended" him for his conduct, but I doubt we've seen the last of him. He was scheduled to have his final match on July 17th, but has been stripped of that title opportunity. And seeing that it's really hard to tell if this is a work or not, just makes it that much better. I haven't been this riveted to see the next show or just to know how this story is going to progress in a very, very long time.
