Why CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan should headline WrestleMania XXX
CM Punk to headline at WrestleMania?
When you think of the top stars who have made it in the WWE, who have had indepedent roots, your list wouldn’t be take seriously until you have CM Punk and Daniel Bryan at the top of it. They had one of the most memorable feuds last year, when Punk was champion and Bryan was just hitting his stride as the entertaining heel who would have the crowd chanting against his wishes. Fast-forward a year later, both continue to be as popular, if not more, and with their excellent wrestling abilities and if I may say drawing power, another match between the two is inevitable.
Punk and Bryan have a long and storied history, which was detailed out last year before their main-event at the Over-the-Limit pay-per-view, which showed why their feud is so believable as both men have this insatiable hunger to be the best in this business. But then, the feud was short-lived and soon John Cena had to be thrust into the main-event and Punk was booked out for all of the summer while Bryan teamed up with Kane.
When asked since then, Punk has been vocal about his admiration for Bryan and the possibility of revisiting their feud, this time however on a larger scale. On the recently held panel discussion for the WWE 2014K game, Paul Heyman spoke for every fan when he expressed his desire to see the two talented and passionate wrestlers lock up at WrestleMania. A showdown between Punk and Bryan is not totally out of the question as Bryan is at the peak of his popularity with a feud that is going to take him further than he already is on the ladder, while Punk seems hell-bent on finishing up with some unfinished business before he shifts his gaze towards the title picture again.
The Daniel Bryan – CM Punk feud has had its comparisons with the Shawn Michaels – Bret Hart feud and while it’s a great compliment, if there is one similarity that would justify the parallel, it would be the way to settle it and that would be through an Iron-man match. The two legends set the bar at WM12 and the current versions of themselves would be the best possible wrestlers to carry that legacy forward. Moreover, the 60-minute marathon match seems almost extinct in the WWE with the last one being contested more than four years back and it’s a no-brainer that Punk and Bryan would deliver an entertaining match given their chemistry & wrestling abilities.
With The Rock having done what he could with Cena over the last two years and all the other big-names receding into the background, now is the time for the WWE to make this match and if it is in the grandest stage of them all, then it would be sweet poetry because, the company that always gets flak for being the one to focus on entertainment over old-school grappling might just draw some more new fans who would have otherwise been happy complaining about how WWE back in the days, was so much more realistic and less flashy.
Also, if the rumours are true about Punk planning to walk away from the business after his present contract, then why not get the next big payday out of him and get Daniel Bryan to look that much more legit, while sticking it to the second rung company that claims from the rooftops about being the company that actually is all about ‘wrestling’.
On a personal note, I would love to hear the fans divided on whether to chant ‘CM Punk’ or ‘Yes/No’ for the Goatface.