On CM Punk and The StraightEdge Society

I first saw CM Punk at at Ring of Honor show September 11, 2004 in Elizabeth, NJ. He had a good look, and the best entrance of anyone in the company, better even than Samoa Joe. I watched him over the next few years develop into a fantastic promo with fantastic ring skills. I was happy to see him heading for Ohio Valley Wrestling, while sad I wouldn't see him in ROH any longer.

I saw some of his work in OVW while he was the television champion. He was easing into the WWE style well, and I was happy that Jim Cornette (and later Paul Heyman) did not want to change CM Punk much at all.

Flash forward years later. After a hiatus from WWE, I watched CM Punk win the ECW championship after countless attempts. It was amazing to see arenas holding signs for him and buying his tee shirt. Over the years that followed he'd rise to the top of the company twice. As I started easing back into watching, his status had declined: he'd gone from main eventing the Hell in a Cell PPV to a dark match at Tables, Ladders and Chairs.

Then came the StraightEdge Society. Giving Punk a mission and followers was one of the best things that could have happened to him. His heel promos give him a cult leader-like aura as he shames the audience for their abuse of drugs and alcohol. His feud with Rey Mysterio has generated amazing heel heat. I quivered as he sang "Happy Birthday" with a twisted edge to Rey's daughter.

The mark of a great heel is when they go beyond "crazy" or "deranged" and achieve a state where they're convinced they're right. When CM Punk tells us that he's better than us, he believes it. When he chastises someone for partying too hard or being a lousy parent, he means it.

This is not to say that CM Punk goes home after taping Smackdown and starts yelling at people to take better care of their kids. CM Punk the character is an extension of CM Punk the man. He really does lead a straightedge lifestyle. He feels this puts him above others to an extent. Tack onto that aspects of his heel character: arrogance, cockiness and authority. You have yourself the best heel character in the industry today.

I get goosebumps whenever I see the StraightEdge Society head to the ring. In addition to great promos, Punk really seems to understand ring psychology, and he appears to be imparting some of that onto Luke Gallows. I have to wonder if Punk has been putting these matches together with the agents and not Gallows.

So long as WWE continues with this angle and keeps this stable together, I see great things for the Smackdown brand. I hope that they don't stop finding SES compatible with their TV-PG rating goal and allow Punk to keep terrorizing us with his promos.