I can't believe no one brings up how awful they are making these part-time buildups.
I'm sorry, I loved Brock Lesner in 2002-3, or whenever it was, like everyone else. I loved him in UFC, and pulled for him, and I don't even fucking LIKE MMA. But they sign these part-timers like Rock, Lesner, etc and then don't fucking have them on the shows. You get a random run-in appearance a week or so before, or a pre-tape from Rock's Mansion or some shit, and that's supposed to sell a PPV?
If you're the rock? Yes. If you're Lesner? No.. I'm sorry, the guy isn't a big enough draw to get buyrates by himself. There, someone finally addressed the fucking elephant in the room.
Lesner is the biggest looking BADASS I've ever seen. The only way the smaller guy works vs this guy is a WEEKLY program where either A) Lesner beats him to death every single week and Punk gets enough sympathy to play true BABYface and the fans want to see Lesner get his or B) It's a back and forth feud where the Cocky Badass assumed the smaller guy is a pushover and attacks, only to unleash Punk's MEAN side where he's putting the Anaconda Vise on Refs and shit after they pull him off Lesner.
Notice how shit I said they should do they actually did?
Problem is that A doesn't work because Lesner IS popular enough that he transcends the Heel/Face angle of wrestling. He's gonna get some pops even if he fucks a corpse on RAW. So, even if you had him there EVERY SINGLE WEEK, which they didn't, Punk isn't going to get the sympathy up enough to have them PAY to see him get redemption.
Did they have Punk (incoming announcer stereotypical phrasing) "GO to that dark place" and "throw out any semblance of order" and bust in like a "house on fire"? Yeah, but what's the point if he's not doing it THE BIG FUCKING BEAST THAT HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE FUCKING FIGHTING?
Also, even by SS: People were getting tired of the same week in/week out Punk/Heyman verbal jousting. Fuck sake, it'd been what? Almost 2 years of that shit by now, either with each other or against? Time to fucking move on already. I hope we've finally got that.
Also, I'd like to point out that I don't want someone that the WWE RECENTLY put the strap on for 434 Consecutive days as Reigning, Defending WWE Champion to get continually made to look like a Velocity Jobber on my Television. Nothing says "We don't make Stars anymore" like having some guy who was a badass in your company for 2 years a decade go run roughshod through your talent. Lesner isn't the Rock, He isn't Stone Cold and he sure the fuck isn't Hogan.
But I agree with most here, on a purely physical basis, Punk looks to have ZERO chance against Brock. That's what the fucking program is for: To make you suspend that belief, and the WWE dropped the fucking ball. It's really that simple.
Cena/Bryan was a great match. But as some pointed out, Bryan got handpicked for the fight and got skyrocketed up the card. The Fans that actually BUY the ppvs weren't used to seeing him in the main event, and it was no guarantee that Cena and Bryan's styled would mesh for the great match that we actually got.
I'd be honestly surprised if the numbers for Whatever PPV that came after SS weren't up from a year before, but then again.. Orton... Ugh.