‘Monday Night Raw’ recap: The problem with AJ and CM Punk
So there I am, watching “Monday Night Raw”, when it hits me what the big problem is with the main story line leading into Sunday’s “Money in the Bank” pay-per-view event.
The big issue the last few weeks has involved a triangle between AJ, Daniel Bryan and CM Punk. AJ has been perfect in her role, playing a delusional, mentally off-balanced person who goes from guy to guy, toying with their emotions while demanding their full attention. In fact, she is so good in her role that it’s easy to overlook the one main problem with the story line: It makes WWE champion CM Punk look like a complete idiot.
Each week, AJ tells Punk how he is her soul mate, how they are meant to be together, all while constantly demanding that he watch all her matches and then getting jealous when he’s talking on the phone with his sister. Punk’s reaction? Basically he just stands there and takes it. Sure, he says he is concerned about her, but when she kisses him he just stands there like he is frozen in place. He apologizes for not watching her match. He basically looks weak, ineffectual and lacking in self-confidence.
And that is not how you want your champion to react. You need your champion to be strong and self-assured. Not someone who is easily manipulated. Not someone who stands there and lets someone else control his actions.
WWE has taken a middle-of-the-card story line and tried to elevate into a championship story line — and it doesn’t work there. All it is doing is devaluing the title and devaluing CM Punk. He basically is an afterthought. And the champion should never be an afterthought.
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