Why CM Punk Is the Roddy Piper of the Modern Era

Most people in the wrestling business are out to make a name for themselves and blaze their own trail, but being compared to a former great is never a bad thing. Current WWE Champion CM Punk is unique in many ways, but one past great he reminds me of is "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.

That isn't to say that Punk has stolen anything from Piper nor that he is trying to emulate Piper, but many parallels can be drawn between the two of them. The most obvious strength that they both have always had is the ability to captivate the audience on the mic.

Piper was probably the best promo man of his time, and many consider him to be the greatest of all time in that regard. His Piper's Pit segments were the stuff of legend, and he is one of the big reasons why being able to speak and fire up the audience is just as important as actual wrestling ability nowadays.

Hot Rod was a heel throughout the early part of his career, and while he was hated by many due to his famous feud with Hulk Hogan, he had a legion of fans in his own right. It was very rare for fans to support heels in the 1980s, but Piper made being a heel cool and smashed wrestling norms to some degree.

The same can be said for Punk, as he is constantly cheered despite his heel tactics. Punk, like Piper, is simply so entertaining on the mic that it is difficult to despise him. That ultimately led to Piper becoming a face, and the same was true of Punk, although he reverted to his heel status on the 1,000th episode of RAW and has been establishing himself ever since.

While Punk's feud with John Cena still has a lot of developing to do, you could say that he is to Cena what Piper was to Hogan. While Hogan was favored in every feud by the fans, there were definitely legions of fans that supported Piper. Crowd reaction is a bit more split for Cena than it was for Hogan in the '80s, but he is generally beloved as well. Even so, Punk may be more universally liked as a heel.

There aren't many guys in the history of professional wrestling who have been able to thrive as both a heel and a face, but Piper and Punk are two guys who have. Piper wasn't as entertaining as a face as he was during his time as the WWE's top heel, but the fans were absolutely crazy for him, and he was easily one of the most over wrestlers in the company.

Punk has been heel a bit more than he has been face, and I believe he is more compelling as a heel, but there is no denying the success he had from last year's pipe-bomb promo until the 1,000th episode of RAW. Punk went from a guy who was generally liked by Internet fans to the No. 2 superstar in the company with fans from all age groups as a face.

Piper and Punk are both so entertaining that they transcend face or heel status, and that is what makes each of them such special performers. The vast majority of superstars currently and during Piper's heyday struggled to get over regardless of their gimmick or whether they were heel or face, but both Piper and Punk have the special ability to make fans hang on their every word.

The only glaring difference between Piper and Punk is in-ring ability. Piper wasn't a technical marvel by any means, as his maneuvers were meant to either garner him heat as a heel or get the crowd going in a positive way as a face. Punk, on the other hand, may very well be the best in-ring worker in the business, so he is truly the total package.

Ultimately, Piper is always going to be Piper and Punk is always going to be Punk, but I doubt that they would be against getting compared to each other. Punk has probably always striven to be like Piper in some respect, and I'm sure that Piper has hoped that a guy like Punk would carry on his legacy in some way.

Piper is one of the all-time greats, and Punk is well on his way to being one as well, so they'll likely be mentioned in the same breath by wrestling fans for years to come.

source: bleacherreport.com

Paying Respect to the Legends on the SmackDown SuperShow

courtesy : wwe.com

WATCH ONLLINE: WWE SmackDown 4/10/12 (watch now)

Ah, the classic stroll down memory lane. Gotta love it.

And no doubt many fans did on Tuesday night, as WWE gave us the “Blast from the Past” on the SmackDown supershow. The legends from yesteryear coming back to delight the crowd, and give fans a bit of nostalgia.

It’s good for the younger fans to see the last generation, to understand where we came from in terms of the legends and what they did for the business. It was the right move, and it always will be.

For me, there were some definite highlights to the program.

Jimmy Hart, who looks as though he’s ready to step right back into the thick of things, was doing what he does best, being an obnoxious, overbearing annoyance at ringside.

Besides Jim Cornette, has anyone ever done it better?

I have to say, like many fans out there, I have a hard time understanding why Jimmy has not been brought back for any significant amount of time. The WWE crowd loves him, and again, he looks like he has not missed a beat.

He fits in. Even now. Bring back Jimmy Hart, Vince. I’m going to start a petition.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan. What more can be said about a guy in shorts, carrying around a 2x4, yelling “Ho” amidst “U.S.A” chants from the fans?

Love him or hate him, Jim Duggan is still over today. And with basically no gimmick to speak of. He gets a pop every time, and let’s face facts on this one. There are many guys in the WWE locker room half Duggan’s age who can’t get a third of the reaction he gets. The guy just has a way of connecting—there’s no other way to explain it.

WATCH ONLLINE: WWE SmackDown 4/10/12 (watch now)

WATCH ONLLINE: WWE SmackDown 4/10/12 (watch now)

Mean Gene Okerlund, much like Jimmy Hart, is a timeless personality, a man who is just as relevant today as he was 20 years ago. His tone is instantly recognizable, and though Jim Ross is widely accepted as the legendary voice of WWE, Gene has to be considered a very close second.

Mick Foley is one of those legends who, with the right situation, could very easily step back into the WWE storyline. The truth is, he looks the same as he ever has, and he has not lost anything on the mic. Seeing him as a full-time in-ring performer is likely not in the cards again, but Mic has such a great mind for the business. Hard to believe he’s not being used in some way.

Cowboy Bob Orton. The moment I saw him, I thought, "Well, Kane’s going to have fun with him tonight."

Bob is an old pro at this, he’s a guy who knows how the game is played, like all the other veterans on the program. Though we did not see the attack, which means there likely wasn’t one, that would not have stopped Orton from taking a few bumps if asked to.

After all, his son is the Viper Randy Orton, one of the biggest stars WWE has seen in the past 10 years, and whatever it took to help him out in the storyline with Kane likely would have been fine with Bob.

Rowdy Roddy Piper, standing in Piper’s Pit, putting the screws to another Superstar, shining the hot lights of cynical interrogation for everyone to see.

There is only one Roddy Piper.

The spot with Daniel Bryan was a tricky thing, to be honest. After all, Bryan has suddenly caught fire with the WWE faithful, thanks in large part to his over-the-top celebration, in which he screams "yes!" at the top of his lungs.

WATCH ONLLINE: WWE SmackDown 4/10/12 (watch now)

WATCH ONLLINE: WWE SmackDown 4/10/12 (watch now)

The guy may be a heel, but he is a heel who is becoming very popular, very quickly. When put on the spot, the way Piper was, fans could have easily turned on the legend in favor of the former World Champion.

But as with Orton, this was not Piper’s first time in front of a camera. He knew precisely what to say, how to say it and, more importantly, that the timing was critical to the moment. He did what he needed to do and looked just as effective as he ever has.

Piper said to the SmackDown crowd, “I miss you guys.” The feeling is mutual.

Then we come to the man who at one time was helping run the company that outperformed WWE on nearly every level.

You know, the phrase “my boy” seems so overused, and so overdone, that it seems like we really need something new to throw out there when talking about a favorite. But right now, I don’t really have anything, so I’ll say it anyway.

My boy, Dusty Rhodes, the American Dream, the son of a plumber from Austin Texas, was there for the party. The man who excited crowds all over the world and, along with the Four Horsemen, put the sport of professional wrestling above the spectacle, was in full effect on Tuesday night.

Of course, he was dancing in the ring, doing everything he could to embarrass his son, Cody, but at least we got shades of the fighting spirit Dusty had at the end of the program.

WATCH ONLLINE: WWE SmackDown 4/10/12 (watch now)

WATCH ONLLINE: WWE SmackDown 4/10/12 (watch now)

Throwing the bionic elbow on Alberto Del Rio’s personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez, Dusty once again looked like the American Dream of old, and I suddenly wished it was Arn Anderson on the receiving end, if only for old time’s sake.

All in all, the program itself was well done, nicely paced and anytime the legends are brought to the WWE forefront, it’s a good day for fans.

For all that we as fans complain about, and for all the mistakes that we feel Vince McMahon makes with his company, the fact is, this is one aspect that he generally gets right.

The former stars of WWE deserve not only the respect of the fans, and their peers, but also the respect of the man who they worked so hard for back in the day. Giving them some TV time is not only the right thing to do for the company, it’s the right thing to do for the business.

source: bleacherreport.com

Bret Hart draws Cena, Chris Jericho still survives DWTS!

- Bret Hart posted a new drawing of John Cena on his Twitter a/c (link).

- Chris Jericho and partner Cheryl Burke made it to the week 3 of Dancing With the Stars.

Jericho wrote on his Twitter wall: "Big false finish on DWTS tonight, but I kicked out at two and a half! Ready for the big babyface comeback next week..."

- Jim Ross will be seen on Harley Race this Friday at Sand Springs.

- On April 14th, 15th and 16th, Roddy Piper will be seen doing his stand-up at Comedy Works in Denver, Colorado.

- WWE has alreday started selling Sin Cara's face mask on WWEshop.com.