After last night's (May 6, 2014) live airing of Main Event, a brand spankin' new episode of WWE Countdown aired on the WWE Network. The topic? The 10 greatest villains in pro wrestling history.
And wouldn't you know it, CM Punk was listed at number three.
Let's get the obvious out of the way: Most of the content for this show was undoubtedly filmed before he left, and that's unquestionably true regarding his interview portions. Plus, WWE didn't make the list itself. It was a fan poll that did that, so Punk got to number three because of you, not anyone working at the company, so this is no grand sign of a continued working relationship between the two sides, though it is at least worth pointing out.
Those bridges aren't completely burned down just yet.
Actually, fittingly enough, the first thing you see and hear on this episode is Punk saying "you are about to be reborn and you have me to thank for it."
What's great about it, though, are the comments made by those interviewed when talking about him:
Daniel Bryan: "CM Punk, at his very core, is an asshole. And that's what makes him a great villain."
Cody Rhodes: "He is the meanest human being I have ever met. He's one of the few guys of his size that is afraid of nothing. That is why he is one of the greatest villains of all time."
Road Dogg: "I love CM Punk. He had the courage to say things and do things on the microphone that other people didn't have."
Michelle Beadle: "He is the exact nightmare for parents. If your daughter brings home a CM Punk... no, that's not going to happen. My family would kill me. Even if you hate everything he's saying or doing or how he's acting, you have to respect how he's doing it."
Summer Rae: I think it's great to have someone who is so set in their ways and so confident, you know, to be able to say 'this is what I am; take it or leave it'. That's CM Punk with straight edge. ... I remember vividly when Serena shaved her head and, as a woman and loving my hair, I couldn't imagine that."
Renee Young: "Telling people that he doesn't drink, he doesn't do drugs, that he doesn't probably eat junk food, I don't know."
R-Truth: "Some people don't like the truth, sometimes the truth hurts. He boastfully brags about the truth and it pisses people off."
Big E: "I think CM Punk's a great villain because he was such a charismatic leader and was able to get people to do things like shave their head that normally you wouldn't want to do."
Paul Heyman: "It's one thing to be the longest reigning WWE champion of the past 25 years. It's a magnificent accomplishment. But when you stick it in people's faces and you let them know it at all times that 'I've been champion for this many days, this many consecutive days, you're not going to like it because I'm the guy and I'm doing this to you and this to you and this to you'. It gets annoying doesn't it? I love CM Punk as a villain because he has such conviction for the audience when he chooses to address them."
And, of course, the one comment from Punk himself that made the air:
"This is interesting. Where do I go with this? Do I bury myself? Do I give you some of my self deprecating humor? Do I say I'm the best of all time so everyone can say I'm egotistical?"
We'll never know where he went with it. Back to Chicago, it seems.
Here's the full top 10 so you can argue it endlessly:
10. Rick Rude
9. JBL
8. Iron Sheik
7. Million Dollar Man
6. Roddy Piper
5. Hollywood Hogan
4. Triple H
3. CM Punk
2. Randy Orton
1. Mr. McMahon
Source - cagesideseats
