CM Punk, real name Phil Brooks, has already created a stir in the world of mixed martial arts following his signing to the UFC.
The talented professional wrestler has begun training with Duke Roufus at Roufusport and plans to debut sometime in 2015. The details of his professional MMA debut are still very much up in the air, but the UFC is hoping Punk can bring in fresh eyeballs to the product.
There is plenty of interest surrounding Punk, but he will never come close to what Brock Lesnar accomplished as a draw for the UFC. That is just a fact.
First and foremost, it is important to note that CM Punk, while one of the absolute best professional wrestlers of his generation, was never a huge draw for the WWE. Cageside Seats took a look at the buyrates of WWE PPVs throughout the years, and when Punk held the WWE championship from 2011-2013, you can look at the low totals the shows drew.
Punk was not even the top draw on most of those cards. It is important to note that there is no direct correlation between WWE PPV buyrates to UFC buyrates, but what it does show is that Punk will not be bringing in a massive audience with him. Without a huge influx of new eyes, that is the first issue in Punk bringing in a mass of new viewers.
That is not the biggest reason why Punk will not match Lesnar‘s box-office success. That reason is simple—Lesnar is an attraction.
In the days of wrestling having territories, attractions were common. Haystacks Calhoun, Kamala and the great Andre the Giant are just some examples. They went to new territories and drew large crowds because of their unique size and look. Lesnar is the modern-day version of an attraction.
Lesnar is a monster. An extremely athletic monster. An NCAA Division 1 champion monster.
His look appealed to the masses. That is why he moved so quickly up the WWE ladder years ago. When fans first laid eyes on him and what he was able to do, it blew their minds. It made them want to see him more. Never had fans seen someone with his size be able to blend speed and strength so effectively inside the squared circle.
When Lesnar left the WWE, he tried to make it in the NFL, and that drew the interest of mainstream media. Why? Because of his athleticism. If it had been a different professional wrestler, it would have been a sideshow story, but with Lesnar, there was a curiosity about whether he could actually make a roster. After barely missing the cut, he tried MMA, a sport more suited to his abilities.
Once again, much like his explosion onto the pro wrestling scene, he jumped right to the top of the sport. He didn’t waste his time working his way up while developing his all-around skills. He challenged the best of the best, and with his wrestling credentials, no one batted an eye. Punk doesn’t have the background or athleticism to generate the same kind of interest from fans.
Lesnar was an attraction that captivated us to shell out just to watch him compete. He was can’t-miss television. Punk is an attraction, but one we are not willing to pay to see at the top of the card. And to Punk’s credit, that is not what he is trying to do. It just highlights that he will never be the type of draw that Lesnar was.
Punk is missing pieces to the puzzle that make an MMA draw. Lesnar had all those pieces before he even stepped into the Octagon. Punk is a work in progress. And at 36 years old, he does not have the time to develop into the headlining draw that Lesnar was when he first debuted in the UFC.
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