The Road To Wrestlemania 29: CM Punk

CM Punk heads into his clash with The Phenom with a huge mental advantage.

 

Welcome to the second article in my new Road To Wrestlemania series!  Next up, we're going to be taking a look at CM Punk's journey over the past year and seeing how he'll likely approach his match with The Undertaker at Wrestlemania XXIX:

Note: All stats are recorded from the Wrestlemania events prior to 2013.

The Rundown

Wrestlemania Record: 3-3

Main Events: 1

World Title Matches: 1

Biggest Match: Wrestlemania XXVIII Vs. Chris Jericho

Best Match: Wrestlemania XXVIII Vs. Chris Jericho

CM Punk's fast ascension to elite status in the WWE has now become the stuff of legend, but prior to 2011, the WWE hadn't invested much stock into the man who's now become the company's MVP.  You wouldn't know it from Punk's mania resume though, being that he is the only man to win two MITB ladder matches (both at Wrestlemania) and a WWE title match with Chris Jericho that will likely go down as one of the best ever in the years to come.  That being said, there's no accolade at Wrestlemana that makes every competitor's mouth water the way a shot at The Undertaker's famed streak does.  And even though he's fresh off three major losses (two to The Rock and one to John Cena), he still came in to 2013 with more momentum than any other superstar in the WWE.  He spent the entire calendar year as WWE Champion last year (my complete recollection of his title reign can be found here), beating every major challenger along the way and a lot of this can be contributed to Punk's cunning and reputation as the ultimate thinking man's wrestler.

Punk's "honest arrogance" aside, this is possibly the realest thing he's ever said

 

There is absolutely NO other wrestler in the WWE more adaptable to any given situation than the best in the world.  And with Paul Heyman at his side, chances are he's already got something major planned for what could be the Undertaker's last hurrah at the shows of shows.  Something we don't even see coming yet.  But hell, why don't we try and take a peek inside the mind of the WWE's most complex individual and take a look at....

CM Punk's Wrestlemania XXIX Outlook

CM Punk has had quite a bitter year thus far losing both the WWE Championship and a chance to be the final match at Wrestlemania, but the one thing no one can take away from him is his desire and unmatched passion to be the absolute best wrestler alive.  It's not about championships and main events anymore, Punk has now set his sights on defining his legacy.  Make no mistake about it, if Punk were to end the streak, it'd be an accolade he could spend the rest of his life making bank off of.  His definitive victory would become The Undertaker's definitive loss.  Everything Punk ever dreamed of when he cut that promo in Vegas two years ago would come to fruition as the company would absolutely HAVE to position him as their Ace.  The man who ends the streak would deserve nothing less.

Taking that into consideration and adding in the fact that Punk's lack of respect for Taker's late ally Paul Bearer has caused The Undertaker to now become more emotionally invested than he has in arguably, any streak match before.  The others were about spectacle and dominance, this match has become deeply personal. 

Given the circumstances there's no doubt in my mind that Punk will look to use mind games to take the deadman down.  It's an approach that saw Edge nearly accomplish the same goal in 2008, but where he failed, Punk now looks to succeed.  Sure, the general consensus is that anyone who thinks they can beat The Phenom at Wrestlemania is a madman with lesser odds than Zack Ryder in a three-on-one match with The Shield (and that would be an accurate assessment), but the fact is CM Punk has never cared much for odds.  Hell, he's made an entire career out of proving people wrong.  And how poetic, since he now looks to end a career by doing so.

Odds of a victory: Moderate