[2000-04-08-SDW] CM Punk vs Eric Priest

[soup23]

Punk is really over here even though it appears he is a heel doing his Im better than you pre match routine. The match was a lot more ambitious than Punk’s match vs. Cabana in January. This led to some hits and interesting bits but also a few moments that looked awful execution wise. The finish was also weak with the chair in the opponents hand and you playing dead gag actually working. Eric Priest had a good look to him and I am surprised that I don’t recall his name popping up much of anywhere. **1/4

[Loss]

Two very green guys showing it. Bonus points for false accusations of hair pulling though. This felt like backyard wrestling that happened to be indoors.

[Migs]

Interesting to hear Punk doing the beta version of the straight edge gimmick this early on. He's still got a lot of fans, though - maybe tons of straight edge people were going to shows in Chicago.

 

Priest seems terrible, and the eyes on his trunks are nightmare inducing.

 

"Mr. Pecs, how big are you now?"

 

Punk is pretty solid until that brutal blown dive (truly one of the worst botches I've seen watching 2000 indy wrestling, which is impressive). I enjoyed the old chair gag finish actually working - seemed like an effective bit of character stuff for Punk in this context.

[Tim Evans]

Punk somehow looked more backyard than the match with Cabana. This was pretty bad till the finish. Punk doing the Eddie Guerrero finish before Eddie.

[AstroBoy]

Both of these guys looked not so hot, getting crossed up trying to run through spots, not being smooth enough to pull off what they were going for. Punk's dive botch was truly horrendous but I guess you can see some of the foundation here for what Punk could eventually become. But what he eventually became was not about how smooth or graceful he was in the ring.

[GSR]

Priest gets the better of the opening collar and elbow tie up and Punk complains about a hair pull, to which the official tells him he’s got no hair to pull! Armbar and Punk’s selling is a bit OTT. Bodyslam escape, he goes to drop the elbow however Priest moves out the way. Punk lands on his feet after a monkey flip and some pretty bad strikes are thrown by both (although I liked Punk shaking hist fist after delivering his). An awful tilt-a-whirl headscissors by Priest before losing Punk on a press slam. He clotheslines him over the top rope to the floor and a big suicide dive which the camera misses. Back in the ring and Punk counters some punches in the corner with a ‘hot shot’. Knife edge chops and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, which these two surprisingly manage not to botch! A springboard dropkick sends Priest tumbling from the apron to the outside, but Punk then makes a complete hash of a springboard moonsault. He goes to moonsault from the second rope out and over the top rope onto Priest, however doesn’t get enough elevation and lands stomach first on the top rope. Priest blocks a suplex and drops Punk with a reverse DDT. Scoop powerslam, no cover though. He picks Punk back up, bodyslam, but his swinging legs take out the official knocking him down. As Priest tries to wake him back up Punk heads outside to collect a steel chair. Priest sees what’s going on and when Punk goes to hit him with it, gets in first with a boot to the mid-section. Punk drops the chair, Priest picks it up and then Punk falls to the canvas. The ref comes around, sees Punk ‘KO’d’, Priest holding the chair and disqualifies him. As Punk is leaving he turns to the camera and says “that’s brains and that’s why I’m smarter than him!”

 

Bad match and Punk is a country mile behind his contemporaries like Ki, Bryan and Styles at this point. The only positive I can say is that his interactions with the crowd are good and he gets them to hate him, but I suppose that’s pretty darn easy when in real life he’s supposedly a fairly unlikeable character. Not a fan of that finish in what is probably just a throwaway match, and second duffer in a row for Punk after the Cabana match in January.

[Moonsault Marvin]

These guys should have stuck to the basics, as neither had the technique to pull off the moves they were trying. It was good to see Punk developing the character touches that would eventually make him one of the best wrestlers in the world. Amusing finish with the fake chair hit. Below average match.

[Robert S]

Pretty sloppy match here. I remember hearing Punk saying in an interview how hard everything came to him compared to Cabana as he is just not in the same class as an athlete so showings like this as this point of his career should not come as a surprise. Though in working the crowd he is actually far above the above mentioned Low Ki, Danielson and Styles.

[Edwin]

Yeah, this was bad. Both guys looked horrible.

 

I guess Punk doing the old Eddie Guerrero faked chair shot win by DQ was neat.

 

Aside from that, yeah, this was horrible.

[TravJ1979]

Work wise, Punk is far behind Ki, Styles, Spanky, and Dragon at this point.