[2001-02-03-MAW] CM Punk vs Jason Dukes

[GSR]

Dave Prazak doesn’t think the people showed the proper respect to the ‘Year 2000 Wrestler of the Year’, despite the plaque that he’s carrying saying something slightly different. He believes everyone in MAW is running scared of CM Punk and Punk backs that up, claiming everyone in the locker room is afraid of ‘the alpha male of Mid-American Wrestling’. A fan wanders past the camera giving Punk the bird and his response is to call him a “child raper” because of the fact he’s got a moustache! It sounds like Billy Joe Eaton no showed as Punk tells them to “bring somebody out here so I can put on a show for all you dickheads”. Frankie DeFalco is out but not dressed for wrestling. Punk’s getting some good heat from the crowd and a one armed guy (I’m not jesting) squares up to him and ends up being physically manhandled by an overzealous member of security.

 

Jason Dukes is the opponent and Punk stomps away on him the moment he slides into the ring. He whips him back and forth between opposite corners until telegraphing a backdrop. Dukes with a dropkick before rubbing Punk’s face in his sweaty man boobs. As he takes to the outside, Dukes goes for a tope which Punk side steps. Dave Prazak is right in front of the camera so we don’t get a clear view of what happened however, from the laughter and what we can see, it looks like Dukes got tangled in the ropes and blew that dive big time. ‘Pepsi Plunge’, but it’s too early in the match for that, and Dukes fights Punk off who ends up taking a spill to the floor. Dukes rams Punk’s head into the ring post, only to go charging shoulder first into it himself when he avoids the running splash. Rear chinlock with Punk resting his legs over the middle rope for added leverage. Dukes counters the huracanrana with a powerbomb but then misses the frog splash (he’s not having much luck today!). Double underhook suplex for a two. A “Pepsi sucks” chant breaks out and Punk tells them all to “keep it down”. The distraction takes his mind off the match and Dukes catches him with a high knee. He’s confident that he’s got his man but a Punk low blow blocks the superplex. A second ‘Pepsi Plunge’ is countered by a Samoan Drop, although Punk needs to figure out a better set up for that move rather than having his opponent just climb the turnbuckles! Dukes with a ‘pumphandle driver’ that spikes Punk on his head. As he heads upstairs for a moonsault, Prazak nails him with that plaque he’s been carrying. ‘Pepsi Plunge’ at the third attempt (nothing wrong with this set up) and Punk picks up the win. He gets into it with some more fans after the match, flicking the cap of on, and when he sees a girl in the front row give him the finger, knocks her drink on to her. The girl doesn’t take too kindly to that, throwing the drink at him and then hitting him before security gets between them and escorts her out of there. Punk still wants to go some more getting in the face of another fan and daring him to hit him, even after that woman did just very that.

 

The match is not particularly good, but this is worth watching the beginning and end for just to see Punk riling up all the locals. He gets some serious heat from everyone and is pretty fearless squaring up to folk, getting in their faces, insulting them and even taking a punch for his trouble. A quick note that he should never have gotten up as quickly as he did after that pumphandle driver right before the finish, Dukes bodyslamming him would make it look much more plausible than it did.

[soup23]

Match is nothing special but Punks antics in this match were something to behold. I think he did cross the line by putting his hands on the girl first but watching the scene unfold was completely captivating and showed the confidence punk had in himself.