CM Punk losing to Grayson Waller on WWE NXT might have caught some people off guard, but Dave Meltzer believes WWE made the right call. In fact, he thinks Punk taking losses against other talent could actually benefit his career in the long run.
During the November 4 episode of NXT, Punk challenged Waller for the NXT Championship in the main event. The match saw Punk gain momentum and prepare to deliver the GTS, but Kevin Owens suddenly appeared at ringside. Security quickly tackled Owens, but the distraction was enough for Waller to roll up Punk and grab his tights to secure the victory.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio on November 5, Bryan Alvarez pointed out that WWE could have protected Punk with a disqualification or another finish that avoided a pinfall. Instead, Waller scored the three-count, something Alvarez felt was significant.
“They did not do a screwy finish. Dq, whatever. CM Punk put him over.”
Meltzer then addressed what the loss could mean for Punk, especially considering that he is also scheduled to face Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred Match on Friday’s SmackDown. While Meltzer expects Punk to eventually get some revenge, he doesn’t believe the NXT Championship loss will damage his position in WWE.
“Well, we already know, but the thing. Yeah, so it’s like, I’m wondering when, you know, I mean, wonder where. When I wonder where Punk gets his. I mean, he’ll get his revenge at some point, but, you know, that, you know, it’s. It’s interesting, you know, I don’t think that. That. That Punk losing is going to hurt his standing because he is. Well,.”
Alvarez immediately agreed that Punk’s standing wouldn’t suffer, and Meltzer explained why WWE can afford to have someone of Punk’s stature lose matches. According to Meltzer, Punk is already established as one of the company’s biggest attractions, meaning losses can help build other wrestlers without diminishing his drawing power.
“Because he is like, you know, big draw. You know, I mean, he’s one of the four big draws in the company, so he’s. He’s safe. But I actually think it’s smart to use him. I mean, maybe with Waller, it’s kind of weird because it’s a developmental championship, but it is probably, you know, I mean, Sammy beat him. I mean, it’s, it’s. It’s good for him to lose to people because I think it helps give him more, more potential matches down the line.”
Meltzer acknowledged that having Punk lose in a developmental championship match was somewhat unusual, but he sees the bigger picture. By putting over wrestlers like Waller, Punk gives WWE more credible opponents to work with in the future while helping establish talent who could benefit from defeating a major name.
The loss also adds another wrinkle to Punk’s ongoing issues with Kevin Owens. Owens played a direct role in costing Punk the NXT Championship, giving the two another reason to settle their differences when they meet on SmackDown.
At this stage of his career, Punk doesn’t necessarily need to win every match to remain one of WWE’s biggest names. Waller, meanwhile, walks away with a victory over one of the company’s top stars and another successful NXT Championship defense. Whether WWE capitalizes on that momentum remains to be seen, but Meltzer clearly believes there is value in Punk helping elevate other talent.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
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