CM Punk Post UFC 203 Loss

CM Punk Taps; UFC 203 Results

MAIN CARD:
Stipe Miocic (c) def. Alistair Overeem via KO (Round 1, 4:27) for UFC Heavyweight Title
Fabricio Werdum def. Travis Browne via unanimous decision 
Mickey Gall def. CM Punk via submission (rear-naked choke) (Round 1, 2:14) 
Jimmie Rivera def. Urijah Faber via unanimous decision 
Jessica Andrade def. Joanne Calderwood via submission (guillotine) (Round 1, 4:38) 

UNDERCARD:
Bethe Correia def. Jessica Eye via split decision 
Brad Tavares def. Caio Magalhaes via split decision
Nik Lentz def. Michael McBride via TKO (Round 2, 4:17) 
Drew Dober def. Jason Gonzalez via TKO (Round 1, 1:45) 
Yancy Medeiros def. Sean Spencer via submission (rear-naked choke) (Round 2,  0:49) 

The Evolution of CM Punk

Good stuff as CM Punk trains for his first career MMA fight.

Alistair Overeem on CM Punk

Two of my favorites here, but clearly Overeem is not expecting much out of CM Punk. Either way, I'm definitely watching/buying UFC 203 on September 10th.

CM Punk vs. Mickey Gall in UFC Debut?

Dana White said that Mickey Gall will fight Michael Jackson on the prelims of UFC 196 next month.  If Gall wins, he will face CM Punk.

Gall is 1-0 as a professional (no UFC fights), he's 23 years old and fought as a welterweight in his only pro bout.

CM Punk is 37 and expected to be a middleweight.

I'm looking forward to seeing Punk in the octagon... and clearly they aren't throwing him any world beaters to start his career.

#DORK 24: Superhero Team Draft

IF PLAYER DOESN'T WORK/APPEAR CLICK HERE Keefe & Davey draft 6 member superhero teams. Which squad is better? Each had a couple surprise picks along the way. The guys also talk about the upcoming movies in DC, Batman using Red Hood, Drax #1 by CM Punk, and Davey played Fallout 4.

A.J. Lee Retires from the WWE

BREAKING: AJ Lee (April Mendez) has decided to retire from in-ring competition with WWE. We wish AJ the very best.

— WWE (@WWE) April 3, 2015

Perhaps the best in-ring and definitely the best on-mic female wrestler (or Diva) in the WWE is calling it a career. The Mrs. CM Punk is moving on. Best of luck to her.

Keefer Madness: CM Punk Joins UFC

Click Here for Keefer Madness: CM Punk Joins UFC

CM Punk Joins the UFC

I'm a CM Punk fan. I'm a UFC fan. (I'm still a reluctant WWE fan.)  So needless to say I am wildly intrigued by this move.   We've known Punk was interested in MMA for awhile based on his attendance at a few events and his relationship with a number of fighters and trainers including Rener Gracie.  But Punk as a fighter?  Well it's happening in 2015. 

News came out last night at UFC 181 that CM Punk signed a multi-fight deal with the company. He also did a 20 minute interview with Ariel Helwani (Google that, solid stuff). 

I know the immediate reaction by many will be "He's going to get killed."  "Does he know this is real?" Etc. etc.  But he's not stupid.  And neither is the UFC.  I do question if they are struggling with PPV numbers and with the loss of Brock Lesnar (more on him in a minute) and the long lay off of Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva, they're just trying to add a popular figure.  

Is it a publicity stunt a la Kimbo Slice?  To be fair Dana White put Kimbo through the reality show before his chance in the octagon and he's not nearly as popular, however a guy who many felt didn't belong and turns out they were right. 

I think Punk is different.  And maybe that's the fan in me talking, but his training in ju jitsu and knowledge/passion for the sport gives him a leg up (in my mind) over a dude who beat the shit out of guys in his back yard. 

Punk has seen countless fights and knows what those fighters go through leading up to and during the fight.  He won't be surprised and he won't be expecting to land a one-punch KO (see Slice, Kimbo). 

As optimistic as I am, there are still a number of questions and concerns.  CM Punk is 36 years old. He has never had a mixed martial arts fight and his first will be at the highest level.  That's like you playing your first football game in the NFL.  

He's listed at 6'2, 218 pounds.  (Where I found it.)  Of course Ultimate Warrior was from Parts Unknown so...

What division will he be in?  He mentioned in his interview with Helwani it might be Middleweight (185) but didn't rule out Welterweight (170). 

For those not familiar with MMA but may recognize names...

Middleweights include: Chris Weidman (champ), Anderson Silva, Vitor Belfort. 

Welterweights include: Robbie Lawler (champ), Johny Hendricks, Georges St. Pierre. 

He's obviously not fighting those guys anytime soon (perhaps ever).  Who does he fight?  Do they throw tomato cans at him for awhile?  Are they looking to protect him?  

He will be a big name and help with pay-per-views. He told Helwani that his first fight would definitely be on a PPV (UFC sprinkles in free fights on FOX channels as well.) But he's here for PPVs.  

How long can you have him fight bums?  Probably a little while, assuming he wins. If he goes 0-2, 0-3 he's probably done. Although the UFC emphasizes wins, they also demand entertaining fights.  If he loses a thrilling fight by decision that could keep him around we well. 

Good news is the UFC is not revolving around him.  Not to keep bringing up Kimbo Slice but we all remember EliteXC and all the eggs they put in the Kimbo basket.  Well a loss on free TV to Seth Petruzelli (who was an injury replacement for Ken Shamrock) all but shut down the company.   Again, this won't be an issue with Punk.  Good gamble by the UFC and great challenge for Punk.  

So he's old, inexperienced, and uncertain of weight class.  What about others who have gone from the WWF/WWE to the UFC?

Brock Lesnar (5-3, UFC)

Far and away the most success for a wrestler turned mixed-martial-artist. He was a dominate collegiate wrestler which made the transition smooth.  In fact almost all the best guys in the UFC are exceptional wrestlers or ju jitsu practitioners.  Lesnar was at one time the UFC Heavyweight Champ, but lost his last 2 fights in brutal fashion and returned to the WWE.  Rumors swirl of a possible UFC return however.  

Bam Bam Bigelow (0-1)

The late great Bam Bam Bigelow had one career MMA bout.  He got choked out by the legend Kimo Leopoldo in the 1st round. He was 35 at the time. 

Bart Gunn (1-1)

One half the Smoking Guns took his success from "Brawl for it All" (forget the Butterbean fight, he doesn't remember it and neither should you) and had two MMA bouts.  He beat Cabbage Correira via TKO (cut) in 2006 and followed that up with a loss to Ikuhisa "The Punk" Minowa by decision at Pride Bushido 13 (I have the DVD, need to go back watch that one.)

Bobby Lashley (12-2)

Lashley, another elite college wrestler, has had MMA success.  He has not faced the level of competition that Brock Lesnar has, in fact all 14 of his fights have been outside the UFC. He had some bouts in Strikeforce and is currently signed to Bellator.  He's taking this smart and not going after the biggest names right away. If he continues to win a move to the UFC makes sense. 

Batista (1-0)

All due respect to something called Vince Lucero, Batista had one MMA fight where he picked up a 1st round TKO win. He was 43 at the time.  This counts I guess.  

Obviously a mixed bag here.  Lesnar and Lashley have made that transition and looked good doing it.  The others?  Not as much.  The big challenge for Punk is coming from the wrestling world while not having that elite wrestling skill.  He has his work cut out for him.  

I'll be rooting for him and I'll be watching. Say what you want, but you have to respect a guy for getting in there.  I hope he does well, and who can difinivedly say he won't?  I haven't seen him train and neither have you.  Be skeptic all you want but I'm not going to rule him out.  

Daniel Bryan Needs Neck Surgery (?)

NO! NO! NO!

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan announced on Monday Night Raw that he needs neck surgery.  No clue if real life Daniel Bryan needs neck surgery or on screen Daniel Bryan needs neck surgery (or both?), but sounds like he will be out for awhile.

Stinks.  Either way this guy is "Stone Cold" "Hulk Hogan" like popular right now.  Hope he's not out for long.  If he vacates the title(s), who should get it (them).  (Note: the two belts for one title is a bit much, right?)

They would have to have a match for the vacant championship.  Who deserves the chance?

John Cena - always in the mix, but has a nice thing going with Bray Wyatt right now.

Cesaro - Paul Heyman guy, and he won that huge Andre the Giant trophy, so there's that.

Batista - he's here for a reason I suppose.

Randy Orton - no one likes him, but some solid heat if you put it back on him while Bryan is out.

Kane - he's a monster again, a monster wouldn't really want a belt, but if he got it it'd be hard to get it back.

Triple H - why not? really fire everyone up

Roman Reigns - if he's going to get a big push, put the belt on him, and keep the Shield with him to make it tough to take it back.


Those are the obvious choices.  Wade Barrett (intercontinental) and Sheamus (United States) are title holders right now, so maybe.

But you want my pick?

UPDATE: KANE JUST DRAGGED DANIEL BRYAN OUT ON THE STAGE TO BEGIN THE LAST HOUR OF RAW. LOOKING LIKE THAT NECK SURGERY THING MAY BE LESS LEGIT THAN ORIGINALLY THOUGHT. LEAST I DIDN'T SPEND A LOT OF TIME WRITING THE PREVIOUS POST. WWE IS WHACKY!

CM Punk Does NOT Return At Monday Night Raw In Chicago

The show opened on Monday with CM Punk's music, but it was his former manager Paul Heyman who made his way out to the ring in front of Punk's hometown.  Well played WWE.   Heyman did his thing.  He mentioned CM Punk, the first time the name has been uttered on a WWE broadcast since he left the company.  Heyman said Punk was NOT in the building.  He blamed the fans for why Punk wasn't there and referenced his loss last Wrestlemania to the Undertaker, which allowed him to introduce his current guy Brock Lesnar.

Solid start to the show.  I was still thinking Punk would arrive and blow the roof off the place.

First match was for the Tag belts where The Usos beat The New Age Outlaws to become the NEEWWWW WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD!   Good for them.

Big E and Cesaro have a match.  Fine.

The Wyatts vs. The Shield is next.  Once again it's terrific.  Without these two factions, I'd be out on the WWE right now.  Bray Wyatt is the best on the mic (since Punk is gone, remember) and Dean Ambrose isn't bad himself.  All 6 can wrestle and put on great matches.  Crowd chanted "This Is Awesome" a few times for this one, even before it started.

First hour of the show was great.  No CM Punk, but his name was mentioned and the crowd chanted it a few times.

Then a bunch of crap matches follow including Sheamus vs. Christian.  No thanks.

Jesse (Aaron Paul) from Breaking Bad comes out with Dolph Ziggler for his match with Alberto Del Rio.   Gotta promote that movie.

John Cena comes out, says he won't be wrestling and then talks about the Wyatts.   Least the WWE realizes Bray Wyatt is legit, as he is in TWO rivalries/ storylines right now.

Main Event time:  Batista vs. Daniel Bryan.  And of course Randy Orton is out too.  He's the champ.

Looks like Bryan will win and then shockingly Orton comes in and it's a DQ.  Next thing you know Triple H, Stephanie, and Kane are all in the ring beating up Bryan.  This would be a pretty good time for CM Punk's music to hit again... but it does not.  The WWE knew it was the perfect time and once again ended the night with Triple H and Steph reigning victorious.  Weak sauce.

Remember when the WCW had too many of their wrestlers (Hogan, Nash, NWO, etc.) in charge of creative and the whole operation went in the trash?  Well Triple H is doing a hell of a job trying to recreate that mess.

Daniel Bryan not being good enough is getting tired.

Triple H and Steph as the lead villains is getting tired.

Randy Orton sucks.

Batista sucks.

Sheamus sucks.

I'll probably still watch through Wrestlemania, but they are making it tough.  If I had the feeling that they were setting us up for something awesome it would be one thing, but the storytelling/ writing is so bad there is almost no hope.   Do they write this stuff day of?  How much of a long-scope do they have?   Remember when Kane was kidnapped by the Wyatt Family?  What about Daniel Bryan?  Do they remember?

I'll end with a quick Pros vs. Cons list of the current state of the WWE.

PRO:
Daniel Bryan
The Wyatt Family
The Shield
CM Punk
Paul Heyman

CON:
Randy Orton
Batista
Triple H/ Steph as the main heels
Writing
Sheamus
Christian
Kane
Lack of CM Punk
IC Belt
Divas Division

And John Cena probably lies somewhere in the middle.

The Ideal 30-Man Lineup For This Month's Royal Rumble

Looks like John Cena and Randy Orton will be squaring off for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble (Sunday, January 26).   It doesn't mean they can't be in the Rumble, but for the purposes here I am going to keep them out.

One of the best parts of the Rumble every year is the old dudes they trot back out there.  (Diesel and Booker T got the loudest ovations a few year's back when I was at the event in Boston.)  So, I throw in a couple of old-school guys with the current-school (?) guys and see if we can get the 30 most deserving/ entertaining wrestlers going... This is my wish list, as of now.  And not the order they'd enter, I don't care who comes in when...

1. CM Punk
2. Daniel Bryan
3. Bray Wyatt
4. Luke Harper
5. Erick Rowan
6. Dean Ambrose
7. Seth Rollins
8. Roman Reigns
9. Goldust
10. Cody Rhodes
11. Dolph Ziggler
12. Big E Langston
13. Damien Sandow
14. Big Show
15. Ryback
16. Mark Henry
17. Rey Mysterio
18. Kofi Kingston
19. Brodus Clay
20. Antonio Cesaro
21. Kane
22. Batista
23. Brock Lesnar
24. Triple H
25. Chris Jericho
26. Sheamus
27. Alberto Del Rio
28. Bo Dallas
29. Shawn Michaels
30. Vince McMahon

Boom. Best 30-man Rumble money could pay for.  No need to trot out the likes of The Miz, Jack Swagger, Wade Barrett, or Curtis Axel.  I'll pass on those scrubs.  

CM Punk on Toucher & Rich

WWE Champion CM Punk was a guest on Toucher & Rich this morning on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston. Felger & Mazz producer and wrestling expert James Stewart sat in with T&R as they interviewed Punk prior to tonigh'ts Monday Night Raw at the TD Garden.

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW HERE

Summer Slam Spoiler?

WWE's Summer Slam is this Sunday night. If you have been paying attention at all to wrestling recently (and I think you should, it's getting good again) you know that the New Hampshire native Triple H has become the new on screen COO. He is very much involved in the main storyline between John Cena and CM Punk.

One member of the twitter universe created an image of what the end of the night could look like if HHH (a big time spotlight hog) gets to really call the shots back stage. I enjoyed it.

-Keefe

My Experience at the Royal Rumble

From the ages of 6 to 16 I was a die hard wrestling fan. On Monday nights I was glued to the tube flipping back and forth between WWF's Monday Night RAW and WCW's Monday Nitro. I loved it all. The gimmicks, the fights, the characters, the soap opera aspect, didn't matter. I found out it was fake, fine, I was still hooked. But like most of us the middle of high school comes and you have different priorities and you move on. Thanks wrestling.

Well last Sunday I attended the Royal Rumble at the TD Garden in Boston. Always my favorite event of the year back in the day, there was no chance I was passing up the opportunity even though I would know roughly 5-6 of the 40 (that's right 40) wrestlers taking part in this year's Rumble.

My buddy DA (from the DA Show, weeknights 6-11pm on 98.5 The Sports and on twitter @theDAshow) was offered two tickets to the event, and he asked if I wanted in. I'll tell you, the fact I haven't followed wrestling in a decade did not even cross my mind. "The Royal Rumble?" I said. I'm there.

So on Sunday I witnessed my first live wrestling event since 1997 while DA was finally able to scratch something off his extended bucket list.

We grabbed our tickets from will call and made our way to our seats, which happened to be Row 3 in the Loge. (I sat 3 rows from the ceiling back in '97). I was overwhelmed by the crowd. This was a true sellout. No fudging the numbers here, every seat was occupied, or in most cases had a fan standing in front of it.

Side note: I was at UFC 118 at the Garden back in August, which they also billed as a sellout, and the crowds looked nothing alike.

As I understand the now WWE (its been forever but I still hesitate wanting to call it the WWF) is broken up into two shows and two rosters, Raw and Smackdown. I arrived at this conclusion a few years back when my buddy Shark and I were playing the video game for 360, wisely titled Raw vs. Smackdown where you battle the opposing brand for top ratings. One catch is the big Pay-Per-View events use guys from both. I knew this going in, and for the purpose of the Rumble what do I care if Edge is in Raw or Smackdown.

Speaking of Edge, he hit lead off on the night putting his World Heavyweight Title belt on the line against Dolph Ziggler. (At this point I am 1 for 2 as far as knowing dudes is concerned. One difference however is when I knew Edge he essentially was a Vampire and part of the stable "The Brood." Now he is the Rated R Superstar. Whatever. Good for him.) He won what was actually a very entertaining match against Dolph. Some really ugly chick was backing Dolph and must have some kind of power as she told Edge he couldn't use his spear or he would have lost the title. But both that bitch and the ref got knocked out, so guess what happened? Edge speared the crap out of Ziggler and got the 1-2-3. Sick match. Great start.

The second match was for the WWE Championship. Confused? Me too. World Heavyweight Title and WWE Championship? Gotta be the brands. Moving on. The Miz (from MTV's Real World, Season 10: Return to New York) is the champ. Pretty incredible. Who had that 5 years ago? He squared off against Randy Orton. (I am a surprising 3 out of 4 knowing guys, or course 1 out of 4 I met while he lived in a house with 6 strangers.)

This match was entertaining, well the parts I saw. DA and I made an amateur mistake and hit up the concourse for some food right after the Edge win. I ended up talking to a friend from college who was there and missed half the Miz fight. Shame on me, I know. And the real kicker is the final match before the Royal Rumble was a Divas Match. At least I didn't have to wait in line for my hot dog and nachos.

Gotta love this; first bout was a singles match, went just over 20 minutes, second bout also a singles match went just under 20 minutes. The Divas busted out a Fatal Four Way Match for the strap (3 title fights!) and lasted 5 minutes. The WWE hasn't lasted this long by making bad decisions. DA and I are the ones with the bad decision to eat during a good match then come back for all of the Divas, but it didn't matter we were still genuinely jacked up for the Rumble to start.

After two rival gangs err stables rushed the ring to start the Rumble, order was restored with the two true combatants. CM Punk (sort of heard of) drew the #1 spot while Daniel Bryan (no clue) took #2. (They ran some vignette with this guy Bryan and an Asian chick and two twin chicks they all ended up in a brawl.) Both of these gentlemen were prepared for a battle as Bryan lasted over 20 minutes and as DA pointed out on several occasions had a "big heart."

Punk is the leader of one of the aforementioned stables called the New Nexus. It got to a point where he was and 3 other members of this crew were the only ones in the ring, and they just waited for the next entrant. 7 dudes must have come and gone at the hands of this 4-on-1 assault. DA and I were ready to crown these guys the champs... who could possibly stop them?

Many tried, but it was Massachusetts own John Cena who put an end to the New Nexus. When he tossed Punk and a couple of his lackeys over the ropes DA and I literally high-fived and yelled with excitement. We were hooked. That was the highlight of the night, but definitely not the only memorable moment.

The WWE will trot out older wrestlers in the Rumble, something I remember from watching years ago. And Sunday was no different. Booker T returned to the ring and he did so behind thunderous applause. Now I have been to Bruins games, I have been to Celtics regular season and playoff games, and as I said I was at the first ever UFC event in Boston, but I have never heard the New Garden as loud as when Booker T's music hit the speakers. I thought the roof was going to come off. The excitement was short lived however as Booker managed to last just over 1 minute and half of that was spent break dancing in the middle of the ring. You can't have everything.

The other old timer to come back? None other than the 1995 Wrestler of the Year, Diesel. I was legit pumped to see him as he walked out to his old school music and jumbo screen montage. Just great stuff all around. He did not last long either, but had a very cool moment as when he was walking off The Big Show was entering. The two squared off in a classic stare down. Lot of bad blood there going back to WCW when it was the Giant vs. Kevin Nash. Rematch? I don't want to get ahead of myself.

It looked like it was going to be a predictable finish as only four fighters remained (well really 5 cause we later find out 1 asshole was hiding under the ring the whole time) but it was John Cena, Randy Orton, and a couple of dudes I never heard of. The Miz, who wasn't a participant, comes in and eliminates Cena (you guessed it the ref wasn't looking). Next thing you know Orton is out too and friggin Alberto Del Rio (who drove to the ring earlier in sick car) wins the 2011 Royal Rumble. Fans left the Garden irate and looking for answers. Why? Does Del Rio deserve to main event Wrestlemania? Who am I to question the WWE after decades of success?

Like me, fans come and go for the WWE, but they just keep banging out an entertaining product. I went in with no expectations, just hoping for a few laughes and some "holy crap" moments (which definitely took place, most of which from Rey Mysterio who is still getting it done.) I left the night saying, maybe I'll turn on Raw tomorrow for a few minutes, see what's going on.

I thought wrestling was no longer popular, mainly because my friends and I had stopped watching it. Maybe there aren't as many characters who interest me (I do like this John Morrison guy and CM Punk seems to be a great heel), but I'll be damned if its not still an entertaining product. People are still watching this stuff. I feel that the WWE's biggest problem now is that they have really eliminated all of the competition, therefore they have to rely strictly on themselves to improve. Now I don't think this is better than the late 90's, but it doesn't suck and its not going away.

Rick Rude, Owen Hart, The Junkyard Dog, Brian Pillman, Big John Studd, Kerry Von Erich, Andre the Giant, Fatu, Test, Crush, Chris Benoit, Bam Bam Bigelow, Luna Vachon, Earthquake, Mike Awesome, Eddie Guerrero, Big Bossman, British Bulldog, Hercules, Crash Holly, Road Warrior Hawk, Miss Elizabeth, Mr. Perfect, The Sheik, and Yokozuna may all be dead, but wrestling is still alive and well. (Jesus that's a lot of dead wrestlers, and there are many more.)

-Rich Keefe