CM Punk 2012 - A POV Diary

SUMMER SLAMMIN', Aug 18.

There are always those certain shows that you always want to be a part of when growing up as a wrestling fan — SummerSlam is one of those. When you participate in an event that was made so illustrious thanks to guys like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, you want to carry on that legacy and make it seem just as important a spectacle as they did.

Tomorrow night I'm in a match with Big Show — someone I have worked with a few times, but not intimately or on a regular basis. We've been feuding for around a month now, but physical contact in the feud has been at a minimum, other than him knocking my lights out a couple times! I sat down for a coffee with Show at catering before last week's RAW and mapped out some cool ideal for SummerSlam, and with some direction I think we can do something special. A lot of people will consider the match a mis-match, or a match where I can't work to my fullest extent — but I am supremely confident that we can put on a really good wrestling match. Show is no slouch in the ring, he's a great wrestler for his size and a smart veteran of the business.

Today I did something that I expect a lot of people to be sort of shocked or surprised about. After we got settled in our hotel, I paid a visit to John Cena's room with a DVD of my latest televised match in-hand. I had a match against Alberto Del Rio on SmackDown and was interested in getting some feedback. I strive on feedback, and I honestly think John gives some of the best in the back. I like to have my finger on the pulse, and John is the most influential wrestler in pop culture at the moment. Whilst I like to think I know what the, quote-unquote "smarter" fans want, there's no denying that John knows what the majority of the audience are looking for.

After around 45 minutes of John giving me an insight on how to better connect with the live crowd, especially on the scale of something like Summerslam, I decided to grab some dinner and hit the sack before a big day.

Until tomorrow...

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DEF.

ANOTHER ONE DOWN, Aug 19.

Well, quite honestly, that didn't go as well as I would've liked — but my high expectations of myself sometimes understate how good a match was. We lost the crowd for a while there during the middle of the match, but the noise when the match came to a conclusion was satisfying because I felt like I put a lot of effort in to make the match work. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts to lift Show up for the GTS, I managed to lock in the Anaconda Vice from reversing a top rope Chokeslam.

There's a weird feeling — almost a euphoria — straight after a pay-per-view like SummerSlam or WrestleMania. It's almost a feeling of hollowness after you've worked up to this event and hyped it up so much - and then it's gone in an instant. Back to the monotony. That's why this job can be so mentally draining. You've always got to try and better yourself every night, whether it be a live event or a televised show, otherwise you just drown in your own mediocrity. You must reinvent yourself and make yourself interesting, because if you dont — somebody else will!

Not entirely sure what my role will be tomorrow night on RAW. All I know is that I think I mightn't be too far off another WWE Title opportunity.

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