CONTACTABOUTFACEBOOKTWITTERPODCAST IPHONE APPANDROID APPAMAZON APPRSS
Pro Wrestling Torch
Pro Wrestling Torch Reaches The Most Wrestling Fans Every Week: #1 in iTunes • #1 on iPhone and iPad • #1 on Android • #1 on Kindle
GOT THE PWTORCH APP YET?
iPhone & iPad
Android
Amazon Kindle
Windows Phone
PWTorch Phone App
WWE News
WWE News: Who saved C.M. Punk's WWE career in 2007?, former ECW head writer Lagana details "den of negativity" surrounding Punk at the time

Jul 26, 2011 - 2:24:13 PM
PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO BOOKMARK US & VISIT US DAILY


By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

PunkCMArt_130GG_102.jpg
C.M. Punk's WWE career might have been saved by WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, according to former ECW brand head writer Dave Lagana in a new blog on IWantWrestling.com.

Lagana recalled that at the end of 2006 and beginning of 2007, there was a "den of negativity that existed" among the WWE agents regarding C.M. Punk. At a creative meeting in early 2007, Michaels, who was consulting with Lagana on the direction of the ECW brand, spoke up about Punk.

Vince McMahon was scheduled to appear on ECW for the first time in the start of a new storyline. He was going to rid ECW of it’s “Original” stars and make the way for a “New Breed.” The meeting quickly turned into another CM Punk bash fest. My role was to run the meeting but dare not speak out of turn on the veteran agents. This was how the previous months meetings had gone but this day was different. It was a new voice in the room that changed everything. “Um, if you don’t like something the kid is doing, why don’t you work with him to fix it...instead of killing him.” That voice belonged to Shawn Michaels.

Lagana said he was able to get Michaels's input on the weekly ECW shows, thoughts on current talent, and provide a voice in agent meetings. Lagana said in the meeting where Michaels indirectly defended Punk, Michaels noted wrestlers like him and Undertaker wouldn't be around forever and they needed to develop the future. Lagana added, "Punk wasn’t pushed strong that week or even the next week but the ship had turned. Punk was positioned better from that point forward."

An additional intriguing aspect of Lagana's blog is from the ECW December to Dismember PPV in December 2006, which bombed creatively and financially. Lagana noted Big Show wanted to enhance Punk in the Elimination Chamber match, but Vince McMahon balked at the idea:

While Lashley was going to be the “man” that night winning the title, there was a pitch by (Paul) Heyman to have C.M. Punk and Big Show start the Chamber and for Punk to eliminate the Big Show with the Anaconda Vice. Big Show was behind the idea and felt it was the right move to make. ... If you’ve seen the match, you know this didn’t happen.

In 2006, Vince McMahon looked at Punk and “didn’t get it.” Plus, when you have Paul Heyman pushing heavily for you in that environment – you get the stigma of being a 'Paul Heyman Guy. I had the stigma because I worked with Paul on every run he had on creative from 2002 – 2006. Punk suffered for those sins and that night in December, he did not make the Big Show tap out. The agents who didn’t like him made sure the audience would not get a moment from C.M. Punk that night; Punk was the first man eliminated in the match.


Paul Heyman recalled similar circumstances in an interview with the U.K. Sun in February 2008:

My opinion was to start the chamber off with the Big Show saying: "I'm a seven foot tall, 500lb giant, I'm gonna mow through every one of you." And the first to take him on would be Punk. Playing to the fact that UFC is so hot and in the public consciousness, Punk chokes out Big Show in the first round of the Elimination Chamber, four-and-a-half minutes in, and now the champion is out.

Vince hated this. He especially hated the fact that Big Show liked it... (Show liked it) because he was making a new guy! Big Show is so underappreciated in terms of how smart he is to the business, and how willing he is to make new stars.


Link: Lagana writes more about the inner-workings of the ECW brand and perception of Punk in the mid-2000s at IWantWrestling.com.

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]


We suggest these recent related articles...
WWE NEWS: Superstars SPOILERS - Results from Chicago Raw
WWE NETWORK: Monday, Oct. 12 Schedule - Raw pre-show, Sting DVD preview
WWE NEWS: Lana & Rusev reportedly engaged - follow the interesting 2015 timeline
prowrestling.net
CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE PW.NET HEADLINES


CLICK TO EMAIL THIS ARTICLE
CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO MAIN LISTING

NEW! SIGN UP FOR FREE PWTORCH BREAKING NEWS EMAIL ALERTS
BECOME A PWTORCH VIP MEMBER
-FORMER MEMBERS LOGIN HERE TO RENEW
-NEW MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
SELECT BY ARTICLES CATEGORY
SEARCH PWTORCH.COM



CLICK HERE FOR LIST OF UPCOMING PRO WRESTLING EVENTS
MORE HEADLINES AT AFFILIATE SITES
MMATorch
LATEST HEADLINES - CLICK TO READ CLICK HERE FOR MORE MMATORCH HEADLINES


PWTORCH POLL - VOTE NOW!
RAW POLL 10/12: Vote on Monday's show
 
pollcode.com free polls


RAW POLL 10/12: What was the Best Match on Raw?
 
pollcode.com free polls
MCNEILL LIVECAST POLL: TNA will have a 32-person tournament to determine a new Hvt. champion - your thoughts?
 
pollcode.com free polls
CENA POLL: If John Cena takes a year-end break, who should win the U.S. Title from Cena?
 
pollcode.com free polls
VOTE IN OR SEE RESULTS OF PREVIOUS POLLS



LATEST HEADLINES - CLICK TO READ CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE INC HEADLINES

_
LATEST FREE AUDIO SHOWS - CLICK TO LISTEN VIEW MORE PWTORCH LIVECAST EPISODES
DOWNLOAD PWTORCH LIVECAST APP
SUBSCRIBE TO PWTORCH LIVECAST IN ITUNES


ABOUT US

THE TORCH REACHES MORE COMBAT ENTERTAINMENT FANS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE

PWTorch editor Wade Keller has covered pro wrestling full time since 1987 starting with the Pro Wrestling Torch print newsletter. PWTorch.com launched in 1999 and the PWTorch Apps launched in 2008.

He has conducted "Torch Talk" insider interviews with Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Steve Austin, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Eric Bischoff, Jesse Ventura, Lou Thesz, Jerry Lawler, Mick Foley, Jim Ross, Paul Heyman, Bruno Sammartino, Goldberg, more.

He has interviewed big-name players in person incluiding Vince McMahon (at WWE Headquarters), Dana White (in Las Vegas), Eric Bischoff (at the first Nitro at Mall of America), Brock Lesnar (after his first UFC win).

He hosted the weekly Pro Wrestling Focus radio show on KFAN in the early 1990s and hosted the Ultimate Insiders DVD series distributed in retail stories internationally in the mid-2000s including interviews filmed in Los Angeles with Vince Russo & Ed Ferrara and Matt & Jeff Hardy. He currently hosts the most listened to pro wrestling audio show in the world, (the PWTorch Livecast, top ranked in iTunes)


REACHING 1 MILLION+ UNIQUE USERS PER MONTH
500 MILLION CLICKS & LISTENS PER YEAR
MILLIONS OF PWTORCH NEWSLETTERS SOLD
PWTORCH STAFF

EDITORS:
Wade Keller, editor
(kellerwade@gmail.com)

James Caldwell, assistant editor
(pwtorch@gmail.com)

STAFF COLUMNISTS:
Bruce Mitchell (since 1990)
Pat McNeill (since 2001)
Greg Parks (since 2007)
Sean Radican (since 2003)

We also have a great team of
TV Reporters
and Specialists and Artists.

PWTORCH VIP MEMBERSHIP

PWTorch offers a VIP membership for $10 a month (or less with an annual sub). It includes nearly 25 years worth of archives from our coverage of pro wrestling dating back to PWTorch Newsletters from the late-'80s filled with insider secrets from every era that are available to VIPers in digital PDF format and Keller's radio show from the early 1990s.

Also, new exclusive top-shelf content every day including a new VIP-exclusive weekly 16 page digital magazine-style (PC and iPad compatible) PDF newsletter packed with exclusive articles and news.

The following features come with a VIP membership which tens of thousands of fans worldwide have enjoyed for many years...

-New Digital PWTorch Newsletter every week
-3 New Digital PDF Back Issues from 5, 10, 20 years ago
-Over 60 new VIP Audio Shows each week
-Ad-free access to all PWTorch.com free articles
-VIP Forum access with daily interaction with PWTorch staff and well-informed fellow wrestling fans
-Tons of archived audio and text articles
-Decades of Torch Talk insider interviews in transcript and audio formats with big name stars.


**SIGN UP FOR VIP ACCESS HERE**

CONTACTABOUTFACEBOOKTWITTERPODCASTIPHONE APPANDROID APPAMAZON APPRSS
VIP SIGN-UP
VIP LOGIN
THE TORCH: #1 IN COMBAT ENTERTAINMENT COVERAGE | © 1999-2013 TDH Communications Inc. • All rights reserved -- PRIVACY POLICY