Story time.
I was actually in the audience for Jeff Hardy's last WWE match. That SmackDown was my first time going to a WWE live event, and Jeff Hardy was my favorite wrestler at the time, so it obviously ended up being a pretty huge night for me. I remember when Punk issued the challenge for a loser-leaves-the-WWE stipulation, I got this sinking feeling in my gut, because I knew that if anybody wanted a break from the WWE, it was Jeff. And he was, as I said, my favorite at the time, so I wasn't exactly keen on the idea of him leaving the company.
For me as a wrestling fan, that night was magical. All of my disbelief disappeared during that cage match - I was practically praying for Jeff Hardy to win, even though I had already identified that he wasn't going to. And when CM Punk's feet hit the floor, I felt absolutely crushed.
Hardy did his little farewell address, and then when he was leaving, Punk attacked him from behind at the top of the ramp. I don't think I've ever been louder in my entire life than I was in that moment, booing CM Punk.
I think the televised show ended with CM Punk standing tall on the ramp, so some of you may not know what came next, but after Raw went off the air, CM Punk ran around outside of the ring mocking the audience in the front row, making 'boo-hoo crymoar' gestures at this little girl who was literally crying. And in that moment, I hated him. I wanted somebody to come out from the locker and beat him into oblivion.
Which, incidentally, the Undertaker did. That part definitely wasn’t televised, but the reaction to the gong was absolutely insane. He came out to tombstone Punk to send us home happy.
Anyway, I’m rambling, and I’m sorry about that. The point is, the next week on SmackDown, when Punk came out dressed as Hardy, I realized that Punk was genuinely brilliant at playing the heel. Because even sitting at home, removed from the adrenaline of the live atmosphere, I hated him again. I soon remembered that he was intentionally making me hate him, but for one moment, it was totally successful – I hated his guts. And then, moments later, I just wanted to stand up and applaud.
As a jaded wrestling fan, there aren’t too many moments anymore that draw me in the way I was drawn in as a kid, and Punk’s feud with Hardy managed to do exactly that.
… I’ll shut up now. Sorry for the tangent.