Hanging an "L" on Excellence
CM Punk's journey to UFC Fighter is complete. At UFC 203, he made the walk. He stepped in the cage. To borrow a memorable Arn Anderson promo, he said what he was going to do and then he did it. In many eyes, that was a win.
The cynical might ask, "A win for who?". It is a fair question. Victory, after all, is in the eyes of the beholder.
Punk surely won. The world can debate his level of self-awareness, but most agree on this: he lives to prove people wrong. 'Fake' wrestlers don't step in the Octagon, and he did.
For others, victory is less clear. Wrestlers, fighters, fans, announcers; they hold opinions across a broad spectrum. Some love the effort, some hate the spectacle and many carry ambivalence on those very topics.
"What harm was done?" is a common refrain from supporters of this and other spectacles. The injured party can be summed up in a single word: excellence. That concept, which drives so many admirable parts of Western civilization, took a hit tonight.
CM Punk is an excellent professional wrestler. Nitpicks aside (and Lord knows this column has had many over the years), Punk is a world class promo and a damn fine worker.
Change requires education. Education takes time.
It is no crime to steal excellence's time when pursuing change. It is necessary, in fact. Clint Eastwood was a star actor for nearly a decade before he directed 'High Plains Drifter'. Just one movie starring Eastwood was released in the year before 'Drifter'. Forty-five years later, the time Eastwood stole from his acting prime continues to pay off. 'Sully', his lasted directing job, is a hit.
Excellence's loss at UFC is not due to the fact that CM Punk tried something new. It is due to the fact that CM Punk bullied his way into a profession that he is ill-equipped for. Punk knew -- or, at least, should have known -- that he was no fighter. A few sessions on the mat or with the gloves surely told him that he would never be good enough.
Joe Rogan used the word "delusional". That might be the right word. It is possible that the enablers of Punk's crimes against UFC -- his coaches, loved ones and, of course, UFC management -- were unable or unwilling to speak truth to power. They may have told him that he was doing great and that hard work was the antidote for his athletic shortcomings. Perhaps Punk believed them, and the delusion blossomed.
There is another possibility. The possibility that Punk knew.
If one believes that CM Punk is a smart and self-aware individual -- as this columns does -- then the naive & delusional version of CM Punk stretched credibility. More likely is a spiteful, greedy Punk. A man who knows he has a gift, hates the people who benefit most from his gift, and has thus chosen to keep his contribution to excellence away from the world.
The cynical might ask, "A win for who?". It is a fair question. Victory, after all, is in the eyes of the beholder.
Punk surely won. The world can debate his level of self-awareness, but most agree on this: he lives to prove people wrong. 'Fake' wrestlers don't step in the Octagon, and he did.
For others, victory is less clear. Wrestlers, fighters, fans, announcers; they hold opinions across a broad spectrum. Some love the effort, some hate the spectacle and many carry ambivalence on those very topics.
"What harm was done?" is a common refrain from supporters of this and other spectacles. The injured party can be summed up in a single word: excellence. That concept, which drives so many admirable parts of Western civilization, took a hit tonight.
CM Punk is an excellent professional wrestler. Nitpicks aside (and Lord knows this column has had many over the years), Punk is a world class promo and a damn fine worker.
Change requires education. Education takes time.
It is no crime to steal excellence's time when pursuing change. It is necessary, in fact. Clint Eastwood was a star actor for nearly a decade before he directed 'High Plains Drifter'. Just one movie starring Eastwood was released in the year before 'Drifter'. Forty-five years later, the time Eastwood stole from his acting prime continues to pay off. 'Sully', his lasted directing job, is a hit.
Excellence's loss at UFC is not due to the fact that CM Punk tried something new. It is due to the fact that CM Punk bullied his way into a profession that he is ill-equipped for. Punk knew -- or, at least, should have known -- that he was no fighter. A few sessions on the mat or with the gloves surely told him that he would never be good enough.
Joe Rogan used the word "delusional". That might be the right word. It is possible that the enablers of Punk's crimes against UFC -- his coaches, loved ones and, of course, UFC management -- were unable or unwilling to speak truth to power. They may have told him that he was doing great and that hard work was the antidote for his athletic shortcomings. Perhaps Punk believed them, and the delusion blossomed.
There is another possibility. The possibility that Punk knew.
If one believes that CM Punk is a smart and self-aware individual -- as this columns does -- then the naive & delusional version of CM Punk stretched credibility. More likely is a spiteful, greedy Punk. A man who knows he has a gift, hates the people who benefit most from his gift, and has thus chosen to keep his contribution to excellence away from the world.
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