Curtis Axel: What does a feud with CM Punk mean at this stage?

Curtis Axel with Paul Heyman

Who can elevate Curtis Axel to the main event stage? Right now, I don’t think getting him to the main event is really on the WWE management’s mind. It’s Daniel Bryan’s time and we should all revel in that. But every popular star in the WWE like Bryan, Punk, Cena (at least to a certain demographic) and Dolph Ziggler have made it to whatever positions they hold in the WWE because of the certain way they carry themselves. ‘Yes’ for Bryan, ‘Pipebomb’ for Punk, ‘Hustle, Loyalty, Respect’ for Cena or Dolph Ziggler’s bleached blonde hair and arrogance – they all have something that stands out and one takes notice.

The reason Curtis Axel does not seem like a legitimate main eventer, right now, is because firstly, nobody has been able to topple Heyman on the mic till now, or even in the drama area. He’s never boring and is good at capturing attention. The reason Lesnar became a star with such a talented actor by his side is because of the sheer power and athleticism that he displays. Curtis Axel has an almost perfect dropkick and has inherited the perfect plex. But apart from that, nothing makes him stand out.

It’s a shame that it seems like he has been stuck in a creative limbo. But with Paul Heyman’s involvement with creative, this shouldn’t have happened. Axel still lacks the ‘IT’ factor. Anyway, I just hope with the feud with Punk, Axel does not get pushed aside and act just like a sidekick to the intensity built around Heyman and Punk.

I hope he gets some character traits with this feud. But I still don’t think it would elevate him to main event status. He needs to make it happen on his own and the Intercontinental title deserves to have two new and young wrestlers fighting for it, and it should be made a stepping tool for success. The MITB might have taken that function, but WWE’s talent roster is overwhelming.

If a meaningful feud can be made out of it, and by that I mean that if a meaningful character can come out of Axel, then I think he should prevail over Punk and move on to defend his title against other emerging stars. And that should lead on to a great mid-card feud.

I think Randy Orton was the last emerging star who made this title feel awesome, back when he was with Evolution in 2003. And I think it was a great decision to have Chris Benoit lose the World Heavyweight title to him. Randy Orton might have been the last in that long list of stars who became main eventers after being Intercontinental champions.

Before talking about the main event push, one should think about how Axel can make the title which he’s currently holding to be the most important ever. He should not move to the main event stage without passing his current stage. He’s currently failing in doing so. Unless he becomes a meaningful character, the main event stage will forever remain elusive for this young star.