Between the years of 2007 and 2012,
the New York Mets put their fan base through unimaginable hardships. In 2007,
we saw the Mets give up a 7 game lead with only 17 to play. In 2008 we
experienced another collapse which to some may have been worse, considering
each day you were expecting them to turn the corner. Prior to the 2009 season,
Sports Illustrated had chosen the Mets to win the World Series. They could not
have been more wrong. The Mets lost nearly their entire starting lineup to
injuries and finished the season with a 70-92 record. They finished 4
th
place in their division from 2009-2011 and although 2012 saw a similar outcome,
it was the dawn of a new era. Although MLB blackout violations prevented me
from PAYING MONEY to watch the Mets lose the majority of their games, I somehow
managed to follow every inning during that span. As the Mets continued to
disappoint their fans, it was becoming more and more difficult to follow them
on a daily basis. After countless hours of reading horror stories via
Metsblog, I desperately needed a new outlet for entertainment.
In 2012, a friend of mine called me
and shouted, “DUDE! ARE YOU WATCHING WRESTLING?!?!” I immediately turned on the
USA Network and saw the Undertaker standing face to face with Triple H in the
middle of the ring. All of the sudden, it seemed as if the clock had been
turned back 10 years as I was standing in the middle of my room wondering to
myself why I ever stopped watching the show that consumed most of my childhood.
I quickly logged on to the WWE website to read about current feuds. At the
time, WWE had a new face of the company, a man named CM Punk. I couldn’t
understand how this smaller, rugged-looking guy could have become the champion.
That is, until I did some reading of my own.
 |
| CM Punk throws out first pitch at Citi Field. |
|
CM Punk at the time was the perfect
example of what it felt like to be a Mets fan. After years of suffering brought
about by a poor management team, he knew it was time for a change. Although he
was in the company for a number of years, he was never given the chance to
become the WWE champion. On June 27, 2011, CM Punk delivered what is now
referred to as the famous “
Pipebomb” promo. For those of you who don’t know, CM
Punk aired his grievances with the company on live television. His speech was
delivered so perfectly that it is considered by many to be one of the best promos
in recent memory.
While things began to change in the
WWE, much was the same for the New York Mets. Five years had gone by since the
2006 NLCS and yet many still saw Carlos Beltran as the root of all the Mets’
problems. As far as the fan base was considered, as long as he was around, they
were destined to be nothing more than a collection of talented athletes either
past their prime or nowhere near it. Around the same time that CM Punk
delivered his “
Pipebomb,” the Mets were fortunate to have a player by the name
of
Jose Reyes. Reyes was in the middle of a career season posting a .341
batting average, 61 runs, 113 hits, 14 triples, and 26 stolen bases. Although
not many had expected the Mets to do much, they were on the verge of turning
things around and Reyes was a major part of it. Meanwhile, Carlos Beltran was
beginning to put up consistent numbers that were good enough to change his
reputation in the eyes of the common Mets fan.
During Jose Reyes' hot streak, the WWE Champion at the time was John Cena. John Cena, although he is
considered to be an all-time great (ala Carlos Beltran), was defined by what he
didn’t do rather than what he
did do. During the Mid-2000’s WWE
experienced an era commonly known as the PG-Era. During this time, John Cena
led the pack offering a clean version of what a WWE champion should look like.
Although Cena is, as I said earlier, an all-time great, many individuals
specifically from my generation, view his character as a “corn-ball.” It was a
cheesy gimmick that made fans second-guess their way of life as they sat on
their couch week after week to watch a grown man rhyme worse than a Dr. Suess
impersonator.
Thankfully, CM Punk came to change
the company. On July 17, 2011 he defeated John Cena to win his first ever WWE
championship. Only ten days later, Carlos Beltran was
traded to the San
Francisco Giants for a player named Zack Wheeler. At the time, most Mets fans
were unaware of how good Wheeler could be, but what they did know was that
things were beginning to take shape. The same could be said for WWE. When CM
Punk won the title, most assumed it wouldn’t last long and expected management
to somehow screw up the momentum. Fortunately, they were all wrong. CM Punk
went on to hold the title for an astounding 434 days until ultimately losing to
The Rock at Royal Rumble. John Cena than regained the title by defeating The
Rock at a
Wrestlemania 29, which in my opinion was one for the history books.
Today, Wheeler and Punk represent
the future for their respective franchises. The New York Mets as well as the
WWE seem to be in the final stages of the rebuilding process. With
WWE Summerslam
(Pay-Per-View) approaching quickly, a fan-favorite underdog by the name of
Daniel Bryan, will look to defeat the great John Cena to capture his first ever
WWE championship. Although a Mets championship may not occur for quite some
time, it is clear to see that the next great era is just around the corner.
During the mid-80’s the New York Mets experienced the most success in the
organization’s history. The best comparison, in WWE terms, would be the era
known as the Attitude Era. It remains to be seen if both companies will enter
into another golden age but the signs are right in faces of their fans. If you
can’t see this... well, than you just haven’t been paying attention. In the words
of my father, there are three things that matter most: family, friends and the
New York Mets. Give me Daniel Bryan winning the WWE championship and a Stone
Cold Steve Austin return and maybe, just maybe, I will add WWE to that list. Let’s
go Mets!
