At WWE Survivor Series 2011, CM Punk defeated Alberto Del Rio to become the new WWE Champion, securing the title for the third time this year.  Last night on WWE Raw, he declared that despite some people in the company not liking it, he is the new face of the WWE.  

Those are big words coming from a man who's hype has died down since his infamous Summer shoot promo, but the fact is, his star has continued to rise regardless.  Punk dethroned John Cena as the king of merchandise sales, and his grassroots following has exploded into legions of fans who are ready to boo John Cena at the drop of a dime.  

Punk's declaration was more than empty words though, as WrestleZone has the scoop on what Vince McMahon had to say about Punk during the writing staff meetings yesterday:

According to a key source in WWE, McMahon also spent a lot of time talking about how WWE has to "promote, and promote hard" the new WWE Champion CM Punk and his relationship with the audience.

A relationship with the audience is one of the key ingredients of making a true mega star.  In the end, it's the fans who decide who the face of the company is.  It's almost as if the stars have aligned for Punk, that his rise to the top was more fate than chance.  

John Cena, the undisputed face of the WWE, is stuck in a feud with The Rock, a star who is light years beyond him.  Their "road to WrestleMania" does nothing to build John Cena, he's simply providing a platform for The Rock to perform on.  

While Cena is stuck being outclassed by The Rock and WWE keeps the WWE Championship out of that feud, CM Punk now has the opportunity of a lifetime.  If Punk can hold onto the WWE Championship and put on classic performances like his match against Dolph Ziggler on Raw, it won't matter where they put Punk on the card, or how often WWE thinks John Cena closing the show is a good idea, Punk can become the face of the WWE.