What's up with Punk and what's in Kane's bag?

Just some brief wrestling thoughts before I review The Dark Knight, hopefully later this week.

While I admittedly tend to view things with the proverbial rose-colored glasses, I have to say that things are getting very interesting in WWE right now, particularly with Raw (while I've always had a soft spot for Smackdown, it's a lot tougher to fit into my schedule). I'm especially fond of the ongoing Batista/Punk/Kane feud, as none of them are OFFICIALLY heels. Yes, you've got three sorta faces just plain old not liking each other (very reminiscent of that OTHER great feud, with Michaels, Jericho, and Batista).

The first question I will tackle is, what's in that potato sack that Kane has been carrying around for the past couple of weeks? I'm going with the obvious (or at least what I perceive as obvious) prediction: His mask. For that matter, the "he" Kane keeps referring to is his former self (bringing back memories of Dustin Runnels proclaiming "He's coming back" and returning a few weeks later as Goldust). After a few more weeks, perhaps at SummerSlam, I foresee Kane opening the bag, revealing the mask, and grimacing sinisterly before putting it back on. It would actually be kinda neat seeing a hybrid of the two Kane characters, with the Big Red Monster wearing the mask, but remaining bald and shirtless.

But, for the love of God, PLEASE put on a new pair of tights. He's been wearing that same uniform since, like, 2002.

You know, it's a bit crazy considering that the mask is such an iconic symbol of Kane's character, yet he's been without his mask for the majority of his career as the Big Red Machine. Sorta like how Saved by the Bell: The New Class was on the air longer than the original Saved by the Bell.

And then there's the matter of CM Punk's Jericho/Mysterio-esque title reign, where he is suddenly and mysteriously booked to look like a chump once he nabs the gold. I'm not going to ostracize this angle quite yet, because there's one way I think it could become a complete success, and the optimist in me thinks that they may be going into this direction.

Basically, you have Punk so insistent that he's not just some fluke champion, and he's so eager to take on all comers and prove his worth to the fans and his competition. Yet every single time he's put in a position to overcome a challenge, somebody interferes, essentially giving him a cheap victory and robbing him of the opportunity to prove everybody wrong. The only flaw I really see is that they keep having the interference come when Punk is on the brink of losing, instead of when things are a bit more evenly matched.

This story could either culminate with Punk getting a legit, clean victory over one of his big challenges (preferably Batista) in a highly climatic moment, or with Punk becoming so frustrated that he completely loses it and turns heel. I vote for the former.

See, aren't you glad I provided that BRIEF commentary?