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CM Punk is one of the most successful wrestlers of all time, with him achieving gold wherever he goes during his career, whether that be in ROH, WWE, or more recently with AEW. Although he was hugely popular in ROH, his fanbase rose to a new level during his time in WWE. Following a decent run in ECW, in which he would become champion, his next step saw him win the World Heavyweight Championship in 2008. However, this title reign was a failure, and that was down to several reasons.
CM Punk Defied The Odds To Become World Heavyweight Champion
At WrestleMania 24, CM Punk surprisingly emerged victorious in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, despite him not seeming like the typical style of performer that WWE usually pushed. However, they clearly saw the talent in him, with the briefcase being a sure-fire way to World Title gold around that time. Although he had a few matches on both Raw and SmackDown, he was still an ECW Superstar until he cashed in his briefcase.
Just a few months after winning the briefcase, Punk took advantage of a beaten-down Edge, cashing in and winning the World Heavyweight Championship in a huge surprise, and it was very much welcomed by the fans. It was a great moment, with things looking to be on the up for Punk. On the same night, he defended the title against JBL, although WWE made their first mistake by having JBL distracted at ringside by John Cena and Cryme Tyme, with Punk picking up the win because of this. It wasn’t the best of starts in trying to make Punk look like a strong champion.
CM Punk Couldn’t Win Matches On His Own And Was Booked To Look Weak
Punk’s character didn’t develop too much, with him lacking the edge that made him so popular to begin with, as WWE hugely diluted his personality. At the Great American Bash PPV, he came up against Batista, but instead of a big victory, their dull match ended in a cheap double DQ, as Kane interfered to attack both men. In the post-match, Batista laid out Punk, making the champion look the weakest out of all three individuals.
A rematch between the two was set for the following night, but even though Batista was ambushed by Kane before the bell, Punk still couldn’t get the job done. In fact, Batista was seconds away from winning before JBL ran in to cause a disqualification. During all this, Punk was never the sole focus, and even though he was the one holding the belt, he felt like an afterthought, especially with the likes of John Cena getting involved following the bell, taking the spotlight.
CM Punk’s World Title Reign Was A Waste Of Time
At SummerSlam, Punk came up against JBL, with this marking his one and only clean World Title defense. However, the match itself was very underwhelming, with the pair struggling to really get going. The issue with this reign was that Punk was matched up against big powerhouses who wrestle a particular style, with this not working to Punk’s strengths in the slightest. Not just that, but he barely ever looked like an equal to these stars, devaluing both him and the championship itself.
Punk’s reign came to a lackluster end, as he was ambushed by Randy Orton and The Legacy before his defense at Unforgiven, forcing him to relinquish the belt through being unable to compete. When he returned to battle the new champion, Chris Jericho, he lost in his attempt to win back the belt, which sent him back down to the midcard and tag divisions for nearly a year. Whilst his fortunes would turn around eventually, this title reign was a clear example of WWE not always knowing how to book certain wrestlers and refusing to play to their strengths. Punk became a very “WWE-style” babyface in his promos, but the reason they likely signed him in the first place was because of how effective he can be when playing a character who is more than just a triumphant and brave hero with a bland personality.
Eventually, WWE would get things right, as he would once again with the Money in the Bank briefcase, cashing in to win the World Heavyweight Championship, but this time there was an actual plan in place, as it marked the start of a fantastic heel turn and wonderful feud with Jeff Hardy which would carry SmackDown over the summer months. Although he was World Heavyweight Champion in 2008, there were certainly other summers throughout his career that were much more successful, with him feeling like a true champion the following year, and in the subsequent ones which followed.