Whether you love him or hate him, there is no doubt about the fact that CM Punk is one of the biggest wrestling stars of this century. After building up a solid fan base for himself on the independent circuit, Punk would get his chance in WWE in the mid 2000s.

While he was not the typical WWE superstar, he did manage to get over in the company with his incredible mic skills and in-ring work. He managed get a couple of runs with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship as well, but at the end of the day, those reigns were forgettable and underwhelming, and it was clear that Punk was an upper mid-carder in the company.

All that would change in 2011, when his contract was nearing its end and Punk would cut a promo that would change the course of his career and the industry: The Pipebomb. It would immediately catapult him up the card and make him a perennial contender in the WWE Championship picture, until his sudden departure in 2014.

In 2021, Punk would make a shocking return to the ring by joining AEW and has reached the top of the mountain in Tony Khan's company as well. On the other hand, some of his most celebrated work is from his early days in Ring of Honor. Amidst all this though, Punk's run in TNA is often forgotten and for good reason.

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TNA Completely Dropped The Ball With CM Punk

Punk appeared in TNA as early as 2002 but became a more regular feature in the company from mid 2003. His run in the company would last until March 2004. Thus, it was not the longest run by any stretch of the imagination.

Counting out the three sporadic matches that he had in the company early on, Punk was in the company for around nine months, and during that period of time he barely made much of an impact.

He only had one singles match, against Shane Douglas in a Clockwork Orange House of Fun Match. He would spend the majority of his time there teaming with Julio Dinero, first as a part of Raven's group, The Gathering, and then on their own, when they turned on their leader. Interestingly, Mickie James, then known as Alexis Laree, was also part of the group at one point of time, before getting her big break in WWE.

via cagesideseats.com
via cagesideseats.com

They failed to get over as a heel tag team under the management of James Mitchell after turning on Raven, and Punk would soon be gone from TNA when they decided to stop working with ROH in early 2004.

Having CM Punk Team With Raven In TNA Made No Sense

Raven has been the leader of multiple factions through the course of his career, and it is a role that fits him well. On paper, it made a lot of sense for Punk to be a part of his group. There was one major problem though. Punk and Raven were embroiled in a heated feud in ROH at the same time as they were teaming up in TNA.

Thus, it had no continuity whatsoever, and back then TNA and ROH had a lot of mutual viewers. As a result, Punk and Raven being part of a faction made absolutely zero sense.

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CM Punk Was Not At His Best In TNA

While TNA deserves a lot of blame for their booking of Punk, one also has to admit that Punk did not look his best during his run in the company. He was nowhere near the polished worker that he would go on to become.

Botches were not uncommon and Punk did not really have a match that stood out. Perhaps that is the reason why his run in TNA is not remembered by most fans, because it was entirely forgettable.

CM Punk Samoa Joe

At the same time, it must be said that he spent the majority of his run in the company wrestling in tag team matches and was not given the best platform to show what he was capable of.

He would shake up the wrestling world a year later though with his iconic series of matches against Samoa Joe in ROH.

CM Punk Left TNA Under Controversial Circumstances

Punk would leave TNA under controversial circumstances. In February 2004, he would get involved in a physical scuffle with Teddy Hart outside a restaurant. Around this time, he would stop appearing on their shows as well, although it was later claimed that that was because TNA officials were not impressed with Punk and Dinero as heels. He would completely leave the company a month later, when TNA decided to end their working relationship with ROH.

It was the end of an underwhelming run for Punk. Perhaps it was just a matter of being at the right place at the wrong time. Ultimately though, things worked out quite well for him, and he would go on to become one of the biggest stars in the business.