CM Punk leaving WWE in 2014 changed the landscape of pro wrestling. Fans had a deeper insight into a top star bolting due to his frustrations with management. Punk has been outspoken for years regarding moments or decisions that upset him. Many wrestlers to have ugly falling outs with WWE don’t have instant crowd support, but the audience related to Punk’s issues.
The various moments of WWE doing wrong by Punk can easily be spotted. No one is ever booked perfectly, but there were more noteworthy mistakes with Punk from his start to the rise at the top. Find out the moments in time where the company’s errors started to build his frustrations. The following times showcase when WWE failed Punk in his time there.
10 Kevin Nash costing him title reign for Del Rio cash in
The summer of 2011 was the peak for CM Punk in WWE. Punk defeating John Cena for the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank during the exciting storyline and returning with the belt felt like he was reaching new heights.
WWE slowed down Punk’s momentum at SummerSlam 2011 after another win over Cena. Kevin Nash attacked Punk to help Alberto Del Rio cash in MITB for the title win. Del Rio ending Punk’s reign with Nash’s presence was a foolish move to slow down a special time in one’s career.
9 Canceling Paul Heyman's plan for ECW Championship win
Paul Heyman viewed CM Punk as the ideal young star to hype up as ECW’s new vision for the relaunch. Bobby Lashley was another rising star on the brand backed by Heyman, but he wanted Punk to be the one who ended Big Show’s ECW Championship reign.
Vince McMahon was adamant it should be Lashley and had Punk eliminated first in the Elimination Chamber match. Heyman left WWE the following day after the ECW PPV was viewed as an all-time failure with his plans being cut in favor of Vince’s preferences.
8 Ending first World Championship reign without losing a match
CM Punk won the World Championship for the first time in WWE by cashing in MITB on Edge. WWE gave Punk a short title reign as the top champ on Raw with successful defenses against JBL in his only real feud during the time.
Randy Orton attacked Punk ahead of his defense in a scramble match at Unforgiven 2008. The title match went on as planned with Chris Jericho replacing Punk at the last minute to steal the belt. Punk losing the title without even being in the match ruined any momentum created in the title reign.
7 Getting beaten by The Undertaker
2009 saw CM Punk once again winning the Money in the Bank ladder match and cashing in to win the World Championship. Punk turned heel this time during his feud with fan-favorite Jeff Hardy and was significantly more over with the new character.
The Undertaker returned in the summer to feud with Punk over the next few months. Undertaker won the feud in one of the most decisive Hell in a Cell matches, destroying Punk in 10 minutes. Punk fell lower down the card with rumors of Undertaker having backstage issues with him that influenced the booking.
6 Separating The Shield from him without explanation
The Shield was unofficially associated with CM Punk during their first few months on the main roster. Punk legitimately came up with the idea of a trio forming to help him defend the WWE Championship against the likes of Ryback and John Cena.
The Rock was even targeted by The Shield in some of his matches and segments against Punk. WWE separated them after Punk lost the title and moved into a feud with The Undertaker. The Shield benefited from losing the ties to Punk, but they could have easily turned on him to add more appeal to Punk’s comeback as a face later that year.
5 Dropping WWE Championship to The Rock right before WM
The Rock and CM Punk had two PPV matches for the WWE Championship leading up to WrestleMania 29. WWE clearly wanted the rematch between Rock and Cena to have the title involved to add another dynamic.
However, Punk suffered from WWE planning this out a year in advance. The modern historic title reign of Punk saw him as WWE Champion for about a year and a half. Punk losing it right before the biggest show of the year hurt the credibility of his reign, especially since WWE didn’t trust him main eventing many PPVs as the champ.
4 Sending release papers day of his wedding
The personal issues between CM Punk and WWE grew worse when he walked out in 2014. Punk didn’t plan to completely quit or get fired since he wanted a break from the physical and mental hardships of the job.
That made it worse when WWE decided to officially release Punk on the day of his wedding with AJ Lee. Given the size of WWE and their hostility with Punk, it wasn’t a coincidence despite Vince McMahon and Triple H trying to state otherwise.
3 Feud with Ryback
One of the unhappiest times of CM Punk’s career came during his feud with Ryback. The two had quite a few matches with each man playing face and heel at different times. Ryback’s undefeated streak ended at the hands of Punk to continue his WWE Championship via cheating finishes.
The following year saw Punk as the face feuding with a heel Ryback now united with Paul Heyman. Both men always failed to have the chemistry needed for great matches. Punk blasted Ryback afterward for being unsafe. The top spot of Punk should have allowed him to work with someone else if he felt his health was in question.
2 Picking Miz over him for WM 27 main
CM Punk’s biggest gripe about his WWE run was never getting to main event WrestleMania, which was his ultimate goal. The last three WM events of Punk’s WWE career saw him doing the best work to have three realistic chances.
John Cena and The Rock main evented WrestleMania 28 and WrestleMania 29 with star power that prevented Punk from the spot. However, WrestleMania 27 seemed like the right time, but WWE went with The Miz as the top heel to face Cena. Given how poorly the match was and how Miz has never returned to the main event picture, Punk’s complaints weren’t wrong.
1 Triple H beating him in a singles match
Triple H’s presence in CM Punk’s 2011 rise was something Punk didn’t feel too comfortable with when it played out. The two had outstanding promo segments tearing each other apart, but it felt off since Triple H was still playing a face.
Their big singles match was a last-minute change with Triple H replacing an injured Nash. The finish of Triple H defeating Punk looked terrible by having a part-timer come out of retirement to beat the hottest face. Punk never trusted Triple H again after this ridiculous finish.