CM Punk is one of the most interesting figures in wrestling of the last decade. Now with him joining All Elite Wrestling, this list will surely need updating in the near future.
Until then, however, you whet your appetite by going back and watching ten of his best career matches.
From his troubled time in WWE and earlier to his days in Ring of Honor, great matches followed CM Punk around. This is not only a list of many of Punk’s best matches, but also his most important.
These are ten CM Punk matches you need to watch.
10. Money in the Bank Ladder Match – WrestleMania XXV
When CM Punk won Money in the Bank in 2008 very little ended up coming of it. He had a lackluster reign as World Heavyweight Champion and fell back down the card afterward.
The next year it was a different story. Punk was not the favorite to win this match but at WrestleMania XXV he walked out Mr. Money in the Bank once again.
The match was also superior to the prior year’s match. A more star-studded lineup resulted in a top-notch Money in the Bank match and a big moment in Punk’s career.
His second run with the briefcase was far more successful than his first as he cashed in on Jeff Hardy two months later.
9. CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan – Over The Limit 2012
CM Punk and Daniel Bryan were arguably WWE’s two original “indie darlings”.
They joined the company before the likes of Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and Cesaro, and so the first dream matches fans had were of these two together. At Over The Limit, they battled for the WWE Championship.
They put on a clinic in the ring that night and proved that their style works just as well in a major arena as it does in Ring of Honor.
Simply put, they were the two best in WWE during this time. How this match didn’t main event the pay-per-view and John Cena vs. John Laurinaitis did I will never know.
8. CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho – Payback 2013
After CM Punk lost to the Undertaker at WrestleMania 29, he needed time to recollect himself.
After a very short time away, Punk returned at Payback to face Chris Jericho. It was a match we had seen before, but never quite this good.
Strangely, their match at Payback surpassed the matches from their WrestleMania feud the year before.
Everything about this match was just more dynamic than their previous encounters and it featured one of the last times Punk and Paul Heyman would appear as a team.
7. CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy – SummerSlam 2009
We mentioned earlier that CM Punk’s run as Mr. Money in the Bank in 2009 proved fruitful. Well, here is the proof.
During his very successful rivalry with Jeff Hardy, things peaked with a TLC match in the main event of SummerSlam.
In theory, main eventing SummerSlam is a big deal and it certainly felt like it with these two having the best rivalry of the year. They capped it off with this classic TLC match, a match that stood as the best one-on-one TLC match for seven years.
This was the rivalry that cemented Punk’s place as a main eventer and this match was a great way to end it.
6. CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar – SummerSlam 2013
CM Punk had a hell of a year in 2013. Despite being admittedly miserable during this time, this was maybe the best calendar year Punk had as an in-ring performer in WWE.
Punk’s peak in 2013 may have been his SummerSlam match with Brock Lesnar.
His match with Lesnar was an Extreme Rules match and it was one of the best matches of either man’s career.
Punk’s rivalry with Paul Heyman lasted through most of the year but this was the best match of the program. Punk and Lesnar had great chemistry together and their match was voted WWE’s match of the year.
5. CM Punk vs. Austin Aries – ROH Death Before Dishonor III
There is a lot that went into this match. Word had broken that CM Punk was leaving Ring of Honor to go to WWE and this match with Austin Aries was meant to be his farewell match. Or so fans thought.
In reality, this epic clash over the Ring of Honor World Championship was the start of Punk’s final ROH storyline. Punk wrestled this match as the babyface with fans emotionally pleading for him to stay.
The match itself is unbelievably great. They had such a classic title match with everyone desperately wanting Punk to finally capture the title.
Much to their surprise and joy, Punk managed to defeat Aries with the Pepsi Plunge and win his only ROH World title. Then, things changed. Punk cut a promo eerily similar to his famous pipebomb promo, revealing himself to be a heel and to have fooled all the brainless fans.
He stayed with the company for a short time longer, dropping the title to Roderick Strong and having his actual farewell match with Colt Cabana.
4. CM Punk vs. John Cena – Raw (February 25, 2013)
When asked what match he was most proud of, CM Punk said this match. After his 434 day WWE Championship reign, Punk was fighting to earn his way into the WrestleMania main event.
In the main event of Raw on February 25, 2013, Punk and John Cena had one of the best matches in Raw history.
Punk has been open about his frustrations during this period but that never stopped him from having great performances.
This match is remembered for Punk hitting Cena with a piledriver but the match as a whole is fantastic. Although Punk was unable to come away with the win, he still had a chance at history at WrestleMania.
3. CM Punk vs. The Undertaker – WrestleMania 29
CM Punk never got his WrestleMania main event but he can rest easy knowing he had the best match on the show at WrestleMania 29. Punk looked to be the man to finally defeat The Undertaker at WrestleMania.
Their feud focused on Paul Bearer who had recently passed away. Therefore there was a ton of play in the match involving the famous urn.
It also led to one of the best nearfalls of the match where Punk hit Undertaker with the urn while Undertaker went for the Last Ride. WrestleMania 29 was very forgettable but this match stands out as the clear highlight.
2. CM Punk vs. John Cena – Money in the Bank 2011
At Money in the Bank 2011, all the stars aligned for one of the most perfect nights in WWE history. CM Punk had cut his famous pipebomb saying he was leaving WWE with the WWE Championship.
It was a perfect story as Punk was someone who was frustrated from his last five years in WWE.
Everything culminated in one of the best matches in WWE history. Punk and Cena always had great chemistry together and on this night they pulled off one of their best performances.
Punk winning the WWE Championship and leaving the company could have been one of the biggest storylines in WWE history, unfortunately, the follow-up did everything it could to derail Punk’s momentum.
1. CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe – ROH Joe vs. Punk II
While many would put the Money in the Bank match at the top, not enough people have seen this match. In 2004, CM Punk and Samoa Joe had an incredible trilogy of matches in Ring of Honor.
Joe was in the middle of his record-setting reign as ROH World Champion and Punk was determined to take the title.
Their first match went to an hour-draw. Then, at Joe vs. Punk II, they topped that performance with an all-time classic. This was a wrestling match in every sense of the term.
Joe was maybe Punk’s best opponent and on this night they had their best match. They wrestled for an hour in an absolute clinic, showcasing the best of what Ring of Honor had to offer at the time.
What is your favourite CM Punk match? Let us know on Twitter!
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