CM Punk gave fans a lot to remember during his time in WWE. Punk had brilliant matches and storied rivalries with almost every big name in WWE during his tenure.
Punk’s feuds in WWE helped him turn into one of the hottest stars in the company. His feuds against the likes of Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio elevated him to the wrestling stratosphere that had long been considered to be dominated by “bigger guys.”
These are CM Punk’s 5 best WWE feuds.
Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho was already an established name when Punk landed in WWE. Their feud kicked off after Jericho made his shocking return to WWE in 2012. It had its origins in jealousy: Jericho couldn’t stand Punk’s claims of calling himself the “Best In The World.”
What began as a competitive jealousy quickly turned into an extremely personal feud. Jericho targeted Punk’s straight-edge lifestyle in his promos. This led to a series of matches, including the classic Chicago City Street Fight at Extreme Rules 2012, between the two bitter rivals.
Punk retained his WWE Championship over Jericho on each occasion, providing great action and entertainment every step of the way.
Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman allegedly pushed hard for CM Punk to win the ECW World Heavyweight Championship at December to Dismember 2006. Vince McMahon put the title on Bobby Lashley instead. Heyman’s history with Punk was heavily referenced when he returned to WWE in 2012.
After being his advocate for almost a year, Heyman turned his back on Punk at Money in the Bank 2013. The shocking betrayal solidified Punk’s face turn and put him on a path of revenge. The pair had excellent promo battles over the course of their feud. Punk also had to go through Brock Lesnar and Curtis Axel to get his hands on Heyman. The feud ended at Hell in a Cell 2013.
Rey Mysterio
CM Punk’s run as the leader of the Straight Edge Society is vastly underrated. This gimmick of his put him in an extremely personal feud with Rey Mysterio. The pair already had incredible chemistry prior, but this feud compelled them to excel in promos as well.
Punk, in his sadistic and manipulative cult persona, proved to be an excellent heel to Rey Mysterio’s sympathetic babyface. Moreover, this feud got the entire Mysterio family (Mysterio’s wife Angie, son Dominik and daughter Aliyah) involved at one point.
In the end, the good guy triumphed as Mysterio won their classic “Straight Edge Pledge vs. Hair” match at Over the Limit 2010.
Jeff Hardy
CM Punk’s cash-in on Jeff Hardy at Extreme Rules 2009 made him a hated man in the eyes of fans. Jeff had just won the World Heavyweight Championship from Edge in a grueling ladder match when Punk walked in with his briefcase and the referee. The title change led to the second Summer of Punk, which isn’t talked about enough.
Punk and Hardy fought many classic battles over the World Heavyweight Championship. The title also changed hands multiple times. Punk won the title from Hardy for the second match in their classic Tables, Ladders and Chairs match at SummerSlam 2010.
The Chicago native put an end to his feud with the Charismatic Enigma in a “Loser Leave WWE” Steel Cage match on the August 28, 2009 episode of SmackDown.
John Cena
CM Punk’s pipebomb came at the expense of John Cena in 2011. The promo put the pair against each other. Vince McMahon got involved and threatened to fire Cena if he Punk walked away with the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank 2011.
The outcome of the match is considered one of the best-concluding angles of a WWE pay-per-view. The match itself convinced Dave Meltzer to give it his signature five-star rating, the first for WWE since 1997 at the time, and served as a fitting conclusion to Punk’s WWE title quest.
Cena and Punk met again numerous times, creating many classics in the process.
