#3 – Phil Brooks: Walking Dead Enthusiast
Just like Triple H offered himself up as a stepping stone to legitimacy for John Cena's career, Cena was the main event icon that CM Punk went to war with for the better part of two years. These two had faced off plenty of times on Raw and Smackdown, whether in singles action or tag team contests, and of course there was Punk's short-lived rule as the leader of the New Nexus, but everything changed one night when a certain Straight Edge Savior sat down at the top of an entrance ramp.
I don't need to tell the entire story – it's cemented in every wrestling fan's mind as the best angle of the current generation. Daniel Bryan winning the title at WrestleMania is in that conversation, The Rock's return to Monday Night Raw has to be discussed, but ultimately nothing tops the epic collision between John Cena and CM Punk at Money in the Bank, live from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, IL. There are good matches, there are great matches, and then there are "do you remember when…" moments. Cena and Punk created something special that people will still be talking about in 10, 15, maybe 20 years – that's IF WWE doesn't strike the later from the record books for the rather controversial way he exited the company.
One match does not a great rivalry make, however. Beyond Chicago, the war between Punk and Cena raged for quite some time. There were obligatory rematches to be had, and WWE capitalized on a big money feud by stretching it out with the likes of Alberto del Rio, Ryback, Big Show and several others over the next year, as CM Punk became the longest reigning champion of the modern era. By the time it ended – with a near perfect match on Monday Night Raw last February – John Cena and CM Punk had faced off several dozen times in some form on WWE programming, including 7 PPV main events.
