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CM Punk may no longer be a part of the WWE roster, however, during his time with the company, the former WWE Champion was among the best in-ring competitors to have stepped foot in the company. Punk lived up to all the hype surrounding him everytime he stepped foot in the squared circle.
However, if there's one such pay-per-view where CM Punk has thrived the most, it's WWE SummerSlam. 'The Second City Saint' made his SummerSlam debut in 2007 and established himself as one of the most exhilarating performers at The Biggest Party of the Summer.
Over the years, CM Punk climbed his way up the SummerSlam card and went gone from challenging for the ECW Championship to sharing center stage with 'The Beast Incarnate' Brock Lesnar himself.
The former WWE Champion recently claimed on Twitter that Hall of Famer Bret Hart could be considered as 'Mr. SummerSlam', whereas Punk himself would be #2 on that list.
However, having put on exceptional performances at the SummerSlam PPV over the years, CM Punk could very well be in contention to be called 'Mr. SummerSlam'.
Le'ts take a look at 5 of CM Punk's best matches from WWE SummerSlam.
#5 CM Punk vs John Morrison - SummerSlam 2007
In 2007, CM Punk made his SummerSlam debut and challenged for the ECW World Championship. On paper, CM Punk vs John Morrison sounded like an exciting match, but in reality, this match would've been a lot better if it had taken place a few years down the road or if WWE had let both Punk and Morrison compete longer than seven minutes.
Nevertheless, this short match was fun and was entertaining with Punk chasing the title. The champion controlled the match for a few solid minutes, but CM Punk finally seemed to have turned the tie in his favor. But Morrison was clever enough to use the ropes to his advantage and secure the win via a leverage pinfall.
#4. CM Punk vs John Cena vs Big Show - SummerSlam 2012
This wasn't the first time CM Punk had shared the ring with The Big Show at SummerSlam, as two years before this match, the 7-ft tall giant single-handedly defeated Punk and his Straight Edge Society faction in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match at SummerSlam 2010.
However, with John Cena in the mix, fans were guaranteed classic between the three WWE stars. The co-main event of SummerSlam 2012 was a fast-paced match and remains a memorable match for many reasons.
As expected, Big Show pretty much dominated the early stages of the match, and much like every other triple threat match, the two other competitors teamed up on the bigger man. With Punk and Cena finally being able to wear down Show, the champion locked in a Koji Clutch, while Cena had Show in an STF, leading the latter to submit.
With no clear winner, the match was eventually restarted by AJ Lee, and this time, CM Punk intelligently waited till Cena had executed the Attitude Adjustment on Show and then took his opportunity to toss Cena out of the ring and pin The Big Show for the win.
#3 CM Punk vs John Cena - SummerSlam 2011
The rivalry between CM Punk and John Cena is arguably one of the greatest rivalries in modern WWE history. The two men faced each other on numerous occasions, and at WWE Money in the Bank 2011, they even put on a 5-star performance, with Punk walking out with the WWE Championship in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois.
With Punk eventually returning with his WWE Title and confronting interim champion John Cena, WWE decided to set-up an Undisputed WWE Championship match between the pair for SummerSlam with Triple H serving as the guest referee.
The SummerSlam match between Punk and Cena didn't turn out to be another 5-star classic, however, given the excellent chemistry that the two had, they did manage to put on another great main event showing. Eventually, it was Punk who walked out with the Undisputed WWE Title after Triple H counted the pinfall, despite Cena's leg being under the bottom rope.
However, there was one last twist in the tale, as Money in the Bank briefcase winner Alberto Del Rio decided to cash-in his contract immediately and took the title away from Punk by beating him inside 5 seconds. It is safe to say that SummerSlam 2011 had an exhilarating finish.
#2 CM Punk vs Jeff Hardy - SummerSlam 2009
Much like the intense rivalry between CM Punk and John Cena, 'The Second City Saint' was also involved in another exceptional feud against Jeff Hardy almost a decade ago.
Looking back at it now, the feud between Punk and Hardy is quite possibly one of the best storylines of all time in WWE history.
Punk and Hardy's collision at the SummerSlam 2009 pay-per-view was intense and was also regarded as one of the best matches in their feud. To take things to the next level, the match between Punk and Hardy was a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match.
Being the challenger, CM Punk was relentless through the course of the match and used all the available foreign objects to his advantage. Eventually, it was 'The Second City Saint' who won the World Heavyweight Title, but the night didn't exactly end on a celebratory note for Punk as he was attacked by the returning Undertaker in the closing segment of the show.
#1 CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar - SummerSlam 2013
CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar will go down as the best 'David vs Goliath' match in WWE history. The build-up to the match was incredible, and adding Paul Heyman to the mix only made things a lot more interesting for the two former WWE World Champions.
Punk and Lesnar's collision was a great example of why a match between two marquee Superstars didn't need to have a championship on the line. And as expected, the two former UFC fighters delivered on the big stage, when it mattered the most.
Having begun the year as the longest-reigning WWE Champion, Punk didn't exactly get off to the start he was hoping for in 2013, losing the WWE Title to The Rock at the Royal Rumble PPV. And what followed next, simply made matters worse for the former WWE Champ.
At WrestleMania 29, a rejuvenated Punk was on the verge of getting his career back on track and eventually get his hands back on the WWE Championship. In order to do so, 'The Second City Saint' set his sights on The Undertaker and his legendary WrestleMania streak.
But, once again, despite a valiant effort, CM Punk failed to beat another WWE veteran. However, his loss to The Undertaker marked the beginning of the end of his heel run. By the summer of 2013, Punk had engaged himself in a feud against 'The Beast'.
While many fans didn't give Punk a chance to beat Lesnar, the former proved all his doubters wrong and came agonizingly close to beating 'The Beast Incarnate'. At one point, the WWE Universe even believed that this was indeed going to be Punk's moment and he was finally about to put his losing streak behind him. But, a devastating F-5 on a steel chair marked another huge loss for CM Punk in WWE, as Lesnar walked out with the win.
In what eventually turned out to be CM Punk's final SummerSlam match, it was one of his best performances in a WWE ring, and the former WWE Champ once again proved his worth at SummerSlam.
Bayley gives us a HUGE update on a top Superstar's upcoming return RIGHT HERE.
