5 best wrestling matches of 2011

#1. John Cena vs. CM Punk - Money In The Bank 2011

This match is in a league of its own. It’s something mythical, famous for its amazing story, masterful blurring of the line between real and scripted, and for one of the hottest crowds ever. If you were a Cena fan in Chicago on this night, you were walking into the arena with a death wish. The crowd was so overwhelmingly in Punk’s favor that anything Cena did led to a torrent of boos.

This crowd wanted to see their hometown hero Punk win SO badly. He was seen as such a maverick and mirror image to John Cena and Vince McMahon that the possibility of him winning would’ve been a dream come true for the many fans out there that were tired of the ‘corporate’ and sanitized John Cena character.

Cena showed far more technical skill and selling in this match than ever before, doing headlocks, arm locks and hitting big moves that hadn’t been seen in his matches before. Because Punk was built up like a credible opponent, there was significantly more drama than in any of Cena’s biggest matches to date. The fans were captivated for the entire thirty-minute match.

Not only was the in-ring story great, but the final moments and post-match were legendary as well. Vince McMahon attempting another Montreal Screwjob, Cena’s determination to win the match clean, and the additional attempt by Vince to steal the title back all made for an outstanding moment.

Although the in-ring wrestling might be in the four-star range, the drama and story surrounding this match is definitely worth five stars. The build-up and execution of this storyline was superb, and led to one of the most memorable moments in WWE history.