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The wrestling world is in shock and awe. Almost five years after abruptly leaving the company, CM Punk is finally returned to WWE. Well, sort of. The ending to this week's WWE Backstage saw the show's host, Renee Young revealed that CM Punk will be joining the show. Following his appearance on the show, WWE and FOX officially confirmed the former WWE Champion's involvement with show as an analyst via a press statement.
As expected, this piece of news blew up the internet and both #CM Punk and #WWEBackstage were trending Worldwide on social media. It was confirmed by Punk himself a few months ago that he had auditioned for the show but we never heard anything concrete since then. The Voice of the Voiceless returning to WWE programming was almost a distant dream a few months ago but now that it's finally happened, it begs the question whether or not he will making an in-ring return for the company.
One of the most revered figures in wrestling today, CM Punk left WWE following the 2014 Royal Rumble. Fans have been clamouring for the Chicago native to return to the squared circle. Since leaving WWE, Punk has dabbled in multiple professions with varying degrees of success. Whether or not he eventually returns to the ring, Punk will go down as one of the most seminal professional wrestlers of our generation.
Throughout his wrestling career, Punk has faced off against a myriad of opponents. From technical geniuses like William Regal to bruised brawlers like JBL, the Chicago native has locked horns with some of the best that this business had to offer. But, there have been a few who were integral to the evolution of Punk and have left an indelible mark on the Straight Edge Superstar's career.
Here are five opponents who have defined CM Punk's wrestling career:
#5 Daniel Bryan
The WWE style and the overall presentation that we know today wouldn't have existed had Punk and Bryan not faced off against one another way back in 2012. While their feud might have got lost in the annals of WWE history, we believe it to be one of the most seminal feuds in WWE in the past decades.
Punk was in the midst of his historic 434-day WWE Championship reign and Bryan had just come off his infamous 16-second loss to Sheamus at WrestleMania 28. Seeing these two former ROH standouts lock horns for the top prize in the business was a dream come true for the WWE Universe. Punk and Bryan weren't your prototypical WWE Superstars and were known to wrestling fans even before they arrived in WWE.
Punk and Bryan had a series of high-quality matches over the Summer of 2012. The duo's matches showcased what they had to table as in-ring performers. The success of their feud saw a huge change in philosophy in WWE where the company became more open to bringing in Indy darlings and give them a platform to showcase their talents in front of a global audience. We would've never seen Superstars like Seth Rollins, AJ Styles and Samoa Joe grace a WWE ring had the feud between Punk and Bryan not been successful.
#4 The Undertaker
The very fact that The Deadman was Punk's final opponent at WrestleMania makes him worthy of this list. One of the biggest gripes that Punk had following his departure from WWE in 2014 was the fact that he was never able to compete in the main event of WrestleMania. Punk was at the height of his popularity in 2012 as the WWE Champion but the company had other plans. Punk ended up dropping the WWE title to The Rock at the Royal Rumble PPV.
Punk ended up feuding with The Undertaker with the Straight Edge Superstar being the last victim of Taker's legendary Mania Streak at WrestleMania 29. Despite the sub-par build and the main-event between Cena and The Rock grabbing all the media attention, the duo ended up having what many consider to be the best match on the card.
However, this wasn't the first time that The Deadman and The Straight Edge locked horns against one another. Punk and Taker feuded over the World Heavyweight Championship during the fall of 2009. Taker defeated Punk inside Hell in a Cell to capture what would be his last World title at the eponymous event in 2009. Despite their rumoured differences off-screen, Punk and Taker always created magic every time they faced off against one another. Punk brought out the best in Taker and vice versa.
#3 Jeff Hardy
They say, opposites attract and that was the case with CM Punk and Jeff Hardy. Both on-screen and in real life, Punk and Hardy were the polar opposites of one another. While Punk lived and advocated a Straight Edge lifestyle, the Charismatic Edge was always someone who has always lived his life on the edge and marched to the beat of his own drum. Sparks we're excepted to fly when these two characters came face-to-face against one another and boy that did they ever.
Punk and Hardy had one of the best feuds of 2009 as they collided over the World Heavyweight Championship. It all started with Punk cashing in his MITB contract on Hardy, who had already been through a war against Edge to capture the World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules 2009. Hardy would win back the title from Punk two months later at Night of Champions.
The Straight Edge Superstar would regain the World Title from Hardy in a TLC match at SummerSlam 2009. Punk was Hardy's final opponent before his departure from the company in 2009. The duo faced off in a ' Loser Leaves Town' steel cage match for the World title which Punk won.
#2 John Cena
When you talked about CM Punk's career in WWE, there is one name that you can't omit and that is John Cena. The Cenation Leader was an integral part of Punk's rise as a megastar in WWE. The duo's paths have crossed numerous time but the one match that has come to define the careers of both these Superstars is their classic bout for the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank 2011. During the build-up to their match, Punk has dropped the infamous ' pipebomb' promo following which he was suspended (in storyline).
On Cena's insistence, Vince McMahon lifted Punk's suspension under one condition - if Cena lost to Punk at MITB, he would be fired. The match the duo had will go down in history as one of the best WWE matches. Punk escaping through his hometown crowd in Chicago before blowing a goodbye kiss to Vince McMahon is a scene fans will never forget.
The duo would once again lock horns for the Undisputed WWE Championship in the main event of SummerSlam 2011 where Punk would once again get the better off The Cenation Leader. The duo's last notable singles match was on an episode of RAW where Cena defeated Punk for an opportunity to face The Rock for the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 29.
#1 Samoa Joe
When you talk about some of the most classic feuds in wrestling history, you have to talk about the feud between CM Punk and Samoa Joe for the ROH World Championship from 2004. Joe and Punk had a trilogy of matches that has since gained cult status among fans. The feud between Joe and Punk helped garner fan attention to ROH and many consider to be the most important feud in the company's history.
Punk and Joe faced off for the first time at ROH's World Title Classic on June 12, 2004. The match ended in a time-limit draw as neither of them was able to score a pinfall or submission within the stipulated time (60 minutes). A rematch between the duo headlined the event aptly-titled ' Joe Vs Punk II' on October 12, 2004.
This match, too, ended in a time limit draw but the in-ring action was of such high quality that it was awarded five stars by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the first match in North America to earn the distinction since Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels at Bad Blood: In Your House in 1997.
The trilogy ended with Joe defeating Punk in a match with no time limit at All-Star Extravaganza 2 on December 4, 2004. Punk and Joe would go on to become two of the most recognized faces in the business.
This is the feud that truly kickstarted Punk's rise in the professional wrestling and made him a household name among wrestling fans. ROH wouldn't have reached the heights that it did, had it not been for this feud between these two once in a lifetime performers.
