5 reasons why CM Punk was a game changer for the WWE

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The Best in the World

Whether you like CM Punk or despise him for leaving the WWE, there's no doubt that his substantial contribution to the business will never be forgotten. Even now, there are "CM Punk" chants in WWE arenas when the audience rejects something, which goes on to show his popularity.

CM Punk is the greatest thing to happen to the WWE in the modern era. His unfortunate exit from the company brought him mainstream attention, and despite Punk stating on numerous occasions that he will never return to the WWE, the fans still anticipate a comeback.

'The Cult of Personality' was rebellious and played an enormous role in changing the landscape of the business.

With that being said, here are five reasons why CM Punk was a game changer for the WWE.


#1 He is considered one of the greatest that ever lived

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Is CM Punk the greatest thing that ever happened to this business?

Well, there could be a lot of critical opinions regarding Punk's departure from the company but, it's safe to say that he made a name for himself as the 'last territorial wrestler'. He became an icon in the world of professional wrestling. Punk had a charismatic approach and personality that made him so fresh and unique.

He genuinely pushed the boundaries and brought WWE on the global market and, if you need any confirmation about that, go check his pipe-bomb promo. His wrestling skills, his ability to get things over and his determination to give his best made him a stand-out performer in the company. His vision for change brought fresh television to the viewers and, definitely increased the ratings of Monday Night Raw.

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#2 He became the Longest Reigning WWE Champion of the modern era

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C.M. Punk's title reign played a prominent role in making him an Icon

If you saw the Money in the Bank 2011 match between John Cena and C.M. Punk for the WWE Championship and didn't get goosebumps, then you surely need to change your taste. Punk's match with John at the MITB PPV was one of the greatest matches that has ever happened in WWE and got a sensational 5 star-rating from Dave Meltzer. The match was a technical masterpiece and moreover, catapulted C.M. Punk to superstardom.

Punk's Championship title reign of a record 434 days made him the longest reigning WWE Champion of the modern era, a record that is still unbroken till this date. It's a damn shame that the Rock ended his reign considering, he was so phenomenal in bringing prestige to the Championship. His honorable work as WWE Champion was monumental in making him the brand that he is today.

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#3 He broke the glass ceiling for Independent performers

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The Evolution of C.M. Punk

If we were still living in the early 90's, a guy like Finn Balor would have never been the First-Ever Universal Champion. There is a reason why C.M. Punk became what he did because he tried breaking the mold every single day of his WWE career. It cannot be denied that he advocated for change within the WWE and was able to achieve during his time.

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The future is now

A lot of guys who might not fit the typical personality of a poster boy but, with their sheer determination and passion have been able to, successfully emerge in the company and make a name for themselves.

Look at the superstars who took a giant leap from NXT to the main roster and, you will understand the influence of Punk's ideology. There's no doubt that Triple H has a visionary mind for the future but, there's no denying it was Punk who broke the glass ceiling and made the company see the light at the end of the tunnel. His ideology of bringing technical independent wrestlers might not have been endorsed during that time but, it's safe to say that the future of the company today is in safe hands and he had a significant role in it.

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#4 His departure played a role in shifting the main event of WrestleMania 30

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C.M. Punk's last entrance as a WWE Superstar at Royal Rumble 2014

'The Cult of Personality' left WWE on very unfortunate terms and, his last appearance as a WWE superstar came on January 27th, 2014 at the Royal Rumble, where he was the first entrant in the match only to be eliminated by Kane later. Punk has always been a goal-oriented person and it's a damn shame that he never got to headline WrestleMania during his tenure. In his eye-opening podcast hosted by Colt Cabana, he revealed some shocking details on his departure and sounded like he was not happy with the creative team.

Batista was originally scheduled to square off against Randy Orton in the main event of WrestleMania and Punk was scheduled to take on Triple H. Punk openly stated that he was legitimately disappointed with the booking and even suggested to Vince McMahon to insert Daniel Bryan into the main event. Well, there is no confirmation whether Vince agreed to Punk's viewpoints but his unfortunate departure definitely shifted the whole landscape within the company.

Bryan despite being the most cherished babyfaces of all time, was being booked in a disappointing encounter with Sheamus but Punk's departure and Bryan's undeniable popularity shifted the whole main event structure and, produced one of the greatest story telling in WWE history. Well, CM Punk might have no role to play in Daniel Bryan's career-defining moment at the Super Dome 4 years back but, it's safe to say that his departure influenced some monumental changes.

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#5 He legitimately outsold John Cena on merchandise

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Who was the real Franchise player?

Can anyone imagine that the Face that runs the place was outsold on merchandise by a superstar who did not fit the regular prototype wrestling image? It is true whether WWE publicly admits it or not that C.M. Punk outsold John Cena on merchandise sales. Back in 2011, CM Punk was the greatest professional wrestler in the world and attracted tremendous mainstream attention that made him an icon in a short amount of time. The man was red hot and was more popular than 'the Franchise'.

He openly stated in the popular podcast that WWE never encouraged his merchandise sales and always tried to endorse John as the most recognized superstar. Well, it's fair to say that Punk still carries a huge brand value and WWE's attempt to hide those statistics did not go well with him. Moreover, Konnan, Court Bauer and MSL threw some light in 2015 on MWL Radio regarding the manipulation in merchandise sales by the WWE.

Below is the conspectus of their discussion:

When CM Punk was red hot and started to outsell the John Cena merchandise, I know people that work in the company in the merchandise department, I know people that work the arenas and sell the merchandise, and I can tell you exactly what WWE did - as soon as John Cena started getting outsold by CM Punk, they made 3 additional John Cena designs, they refused to make a second CM Punk design and they started under shipping the CM Punk design on purpose. For every CM Punk shirt they would ship to the arena, they would triple John Cena shirts and they would do 3 John Cena designs. So, every 10 shirts in the arena, if 9 are Cena, only one is Punk. Punk is going to sell out right away because they didn't send enough and at the end of the night they're going "Oh John Cena quadrupled Punk's merchandise." Of course, he did! Because you've purposely created a situation where it would be impossible for CM Punk to outsell John Cena.

Well, judging by the discussion, it could be concluded that 'the Cult of Personality' legitimately sold more merchandises than 'the Franchise' but was never publicly appreciated by the WWE. Despite being one of the most iconic wrestlers on the planet, the man left the company and is still missed by legions of his supporters. There's no clue whether he will ever return or not but, there's no doubt that his contribution will be forever remembered.

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