Every WWE title holder when CM Punk last wrestled: Where are they now?

When CM Punk walked out on WWE in January 2014, the wrestling landscape looked very different to how it is today.

Back then, WWE only had five main-roster titles – it now has 10 – and every Superstar had the ability to appear on both RAW and SmackDown on a weekly basis.

Nowadays, hardly two weeks go by without a title changing hands on one of WWE’s shows, which is something that will inevitably be discussed at some point during Punk’s appearances on FS1 show WWE Backstage.

There has been a lot of talk recently about Punk’s return to WWE programming and his possible in-ring future, but it is worth remembering how the company looked at the time that he made his acrimonious exit after the 2014 Royal Rumble.

With that in mind, let’s take a trip down memory lane to find out what WWE’s five Champions at the time of Punk’s departure are doing now in 2019.

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#5 Big E Langston (Intercontinental Champion)

In October 2013, Big E Langston turned face for the first time on the main roster when he helped even up the numbers by aligning with CM Punk in his battle against Curtis Axel and Ryback.

Three weeks later, the former NXT Champion defeated Axel on an episode of RAW to win the Intercontinental Championship – a title he would go on to hold for the next 167 days before losing it to Bad News Barrett at Extreme Rules 2014.

Where is Big E Langston in 2019?

Now known simply as Big E, the former Intercontinental Champion has established himself as one of the most entertaining WWE Superstars of his generation since joining forces with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods to form The New Day in 2014.

A seven-time WWE Tag Team Champion, Big E is almost certain to be inducted into the Hall of Fame one day alongside his fellow New Day members.

#4 Dean Ambrose (United States Champion)

One of The Shield’s most memorable nights as a faction came in May 2013 when Dean Ambrose won the United States Championship from Kofi Kingston on the same PPV that Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins defeated Daniel Bryan and Kane for the Tag Team titles.

Ambrose’s 351-day title reign was often mocked at the time, both by Superstars in storylines and by fans, simply because he hardly defended it. In May 2014, his reign finally ended when Sheamus won a 20-man Battle Royal, last eliminating Ambrose, to win the title.

Where is Dean Ambrose in 2019?

Where isn’t Dean Ambrose in 2019?! The former Shield member began the year working for WWE and decided to leave the company when his contract expired at the end of April.

Now known as Jon Moxley, the one-time WWE Champion competed in matches for NJPW during the summer and he is now one of the main stars in new promotion AEW.

One of the biggest wrestling highlights of 2019 came in May when Moxley attacked Kenny Omega at the end of the Chris Jericho vs. Omega main event at Double or Nothing.

#3 Road Dogg & Billy Gunn (Tag Team Champions)

In the weeks leading up to CM Punk’s departure from WWE, he briefly aligned with Road Dogg and Billy Gunn to battle it out with The Shield in six-man tag team matches on RAW and SmackDown.

However, The New Age Outlaws decided to betray Punk on an episode of RAW, seemingly to plant the seeds for the Punk vs. Triple H match-that-never-was at WrestleMania 30.

They then went on to win the WWE Tag Team titles from Cody Rhodes and Goldust at the Royal Rumble, where Punk later competed in the final match of his career.

Where are Road Dogg and Billy Gunn in 2019?

Road Dogg stepped down from his role as the head writer of SmackDown Live earlier in 2019, and he now works with up-and-coming NXT Superstars at the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

Billy Gunn was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in April 2019, along with Road Dogg and the rest of D-Generation X, and he is now a producer with AEW.

#2 AJ Lee (Divas Champion)

AJ Lee won the first of her three WWE Divas Championships in June 2013 when she defeated Kaitlyn at the Payback pay-per-view. The former General Manager remained Divas Champion at the time of the 2014 Royal Rumble, but women were not given a match on the pay-per-view.

After retaining her title in a 13-woman Vickie Guerrero Invitational at WrestleMania 30, Lee’s 295-day record reign came to an end on the following episode of RAW against newcomer Paige.

The record went on to be broken by Nikki Bella, who held the Divas Championship for 301 days before losing to Charlotte Flair at Night of Champions 2015.

Where is AJ Lee in 2019?

AJ Lee stayed in WWE for over a year after CM Punk – her husband – left the company. She then retired from wrestling in April 2015 and began to focus on her career as a writer.

Her autobiography (Crazy Is My Superpower: How I Triumphed by Breaking Bones, Breaking Hearts, and Breaking the Rules) was released in April 2017, and she also co-wrote comic book series GLOW vs. The Babyface.

Punk’s return to WWE programming has led to obvious speculation about whether or not we could also see Lee compete in a WWE ring again one day.

#1 Randy Orton (World Heavyweight Champion)

Randy Orton defeated John Cena in a Champion vs. Champion match at TLC in December 2013 to become the holder of both the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship.

He went on to defend the titles at CM Punk’s last event, the 2014 Royal Rumble, in a rematch against Cena, while he eventually lost both titles to Daniel Bryan in the Triple Threat main event at WrestleMania 30.

Where is Randy Orton in 2019?

Some of the names on this list are long gone from WWE, but fans can expect to see Randy Orton on their screens for many more years.

The 13-time World Champion recently confirmed that he has signed a new five-year deal with WWE, which means he will be a 22-year veteran by the time his contract comes to an end in 2024.

Having recently been drafted to the RAW brand for the first time in over three years, it looks as though the former Evolution member is transitioning back into a babyface following his recent alliance with Ricochet.

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