What if CM Punk left WWE in 2011?

In 2011, WWE and CM Punk collaborated to generate one of the hottest wrestling angles of all time, building kayfabe drama out of real-life circumstances. Punk was a champion of hardcore fans in no small part because of his indie grooming and the knowledge that he was an outspoken critic of many of WWE’s sports entertainment leanings. When his contract was legitimately up, WWE spun a storyline catered toward smart fans, in which Punk got one last world title shot and threatened to leave the company with the title.

The angle had obvious similarities to how Punk left ROH for WWE in the first place but nonetheless lured in fans hook, line, and sinker. In particular, the serendipity of Punk’s supposed last match being booked in Chicago, in front of a rabid hometown crowd, set up uniquely high stakes and electric scenario.

But what if Punk hadn’t re-signed? The Straight Edge Superstar reportedly only agreed to terms the day of the Money in the Bank PPV, and particularly given the sour terms under which he’d leave the company two and a half years later, it’s not unrealistic he would have walked, and thus changed wrestling history.

#5 John Cena wins, Chicago riots

Punk Vs. Cena — If Punk were really leaving, Cena may have beaten him at Money in the Bank.

John Cena has faced his share of hostile crowds, but the audience in Chicago for Money in the Bank 2011 was absolutely rabid—arguably only matched by the anti-Cena crowd at One Night Stand five years earlier. Under those circumstances, and particularly in retrospect, it’s hard to imagine CM Punk not winning their main event match.

If Punk really were leaving, though, we have to assume WWE wouldn’t have let him set a finger on the WWE Championship. Maybe a similar finish would have played out with Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis interfering, or maybe Alberto Del Rio would have successfully cashed in his briefcase to give fans some excitement, and assuage the disappointment of Cena beating Punk. In the end, though, Punk would have lost, and the Chicago crowd would have gone nuclear.

#4 Ryback Gets A Turn at the WWE Championship

In 2012, WWE rebooted Skip Sheffield, then best known as the muscle of The Nexus, as Ryback—a superhuman face who mowed over the competition with the efficiency of a guy like Goldberg. The Big Guy got over on his winning streak and smash mouth style. When John Cena got hurt, WWE even went so far as to fast-track him into challenging for the WWE Championship against CM Punk.

In Punk hadn’t been in the mix at all, WWE would have needed to elevate someone else. Sure, guys like John Cena and Randy Orton may have gotten even more time with the title, and Alberto Del Rio may have gotten extra chances. Ryback is on the shortlist, though, of guys who never got the title but did get over enough to reasonably win it. Without Punk around, he may well have gotten that opportunity, on at least a trial basis.

#3 No Legal Issues

Since CM Punk left WWE, he has been involved in a mess of legal proceedings. A lot of it comes down to a tell all podcast with Colt Cabana, in which he openly discussed frustrations with not only WWE’s approach to booking and locker room politics, but also their medical practices. WWE’s Dr. Amann would sue Punk and Cabana for misrepresenting him. In an even less expected turn, Cabana has most recently filed suit against Punk for allegedly lying and reneging on agreeing to pay his legal fees.

Had Punk left in 2011, he may well have been disgruntled. However, with two and a half years less of the WWE grind, and not having the last health scare that he seemed particularly heated about, he probably wouldn’t have left as bitter, or with grounds for legal action on either side. It would be a shame to miss out on some of Punk’s better matches and moments to follow, but that history probably would be cleaner for everyone involved.

#2 Brock Lesnar becomes a part-time world champ sooner

In 2014, WWE rolled the dice on booking Brock Lesnar as its first sustained world champion—holding the WWE Championship for approximately two-thirds of a year—who was also a part timer. There are ongoing debates about the merits of this approach. Lesnar’s sporadic appearances have kept him special, and protected him from losses. Meanwhile, it feels off not to reward talents that are there every week with the company’s top prize.

Remove CM Punk, and you remove the guy who reigned as WWE Champion from late 2011 to early 2013. While there were a number of options to step up in to the champion’s role, it’s unreasonable to think WWE would have pulled the trigger on crowning Lesnar sooner in that scenario. Heck, maybe rather than John Cena vs. The Rock part two at WrestleMania 29, we might have seen the Great One unseat Lesnar for the title there, before ultimately giving Cena his win back. We’ll never know now, and the week to week wrestling was probably better with Punk on top. Still, his absence could have had some intriguing implications like this.

#1 A Sooner Break For Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler very arguably goes down as the most talented, longest tenured star of his generation to have never had a sustained opportunity holding a world title. Yes, he was champ twice, but the first a short-term gimmick reign before he was necessarily ready, booked largely as a set up for face Edge to overcome the odds and win the title back from him. His next reign got cut short due to a head injury, and bad timing as WWE consolidated down to one world title before he might have fully realized his comeback story.

While Ziggler didn’t have the size of Ryback or the sizzle of Brock Lesnar, he would have been well positioned to have gotten at least a few-month reign as either WWE or World Heavyweight Champion without Punk in the mix. Though Ziggler is still active and performing at a high level today, it’s hard to imagine his time hasn’t passed now.