What if CM Punk Main Evented WrestleMania 29 with John Cena? 

CM Punk was one of the most important WWE superstars of the early 2010s. The former ROH champion was a multi-time WWE champion, and his iconic 'pipebomb' promo changed the face of the WWE forever.

Despite his incredible popularity and his obvious talent, CM Punk was never given the opportunity to main-event a WrestleMania, something that he claimed was his main ambition in the WWE.

At the start of 2013, CM Punk was on a record-breaking reign with the WWE title, but at the Royal Rumble, he lost his title to The Rock to set up a rematch between The Rock and John Cena from the previous year's event.

Punk, along with many of the company's fans were angered by the decision and the future UFC performer would go on to leave the company 12 months later.

There are plenty of 'what if' scenarios surrounding CM Punk's time in the WWE, but one of the biggest questions has to be what would have happened had WWE given Punk what he wanted, namely a main-event spot at WrestleMania.

So, let's take a look and see what might have happened had the WWE decided to keep the belt on CM Punk at Royal Rumble 2013 and have him go on to defend it against John Cena at WrestleMania 29 two months later.

#1 He wouldn't have left

Would CM Punk have walked out had he been given the chance to main-event Mania?

One of the biggest reasons, reportedly, for Punk leaving the WWE was his frustration at the company's booking decisions.

Punk was rumoured to have been angry at the company booking part-time talents in the place of full-time, younger talent, and his loss at the hands of The Rock at Royal Rumble was one of the best examples of this.

Punk may not have been the only victim of this booking trend, but it seems likely that had the company decided to reward his hard work with a WrestleMania main event, then he may not have walked away from the company when he did.

Of course, booking was not the only reason for Punk's departure, as we would later find out, but had the WWE rewarded Punk for his hard work, then they may have been able to appease him for a little while longer than they did.

#2 No Yes! Movement?

Did Punk's departure help elevate Daniel Bryan?

CM Punk's departure from the WWE only added to the fans' frustration with booking decisions, and there is an argument to be made that had that not happened, then they may never have railed behind Daniel Bryan at the start of 2014 in the way that they did.

Also, had Punk main-evented WrestleMania 29, then there is every chance he would have worked an extended program with Cena post-Mania, which means that Bryan may not have faced Cena at SummerSlam that same year, which was effectively the starting point of the Yes! movement.

There were also rumours around the time of Punk's departure that he was scheduled to face Triple H at WrestleMania 30. Even if the Yes! Movement had caught on in the way that it did, the company would have still probably gone ahead with Punk Vs Triple H, meaning that we wouldn't have gotten Bryan vs Triple H and the company would have stuck with Randy Orton vs Batista as the night's main event.

#3 AJ Lee leads the Women's Revolution

Would AJ Lee have stayed in the WWE if Punk had never left?

One of the biggest knock-on effects of CM Punk leaving the WWE was his wife, AJ Lee, departing the company just over 12 months later.

Lee was one of the top performers in the WWE women's division, and the company even teased a 'pipebomb' inspired run of her own, but that fizzled out quickly.

Had Punk not left the company, then it seems likely that AJ would have stuck around as well, and she would have been right at the top of the division when the likes of Charlotte, Sasha and Bayley turned up.

The prospect of AJ Lee taking on the likes of Charlotte or Asuka is a mouth-watering one, and there is no doubt that Lee would have gone to be one of the leading figures in the WWE women's revolution a few years later.

#4 Longest Reigning Champion of the Modern Era

Had CM Punk held the belt till Mania, he would still hold his record today

In one of their most transparent attempts at writing Punk out of the record books, the WWE recently decided to have Brock Lesnar break his record as the longest reigning champion of the modern era.

Punk's legendary title run lasted a total of 434 days, whereas Brock Lesnar's now stands at just over 490 and counting.

If Punk would have main-evented WrestleMania 29 with John Cena, then presumably, he would have been defended his title in the match, which means his reign would have already been 71 days longer, taking it to a total of 505 days. If Lesnar fails to hold on to his belt at SummerSlam, then his reign will finish at 497.