10 Best World Title Celebrations In WWE History

From one classic WWE event to another, Money in the Bank 2011 produced one of the company’s all-time great matches in CM Punk vs. John Cena. Punk had reinvented himself as an anti-authority rabble rouser, and with his contract set to expire at MITB, Punk promised to leave the company with the WWE Championship.

It was the build-up that made this show special. The stakes couldn’t have been any higher, and as the story blurred the lines between real and scripted, CM Punk became one of the most popular wrestlers in the business. The adrenaline, tension, and atmosphere heading into the match were unparalleled, and thanks to an A1 performance from both wrestlers and the crowd, Cena vs. Punk was a classic.

Punk won the belt after Vince McMahon had attempted to repeat the Montreal Screwjob by calling for the bell with Punk locked in Cena’s STF. Cena refused to win that way, however, and after a Go 2 Sleep, the belt changed hands. McMahon immediately called the MITB Briefcase winner Alberto Del Rio to the ring in one last desperate roll of the dice, but Punk kicked his head off before he could do anything.

McMahon was distraught, and Punk was defiant. Smiling, laughing, CM Punk held the belt to the camera, and raised it high for all to see. After blowing a kiss to his loathed employer, Punk disappeared into the crowd with his newly-won Championship, possibly forever.

From the build-up to the uncertainty of not knowing whether or not Punk was actually coming back, this match was a perfect storm, and the most iconic moment of Punk’s storied WWE career.