10 Mistakes WWE Never Recovered From

10. Twice In A Lifetime

It would be wrong to say that CM Punk would still be in WWE if he’d been put in a WrestleMania main event. Nobody knows what might have happened, obviously, and the litany of reasons for Punk to leave was not going to be rectified by ticking a personal milestone.

The bigger problem with CM Punk not featuring in a WrestleMania main event is that it provided further proof where proof wasn’t needed that the company had no idea what was going on outside of its own bubble. Or, its own Universe, if you will. By all accounts, the main event of WrestleMania 29 should have been John Cena vs. CM Punk. The company’s biggest babyface against the first lightning heel in years. Punk’s record-breaking WWE Championship reign could have been ended by Cena on the Grandest Stage of Them All, in a story that made all the sense in the world.

We all know what happened. Once in a Lifetime became Twice in a Lifetime as WWE returned to a rapidly-drying nostalgia well. Punk was left to roll his eyes in frustration, and an entire roster of hungry stars realised just how well protected the fabled brass ring was. In the long-term, WWE lost a marketable star for the modern age, further entrenched the disquiet in its own fanbase, and reminded everyone not to take anything WWE does seriously. Once in a Lifetime has a very clear meaning, after all.