4. CM Punk Defeats Alberto Del Rio - Survivor Series 2011
When CM Punk defeated Alberto Del Rio at Survivor Series 2011, who could have guessed that he'd hold the WWE Heavyweight Title for 434 days? For years, Punk had toiled to work his way up the system in the company. As would become common knowledge later on, several members of the top brass didn't view the man as a headliner. Deemed too small, Punk defied expectations. Behind the scenes, he was mouthy. Punk himself has admitted that he clashed many times with management over the direction of his character, but that head-strong mentality fared him well during his title reign. From November 20th, 2011 until January 27th, 2013, CM Punk represented WWE as their champion. Nobody had held the belt that long since the days of Hulk Hogan in the mid-1980's. The 'Summer Of Punk' storyline of a few months before had ended badly for the man. WWE muddied the waters by adding in names like Kevin Nash, but it all worked out nicely for Punk in the end. Survivor Series was a true crowning moment, when CM Punk was finally recognised by Vince McMahon as belonging in the upper echelons.