10 Times WWE Totally Blew It With CM Punk

10. The December To Dismember Debacle

Exhibit A in "Punk vs. WWE", we have December to Dismember, a.k.a. the final final nail in ECW's coffin.

WWE's relaunch of ECW is largely remembered as a disaster, but CM Punk was a bright spot amidst the dross. The Straight Edge Superstar built up a sizeable following amidst the ECW faithful, largely because he was exactly the type of wrestler that had excelled in the original promotion.

Charismatic, intense and able to go in the ring, CM Punk would have been a cornerstone of ECW during the days Paul Heyman ran it in Philadelphia. Unfortunately for Punk, ECW wasn't in Philly anymore. It was in McMahonland, and size mattered.

The latter point helps explain December to Dismember's universally loathed main event. A six-man Elimination Chamber containing fan-pleasing talent like CM Punk and Rob Van Dam was cluttered with WWE also-rans Test and Hardcore Holly, as well Big Meaty Men (shout-out to Big E) Big Show and Bobby Lashley.

Naturally, WWE wanted the title on one of the BMM and Punk was the first wrestler eliminated. You could hear the crowd interest drop the second Punk left, and after RVD was pinned the crowd couldn't have cared less when Lashley pinned the Big Show for the win.

(Interestingly, Heyman had actually pushed Punk to win the match, but all that did was paint a target on the latter's back as McMahon decided to remove him from the match at the earliest opportunity. An incident that perfectly encapsulates why the ECW relaunch was doomed from the start).