10 Wrestling PPV Matches Allocated Far Too Little Time

10. CM Punk Vs. Johnny Nitro - WWE Vengeance: Night Of Champions 2006

Match Length: 08:03

Why it was too short: Nitro was a last minute replacement for Chris Benoit, who was due to best Punk in a match which would have elevated the Straight Edge Superstar in defeat and initiated a series based upon mutual respect between the two men.

We won't go into why that mouthwatering plan never materialised...

Instead, Punk and Morrison wrestled one another in a sub-par sub-ten minute outing which, due its placement on the midcard and abrupt length, instantly demoted the ECW title for which it was contested to midcard status - more so than it had been already, anyway.

The match itself wasn't terrible, but despite their respective talents, Nitro and Punk struggled to gel. The decisions made by Nitro in particular were misjudged. By adopting an atypical submissions-based approach, he discursively reminded the fans in attendance exactly who they were missing, who then did their bit to remind a beleaguered Nitro by chanting "We want Benoit!"

That said, given five or so more minutes, they could have captured their imagination by devising a thrilling and unpredictable finishing sequence to end on a high.

Their subsequent Pay Per View matches weren't much of an improvement, either. Watching them back now, you can half-understand WWE's reluctance to push Punk with the conviction he felt he deserved in 2008. They were more patient with him than we perhaps realise.