10 WWE Champions That Didn’t Fit Vince McMahon’s Mold

2. CM Punk

On his Something To Wrestle With podcast, Prichard recently revealed McMahon’s initial feelings on CM Punk.

Apparently, McMahon didn’t understand the straight edge lifestyle, didn’t like Punk’s tattoos and didn’t know what Muay Thai was. The chairman felt there was disconnect between Punk and the audience because he was too average-looking to stand out, yet too different from the every man. Being an indy darling didn’t help Punk’s chances, and neither did Paul Heyman’s constant praise.

It was a recipe for failure that Punk escaped due to his relentless work in the ring and on the mic. Finding ways to connect with the crowd, either as an underdog or self-righteous prophet or bitter employee, Punk evolved from outsider to longest-reigning WWE Champion of the modern era.