10 WWE Moments You Won't Believe Are 10 Years Old

Punk's Rise, Benoit's fall and THE DONALD...2007 was an interesting year for WWE.

By Erik Beaston /

The year 2007 was a tumultuous one for World Wrestling Entertainment.

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New stars rose to the top of the industry, championships changed hands and fans were engrossed by several explosive storylines. It was a year that saw the current President of the United States enter the ring for a major WrestleMania program with Vince McMahon, the rise of Hustle, Loyalty and Respect, and the return of WWE's savior.

It was also one rife with grief and uncertainty as one of the greatest tragedies to ever strike the sports entertainment world unfolded before the eyes of fans both on WWE programming and in mainstream media.

A soon-to-be Hall of Famer rose to the top of her profession by acquiring the first title of her career, and a Second City Saint began his journey to the top of a company he would publicly feud with years later.

From monumental clashes on wrestling's biggest stages to a World champion fans were eager to reject, there were many moments that helped 2007 leave an indelible mark on the world of professional wrestling.

Some ten years after the biggest stars in the industry captivated and engrossed audiences around the world, relive these moments that you will not believe turn one decade old this year.

10. CM Punk Wins ECW Championship

CM Punk had long been the most over, popular, and passionately supported superstar in all of WWE's rebooted ECW brand by the time 4 September 2007 arrived. He had come close to acquiring the brand's top championship several times but had fallen just short, never truly having the full backing of Vince McMahon and other key members of WWE's creative team.

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On that Tuesday night, everything changed.

After months of feuding with John Morrison over the prize, Punk finally blasted Morrison with the Go-To-Sleep and pinned his shoulders to the mat, earning his first championship in the promotion. He used that title win to build momentum for himself and, by the following June, attained his first World Championship on the Raw brand.

A decade after the win, it is easy to look back at it as the moment McMahon and Company put their seal of approval on the Second City Saint, but it is just as easy to see that it took far too long to get on board with Punk.

Management did it begrudgingly - and only after originals such as Rob Van Dam and Sabu failed and hand-picked golden boys like Morrison and Lashley either ran their course or moved on. The same can be said of the major push that came four years later...but that is a story for another time.

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