10 "Perfect" Wrestling Feuds That Went Horribly Wrong

7. CM Punk Vs. Triple H

Thumb CM Punk Chris Jericho
WWE.com

The issue with the CM Punk Summer of Punk II storyline is that Punk himself booked it, in effect, through being afforded creative license to write the next chapter of his career.

Even though WWE re-signed Punk at great expense and with perks not enjoyed by the majority of the roster, he was still an uppity skinny fat ass who didn't really know how to work, wasn't he?

Which is why this super-compelling dream programme was botched beyond belief.

Punk Vs. Triple H was an amazing, simple and absorbing story. Renegade cult favourite who speaks truth to power versus the grotesque embodiment of power. It was a meta update on Austin Vs. McMahon that held the potential to usher in a new era of fan engagement in the promotion.

It went horribly wrong because WWE didn't want to do it right; if they did it right, they'd have indicted themselves as a bumbling, incompetent organisation wildly out of touch with what the fanbase wanted.

This resulted in an omni-shagged shambles in which the bumbling, incompetent organisation didn't realise that they'd have to clear Kevin Nash, meaning the Triple H programme was rushed, and because it was a Triple H programme, he won. Lots of people interfered but Punk was "protected"!

You can't put a Z-Pak on that.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!