1. CM Punk Defeats John Cena - Money In The Bank 2011
The place was historic AllState Arena in suburban Chicago, Illinois. On the heels of a scathing "pipe bomb" promo that sparked interest in pro wrestling and led to his appearance in several multimedia platforms, hometown hero CM Punk entered World Wrestling Entertainment's Money in the Bank pay-per-view for a high profile main event against heavyweight champion John Cena. Cena, the hero to millions of children worldwide, had earned the wrath of the all-important 18-35 demographic thanks to his bubblegum personality and the Superman-like booking that accompanied him. Punk was new, fresh and compelling whereas Cena was stale, tired and boring. All eyes were on WWE's annual July extravaganza as the industry giants took to the ring for the night's marquee match. After a half-hour worth of action, Punk capitalized on a momentary distraction attributed to the appearance of Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis, caught Cena with GTS and scored a pinfall victory to win the WWE Championship. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peMpm_HPewQ Anytime Cena loses at this point, fans are sure to mark out. It is so rare that it happens fans are guaranteed to pop when it actually does. The fact that it was CM Punk, the voice of fans tired of the status quo in WWE, only intensified the reaction and the excitement that surrounded the events. The buzz surrounding the story and the mark out moments that occurred during the so-called Summer of Punk 2011 kept fans interested in a product that, until his sudden rise in June, had been as lackluster and lethargic as it had ever been. Punk injected excitement into the product and fans responded accordingly.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
