This feud dominated the summer of 2009 on the Smackdown brand. It was such a natural rivalry that led to an awesome storyline after Punk cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase on Hardy at Extreme Rules 2009 after Hardy had just won the World Title. At the time Punk was a babyface wrestler that was on the rise, but they used the title change to set up his heel turn. What a heel turn it was too. On the DVD about his career, Punk talked about how Vince McMahon wasn't sure if he wanted to be a heel because at that point Punk was only a face in WWE. Punk loved the idea because he had always been more comfortable as a heel. It turned out that Hardy was his perfect rival. They ended up working three major PPV matches for the World Title with Hardy winning it back from Punk and then Punk getting it back in the SummerSlam main event, which was an awesome TLC match. After another big cage match on Smackdown, Hardy was gone from WWE and he hasn't been back since. Punk's heel persona was perfect because he was pushing the "straight edge" lifestyle a lot by saying he was better than people that weren't like that. Hardy was more of an "everyman" that was known for drinking, doing drugs and that kind of thing. He was more of a free spirit, let's just say that. So when they did promos it felt more real than others. That's what led to their strong chemistry and ability to put on amazing matches.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
