10 Biggest Surprises In WWE's 100 Greatest Matches Book

7. CM Punk

Cm Punk Money In The Bank 2011
WWE.com

WWE has a long history of burying talent who leave the company in acrimonious circumstances, with vendettas against departed grapplers sometimes lasting decades. Just ask Bruno Sammartino.

When CM Punk left the company in 2014, the relationship between the two could hardly have been more acrid. Embittered by the direction of his booking, Punk walked out in March, allegedly to "take a sabbatical", before the relationship soured completely when the performer was handed his official termination papers on the day of his wedding.

Punk, who - eventually - will make a debut for indirect rivals UFC, also has an ongoing lawsuit filed against WWE seeking punitive damages for medical mistreatment. Needless to say, he is not on the best of terms with the promotion.

Which makes his appearance in the book somewhat surprising. Like Benoit, there's no question that his matches deserve recognition in such a volume, but for a company with a storied history of undermining talent after their departures, it's particularly odd they should pay credence to one whose split is so recent and still so relevantly raw.

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.