10 Biggest Winners From CM Punk Leaving WWE

2. Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose joined WWE as The Shield in late 2012, serving as backup for CM Punk in WWE Championship matches. Even after Punk lost the title, though, The Shield's reign of terror continued, independent of the Straight-Edge Superstar. By the time Punk left the company, The Shield was seen as one of the greatest factions in WWE history. Only months later, however, they would split up, with Rollins leaving the now-fan favorite group and joining The Authority as a singles star. In many ways, Rollins's ascent up the card has been reminiscent of Punk's - he came into the company with a pedigree from the indies, spent a lot of time in development, caught a break coming up to the main roster, and used his talent and attitude to become arguably the top player in the entire company. Rollins's WWE title reign - which began at WrestleMania and ended last week when he was forced to relinquish the title due to a knee injury - took many cues from Punk's history-making reign as WWE Champion, as the brash young heel continually ran his mouth and relied on the services of others, but consistently proved himself in the ring. Even if Punk's reign was a template for Rollins's, it's probable that Rollins's usurped Punk's - if not in length, than in the focus that was put on WWE Championship and Champion during its duration. Rollins emerged as the template for a new heel standard in 2015, and he's expected to become a huge babyface upon his return next year. Without Punk gone from WWE, Rollins probably wouldn't have been able to develop and rise the way he did, at least not without potentially being seen as in the shadow of his predecessor.