10 CM Punk Matches You Need To Relive On WWE Network
9. CM Punk vs. Johnny Nitro (WWE Vengeance 2007)
Originally thought to be CM Punk versus Chris Benoit, when Benoit no-showed (due to the double murder suicide of his wife and son), Nitro being inserted into the match gives the crowd a definite feeling in this one that Punk is absolutely going to win. There's a real and palpable sense on Punk's nearfalls in this one that the crowd - independent of indy wrestling hype - is really starting to buy into Punk as a legitimate main event threat. While yes, it's one year prior to Punk cashing in Money in the Bank to become the World Heavyweight Champion, the seeds are truly sown in this match for what was to become of Punk as a top-of-the-card icon.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
