10 Dirtiest Players In WWE History

3. CM Punk

Ric Flair Lita
WWE.com

CM Punk's 2011-2013 434 day reign as WWE Champion rightfully felt like a lifetime within the prism of modern-day WWE, so it fit the profile of his lengthy tenure to turn half way through.

It was remarkable to see his transformation. From the roots of his babyface turn as a revolutionist, he became bitter, cynical and eventually spineless.

Joining up with Paul Heyman after a summer of frustration losing the spotlight to John Cena and The Rock despite holding gold, Punk initially had all the motivation he needed to take a pejorative stance against the company and fanbase at large.

But he quickly abused his privilege, morphing into a cowardly heel willing to squeeze through each battle by any means necessary as long as it meant continuing his storied reign with the title.

Ultimately, defeat to The Rock at the 2013 Royal Rumble didn't halt his chicanery. Still spurred on by Heyman's deification after losing his rematch against 'The Great One' and falling to John Cena in his last grasp at a WrestleMania main event, Punk targeted The Undertaker in the ugliest manner possible.

As the iconic figure grieved the real life loss of his long-time associate Paul Bearer, Punk used the event to goad a contest out of the then-undefeated 'Deadman', first interrupting a tribute before covering him in Bearer's ashes from their sacred urn.

His wickedness worked, and he atoned for his sins in an encounter that stole WrestleMania 29, giving the vile Punk his greatest satisfaction of all.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett