10 Matches That Nearly Made Wrestlers Quit For Good

1. CM Punk Vs. The Undertaker (WWE WrestleMania 29)

rusve shinsuke nakamura
WWE

There's an argument to be made that this was the finest bout of The Undertaker's legendary WrestleMania streak, but even if you prefer the Shawn Michaels matches, the CM Punk clash is likely still in the conversation. It's a classic, and well worth revisiting, but it almost prompted Chick Magnet Phil to walk away from the company ahead of schedule, with 'The Voice Of the Voiceless' reportedly threatening to quit prior to WrestleMania 29.

The story goes that Punk was fed up of being constantly lied to about the match. He'd been led to believe that he was going over and breaking the streak, but WWE changed their minds on short notice. Thus, when he learned he was actually losing, the notoriously short-fused star didn't understand the logic of it.

An irate Punk got into it Triple H and Vince McMahon as a result. The disagreement coincided with him being pulled from a series of live events, but he ended up sticking around and doing the job at WrestleMania. His card was already marked, though: Punk's WWE dissatisfaction couldn't be quelled, and he was gone 10 months later.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.