4. CM Punk Defeats Alberto Del Rio - Survivor Series 2011
When CM Punk defeated Alberto Del Rio at Survivor Series 2011, who could have guessed that he'd hold the WWE Heavyweight Title for 434 days? For years, Punk had toiled to work his way up the system in the company. As would become common knowledge later on, several members of the top brass didn't view the man as a headliner. Deemed too small, Punk defied expectations. Behind the scenes, he was mouthy. Punk himself has admitted that he clashed many times with management over the direction of his character, but that head-strong mentality fared him well during his title reign. From November 20th, 2011 until January 27th, 2013, CM Punk represented WWE as their champion. Nobody had held the belt that long since the days of Hulk Hogan in the mid-1980's. The 'Summer Of Punk' storyline of a few months before had ended badly for the man. WWE muddied the waters by adding in names like Kevin Nash, but it all worked out nicely for Punk in the end. Survivor Series was a true crowning moment, when CM Punk was finally recognised by Vince McMahon as belonging in the upper echelons.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
