10 Most Emotional Title Wins In WWE History
6. CM Punk Wins The WWE Title (Money In The Bank 2011)
CM Punk’s WWE Championship win at Money In The Bank 2011 was laced with a different kind of emotion. This wasn’t the culmination of a boyhood dream or a lengthy journey, but the triumph of a brave anti-hero over his malignant employers, and, more significantly, the fans over Vince McMahon.
The Summer of Punk ended sourly, but its initial impact was incredible. Punk’s infamous “Pipe Bomb” rallied the WWE audience like never before, and finally, it felt like somebody had their frustrations in mind. Punk became an avatar for the fanbase’s real-life complaints as he raged against John Cena, the McMahons, and WWE’s corporate favouritism, and the atmosphere was electric as he walked-out in his native Chicago.
With his contract set to expire immediately following the event, Punk had promised to leave with the gold after overcoming Cena. The match itself was an instant classic, and with a partisan crowd behind him, Punk finally put Cena away after an attempted Montreal Screwjob recreation from Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis.
The building went nuts, and the sight of Punk sitting on the barricade blowing a kiss to his shell-shocked employer has become iconic. A perfect moment following a perfect match, and a crippling blow for WWE’s crony corporatism.