10 Most Heartbreaking Major WWE Defeats

9. CM Punk Vs. The Rock (Royal Rumble 2013)

Before he was booked to do the job for a returning Rock at Royal Rumble 2013, CM Punk had carried the WWE Title for a whopping 434 days straight. In that time, he had produced wonderful matches against Dolph Ziggler, Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan and John Cena, to name a few. Then, suddenly, it was all over.

WWE believed a WrestleMania 29 rematch between The Rock and Cena needed the title more than CM Punk did, so their longest-reigning champ of the modern era was tasked with doing the honours in January. For anyone who had enjoyed seeing Punk grow as champion, this loss was soul-destroying.

Hardcore fans knew The Rock was only winning so he could drop the belt to Cena at 'Mania, and it was hard to take. Add to this the sheer cheek of booking a rematch when 'Mania XXVIII's had been billed as 'Once In A Lifetime', as well as Punk's WrestleMania headline dreams being shattered, and it becomes even more depressing.