10 Most Heated Matches In WWE History

1. John Cena Vs. CM Punk - WWE Money In The Bank 2011

Cena Rob Van Dam II
wwe.com

The stars have an eerie way of aligning in the wrestling world.

If Jake Roberts hadn't found God, Steve Austin may not have found main event superstardom. If Raven hadn't crucified the the Sandman in that same year of 1996, a disgusted Kurt Angle might have stuck with ECW - and deprived the world of one of the greatest ever WWF creations.

And, if WWE had selected another venue for its Money In The Bank 2011 Pay Per View, what many consider its greatest night would not have happened. Punk, in the aftermath of his searing Pipebomb promo, was over everywhere - but the denizens of the Chicago All-State Arena received the hometown hero as if he were the second coming. The failure of their (then) patchy sports teams doubtlessly created that much more desire on their part.

The match remains one of the absolute greatest WWE ever produced because, like Austin Vs. The Rock at 'Mania X-Seven, it fused deafening atmosphere with pulsating, state-of-the-art content. In his Best In The World DVD, Punk remarked that he didn't need 35 minutes in which to tell what was a sublime tale - but he took every second allocated to him, anyway.

Fans are glad that he did - the epic length drew out what remains an intoxicatingly suspenseful match, even on re-watch.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!