10 Most Impactful WWE Draft Picks

3. CM Punk To Raw (2008)

CM Punk 2008

WWE.comC

Had Punk’s move to Raw in 2010 been a result of a draft, and not a trade (with Edge) it would be listed here instead, since it was much closer time-wise to his Pipebomb Promo. However, his 2008 brand switch was also quite noteworthy.

Up to that point, Punk had been a top guy in ECW, but there was really nothing else for him to accomplish on the brand. Without Paul Heyman’s influence, the show had devolved into a strange hybrid of monsters, some rookies, and guys whose best days were long behind them. Punk still had a bright future, so they moved him over to the A-show.

He made a huge impact the following week when he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Batista. It was surreal. When Punk first joined WWE, most figured he wouldn’t last very long, but here he was as the World Heavyweight Champion. It wasn’t exactly a great title reign, but it shot the Straight Edge Superstar up to a higher level, and set the groundwork for everything else that was to come.

Advertisement
Contributor

As Rust Cohle from True Detective said "Life's barely long enough to get good at one thing. So be careful what you're good at." Sadly, I can't solve a murder like Rust...or change a tire, or even tie a tie. But I do know all the lyrics to Hulk Hogan's "Real American" theme song and can easily name every Natural Born Thriller from the dying days of WCW. I was once ranked 21st in the United States in Tetris...on the Playstation 3 version...for about a week. Follow along @AndrewSoucek and check out my podcast at wrestlingwithfriends.com