10 Most Underrated WWE Feuds Of The 2010s
7. Chris Jericho Vs. CM Punk (2012)
Wrestling storylines that take into account one of the rivals' actual lifestyle have a higher chance of succeeding than those which don't. It's why Edge vs. Matt Hardy, for example, felt real; to an extent, it actually was real.
The same applies to CM Punk and Chris Jericho's 2012 battle over the former's WWE Championship.
Properly turning heel on the post-Royal Rumble episode of Raw, the now-AEW talent interjected himself into Punk's business while he was facing Daniel Bryan. This easily could have been a simple title feud heading into WrestleMania 28; after all, people were still going to watch that show because it had John Cena and The Rock's much-anticipated clash headlining.
Instead, Jericho brought to light the legitimate addictions of Punk's family. His father? An alcoholic. His sister? A drug user. In the PG era of WWE, this was about as real as WWE got. Their rivalry surpassed everything else at this time because of its realistic feel.
It helped that Jericho was a sophisticated expert at being a downright d*ck; on the 2 April episode of Raw, 'Le Champion' doused the straight-edge Punk in a bottle of alcohol. Their two pay-per-view outings at 'Mania 28 and Extreme Rules - a Chicago Street Fight - became must-see because of the pair's dedication to crafting one of the PG era's all-time great rivalries.