10 Regrets CM Punk Must Be Harbouring

2. Coming Back Too Soon in 2011

After becoming the No. 1 contender to the WWE Championship on the June 20, 2011 edition of Raw, CM Punk announced that he'd be leaving WWE once his contract expired the night of the Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Many fans figured he was going to be the latest star to be built up to lose to Cena at the event, but the feud became much more than that the next week when Punk dropped a €œpipebomb€ on the WWE Universe. In speaking his mind, he blurred the lines between storyline and reality, making people take notice. It sent shockwaves throughout the wrestling world with one promo and built excitement for the pending pay-per-view in Chicago. Going into the event, Punk was legitimately feeling burned out and was leaving the company regardless of what happened, but he wanted to cause some change in his wake. In one of the most anticipated matches in the last several years, Punk and Cena competed in an instant classic. For nearly a half hour, the momentum shifted between the two competitors and the Chicago crowd was sitting on the edge of their seats to see who would come out on top. Cena rejected any interference or aid from Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis, allowing The Second City Saint to capitalize and pick up the pinfall victory. The Allstate Arena came unglued with elation as Punk posed with his newly won championship belt before bolting up the aisle and exiting the building. That was supposed to be the last of Punk we would see for many months at the very least.... or so we thought. A mere eight days later, Punk made his grand return on Raw immediately following Cena's WWE Championship win against Rey Mysterio. As Living Colour's €œCult of Personality€ blared throughout the arena, Punk and Cena faced off in the middle of the ring with both guys raising their respective belts up in the air, setting up a rematch between the two for an undisputed title at SummerSlam. While it was one of the most shocking comebacks in recent memory, many felt the storyline suffered because of it. WWE could have easily kept Punk off TV for several more months and had him show up at events from time to time, playing up the fact he was in possession of the real championship strap. However, WWE apparently felt otherwise, and it's not hard to see why. Punk was a hot commodity at the time and they needed to capitalize off his momentum by bringing him back as quick as possible. Even Punk said himself in 2012 documentary that it wasn't until the final hour of the Money in the Bank contract that he signed a new deal. Of course, it all worked out in the end since Punk would go on to reign as WWE champion for a whopping 434 days, but at the same time, he was never given the time off that he was yearning for. He wouldn't get time off for another two years, furthering burning him out and potentially playing a role in his abrupt departure in January.