10 Superstars Who Gained The Most From WWE's Wellness Policy

As a famously straightedge superstar, CM Punk never had to worry about running afoul of the WWE Wellness Policy. He never had any violations or suspensions, but he did benefit from the suspensions other superstars. He actually benefitted twice in less than a year.

CM Punk spent the summer of 2007 chasing Johnny Nitro turned John Morrison for the ECW Championship. He lost to Morrison on three straight pay-per-views in matches neither of them would want on their career highlight reels. WWE had picked Morrison over Punk as the man for ECW and it could have ultimately meant an early exit from WWE for Punk.

Then, John Morrison was suspended for violating the WWE Wellness Policy. As the man feuding with Morrison for months, Punk was the most logical person to whom Morrison could drop the ECW Championship. Punk scored the victory and his first singles championship on a pre-taped episode of ECW in September 2007.

Punk's ECW title reign lasted a few months, which was longer than many expected. Then, Punk lost the title with little fanfare to Chavo Guerrero on a January 2008 episode of ECW. Fears that WWE would never give Punk the shot he deserved resurfaced heading into WrestleMania XXIV.

Punk was scheduled to be part of the Money in the Bank ladder match, but Jeff Hardy was the favorite to win it. In March of 2008, however, Jeff Hardy was suspended. Hardy dropped his Intercontinental Championship to Chris Jericho and was removed from 'Mania. CM Punk ended up going over in the match many were counting on Hardy to win.

Winning the Money in the Bank briefcase was huge for Punk. Less then three months later, he successfully cashed it in on Edge to become the World Heavyweight Champion on an episode of Raw. Suddenly, Punk was the champ on WWE's "A" show.

Punk's first world title reign may not have turned out all that well for him, but it got him noticed. He was able to prove enough for WWE to put the MITB briefcase back on him the very next year.

In the early going, WWE was inexplicably resistant to giving Punk the kind of chance fans were chanting for. The WWE Wellness Policy put WWE in a position where it had little choice other than to finally give in. That helped keep Punk around and relevant enough to make an even bigger impact in the years to come.