10 Times Vince McMahon Cut Off His Nose To Spite His Face

2. The CM Punk WWE Title Handover

Vince McMahon
WWE.com

It's no wonder Punk left WWE almost exactly a calendar year later; Vince's stubbornly short-term thinking had an adverse effect on the Second City Saint's career in particular.

The Rock Vs. Cena 2 didn't even need the WWE title to get over or resolve its central conflict. All Cena had to do to achieve the "redemption" he apparently needed after his devastating loss to The Rock the previous year - which was required in spite of him beating Brock Lesnar a month later - was pin him to the mat. Winning the WWE title wasn't going to sway those fans lukewarm on the prospect of a rematch; if anything, it was going to alienate them further.

Not that Vince cared. Having The Rock appear on network television with the WWE title - devaluing it to nothing more than a prop in the process - was apparently more important to Vinnie Mac than appeasing one of the most talented members of his full-time roster.

Punk would later tell Cobana on his legendary Art of Wrestling podcast appearance that his WWE title loss to The Rock at Royal Rumble '13 was a significant nail in the coffin of his WWE career - and funnily enough, Rock's predictably short reign with the strap didn't attract any non-fans to the product.

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!