10 Times WWE Accidentally Created A Star
4. CM Punk
For years, CM Punk was the indie darling WWE let rise and fall on the card. He was a fan favourite, sure — great on the mic, even better in the ring, one of the very best in the world — but in the eyes of management, he was a dependable star who shifted around depending who else was on the show. That all changed on 27th June 2011.
Sitting cross-legged on the stage, Punk dropped the now-legendary Pipe Bomb. It wasn’t scripted. It wasn’t polished. It was raw, uncomfortable, and real. He tore into WWE’s backstage politics, name-dropped Colt Cabana and NJPW, and shattered the fourth wall in a way no one had dared before.
It was meant to build heat for his Money in the Bank match. Instead, it ignited a movement.
Fans rallied behind him like never before. “Best in the World” became a mantra. Punk left Chicago with the title and the crowd’s hearts — and WWE had no choice but to keep him in the main event after that.
This wasn’t the plan. But Punk’s honesty, timing, and sheer audacity forced WWE to see what fans already knew: he was a top draw.