10 Times WWE Dropped The Ball On CM Punk

When it came to CM Punk, WWE was addicted to the temptation that is self-sabotage.

CM Punk Triple H
WWE

Did WWE ever not drop the ball with CM Punk?

'The Voice of the Voiceless' was a once-in-a-generation star, a Hall of Fame performer as a babyface and a heel, someone who appealed to casual fans and the mainstream alike. He could have been the guy, but was so frequently portrayed as just a guy that the self-fulfilling prophecy came true, or at least it would have if Punk hadn’t left. Even when they seemed like they wanted to know, WWE had no idea what it was doing with CM Punk.

From the moment he arrived on ECW to that fateful final chokeslam at Royal Rumble 2014, Punk’s WWE career was defined by creative missteps and the nagging feeling that the biggest wrestling promotion on the planet didn’t want him to be the star that he was. Despite this, WWE did what WWE does, namely setting up open goal after open goal, only to Ronny Rosenthal the opportunity.

WWE dropped the ball on CM Punk so many times from beginning to end that the whole trope managed to traverse the entire range of emotions, from anger to comedy back through to frustration, until enough was enough and one of this generation’s most iconic performers was lost forever.

10. A Five-Year Sabbatical Ends On WWE Backstage

CM Punk Triple H
WWE

This one can’t be dropped entirely on WWE’s door, but not even the most hardened of Vince McMahon acolytes could honestly say that this was how they wanted CM Punk to return. On a talk show that approximately nobody bothers to watch? Engaging in pointless conversations with Renee Young, Booker T and the rest?

Sure, whatever.

Even if Punk’s role on WWE Backstage is mediated through Fox, WWE didn’t need to agree to it all. Punk’s influence on Backstage ratings has been negligible at best (and inherently pointless), and wasting his return to the product on such an ignored and invisible format has done nothing more than extinguish one of the last hopes in pro wrestling.

Of course, the whole idea may have been for WWE to show that it can drop the ball on CM Punk even before receiving the thing. If that was the case, then this company has outdone itself once again.

Contributor
Contributor

Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.