10 Times WWE Lost Their Minds
2. The CM Punk Payoff
If there's one thing that should be learned from this list, it's that Vince McMahon has a really tough time accepting a good story when it falls into his lap. Or he's just an idiot. In any case, when CM Punk's contract was coming to an end in mid-2011, it was worked into a storyline where "The Straight-Edge Superstar" felt he was bulletproof and started running down the company as he ran down the clock.
It's impossible to overstate how hot CM Punk got during this period. His promos and his entire demeanor were so different from everything else on the roster that he sent the fans into a frenzy. One segment he did with Vince McMahon featured Punk blatantly disrespecting the chairman, while McMahon showed rare capitulation toward a talent.
Punk got a title shot at John Cena at Money in the Bank, with the understanding that his contract was up immediately after the match. That meant that if he won, he'd be taking the top title in the company home with him. Punk and Cena proceeded to have one of the best matches in company history, and of course, Punk was victorious. He kissed Vince McMahon goodbye and left with the belt in front of a roaring Chicago crowd.
WWE potentially had the next Rock on their hands in Punk - if they could nail the follow-through. Guess what happened. Punk kept the fans in suspense for a mere eight days, showing up on Raw again to challenge John Cena to a unification match. Their second bout saw Triple H as guest referee, and "The Game" stole the heat by counting Punk the winner without noticing Cena's hand on the rope.
Oh, but it got worse. Punk lost the title belt right after the match when Kevin Nash, of all people, attacked him, leading to Alberto Del Rio cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase. After that, Punk went into a feud with Triple H, and you can probably guess who won the blowoff match. Then, Punk and HHH formed a team, and took on The Awesome Truth. Punk ate the pin in that bout.
For Triple H's vanity and the sake of business as usual, a whole pile of money was burned.