10 Ways CM Punk Changed WWE FOREVER
1. He Paved The Way For "Indie Darlings"
In the mid-to-late 2000s and even into the early 2010s, the old-school mentality that "vanilla midget indy darlings couldn't draw money and didn't belong in the main event" still very much existed in WWE. Take, for example, CM Punk, who despite a stellar resume on the independent circuit and multiple WWE World Championship runs to his name, could not maintain his footing in their main event scene.
That was, until 2011.
"The Summer of Punk" was the impetus for something of a culture shock within WWE. While this wasn't the first time they'd pushed a universally-revered wrestler across multiple companies (see: Eddie Guerrero), it seemed to really "stick" this time around, at least with the fans, who clamored to see more top-tier independent talents face off with WWE's best.
And that is precisely what they got.
Since Punk left, we have seen independent stars like Kevin Owens, Finn Bálor, and Seth Rollins rise to the top multiple times over. Not only that, but WWE's developmental territory has become something of an indy super-fed, as it is currently teeming with many of the world's most sought-after talents.
What's crazy about all of this is that likely none of it would have happened had it not been for CM Punk. By heightening the demand for more "indy-style" wrestling, Punk opened a door for so many marvelous-yet-unlikely talents to get a fair shot in WWE.
And that door doesn't appear to be shutting any time soon.