10 Worst Endings To Awesome Wrestling Title Reigns

7. The Summer Of Punk Comes To An End

Sheamus Daniel Bryan 18 Seconds WrestleMania
WWE.com

The Summer Of Punk tore the wrestling world apart in 2011. It was an incredible time to be a WWE fan, starting with the most incendiary worked shoot of all time, and escalating with CM Punk's epic WWE Championship victory at Money In The Bank.

It's hard to think of a more euphoric reaction than that which Punk was given when he toppled John Cena, but while that match's outcome felt like a legitimate paradigm shift, WWE's follow-up was poor. Punk left with the WWE Title, but he was brought back to television far too soon, and the ensuing weeks were disastrous for his once incredible momentum.

Punk still considered himself the rightful WWE Champion, but the company had crowned Cena in his absence. Thus, the duo met in a unification bout at SummerSlam, and while Punk's victory seemed to reinstall him as "the guy", the corporate boogeymen won.

Shortly after beating Cena for a second time, Punk was jumped by Kevin Nash of all people. Alberto Del Rio then charged down the ramp with his Money In The Bank briefcase, cashed it in, and took the title. The Summer Of Punk was effectively dead, and so was its architect's potentially revolutionary title reign.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.