10 Worst First Days For WWE Champions

3. CM Punk

CM Punk, Kevin Nash SummerSlam 2011
WWE.com

The conclusion of CM Punk's WWE Championship match with John Cena didn't mark the first time 'The Straight Edge Superstar' had lifted the company's richest prize, nor was it particularly bleak because of the Money In The Bank cash-in that followed. But trust WWE to end a match determine an "undisputed" Champion with a finish and follow-through that could be disputed for months by about six different claimants.

Beating Cena inside Chicago's molten Allstate Arena the prior month had been the real moment that capitalised on Punk's epic "Pipe Bomb" promo. An intentionally unclear finish in a diluted rematch at the 'Biggest Party Of The Summer' felt entirely as though WWE had taken back complete control of the wheel. Especially when Kevin Nash bulldozed through him and opened the door for an Alberto Del Rio smash-and-grab.

Losing the title wasn't what made any of this the worst first day. But when Punk lost his grip on the angle that could have changed everything, we all lost out.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say. With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.