10 Wrestlers So Good They Changed Vince McMahon's Mind

9. CM Punk

cm punk wwe champion
WWE

"I don't know how he did it," recalled Mike 'Nova' Bucci to RF Video in a shoot interview.

"I have no conceptual idea how Phillip Brooks was able to pull off the impossible and completely defeat the machine and get over to the level he got over, because I never saw more roadblocks to a guy. It was a weekly event of people burying him in that writer's room."

Infamously buried for a 2005 dark match performance by a watching Triple H and Shawn Michaels, Punk only escaped Ohio Valley Wrestling through the relentless campaigning of Paul Heyman. In WWECW, perhaps still affected by the confidence issues that saw him balloon in weight to fit in down in developmental, Punk was inconsistent. He only delivered a quality, complete performance at the last breath of his series with John Morrison.

Once Punk perfected the WWE style, he sought to transcend it.

Vince recognised Punk's elite performance level and came to profoundly respect his drive. Punk wasn't satisfied with reciting the material handed to him; he had the balls and the world-class promo talent to get himself over, and when he did, there was no stopping him. He talked how he wanted to talk. He dressed how he wanted to dress. Past 2011, nobody told him to wear a suit.

He also wrestled how he wanted to wrestle, adding further dimensions to both John Cena's game and WWE's old, power-driven ring style.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!