10 Wrestlers That Bled The Hard Way

6. CM Punk (WWE Money In The Bank 2013)

Dean Ambrose Juice Robinson
WWE.com

Another ladder headshot from depths of hell in a match forcing the participants to make the long climb towards supposed heaven, CM Punk's clattering at the hands of Paul Heyman served their own narrative well even if it wasn't exactly something WWE wanted to lean into in the aftermath. But 'The Voice Of The Voiceless' was probably used to that.

The moment was at least artfully achieved by the two. A brief post-WrestleMania exit for Punk in 2013 turned him babyface after a lengthy heel run with Heyman by his side, but the month between his Chicago return and this dark twist saw the two pulled in separate directions by increasingly divided loyalties.

WWE allowed Punk to remain the smartest guy in the room too - he felt something was up until Heyman, magnificently, swore on his kids' lives that he was with him. Like a depraved rat of a man, he went back on his word in grisly fashion.

Smashing his charge in the back with a ladder at the climax of the 2013 showpiece, he waited for Punk to turn around so he could obliterate his face too. He did so in brutal fashion, drawing a wide cut that required too much work for the cameras to truly assess the important post-match pathos.

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but 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 in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. 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 sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett