10 Wrestlers Who Couldn't Hide Their Anger At A Botch

8. CM Punk Bemoans Elijah Burke

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WWE

CM Punk once named Elijah Burke as his least favourite opponent, and the man wrestled Triple H.

Speaking to fans in Philadelphia when interviewed by Beneath The Mat in 2012, Punk (h/t WrestlingInc) said that Burke was "terrible. He's absolutely the worst. Absolutely the worst."

They worked extensively together in WWECW, and the matches were horrendous. Burke was clueless; he got lost frequently, took several seconds to launch into a simple Irish whip, and almost broke his own neck when failing to rotate to receive a basic suplex.

This was just one match; in addition to a further PPV match at Judgment Day - a sloppy, overlong bore - Punk and Burke worked another TV bout that likely dimmed Punk's view of his opponent. As Punk lay selling on the mat on his side, Burke lunged into him full-force and nailed him in the back with a forearm. It was a completely over-the-top impact for what was a basic strike in a heat sequence. He clattered into Punk's spine so clumsily that Punk with his trademark personality couldn't or wouldn't disguise the effects of the spot, which was antithetical to what wrestling should be. It didn't look good, and it hurt for real.

"Wow, that hurt," Punk exclaimed, burying his fury under layers of sarcasm.

Contributor
Contributor

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!