10 Wrestlers Who Defeated The WWE Machine
3. CM Punk
WWE signed CM Punk because he had a bit of buzz about him. That seemed to be it; if they had carried out any extensive due diligence, they'd have arrived at the conclusion that he didn't "know how to work" long before Triple H and Shawn Michaels infamously buried him backstage at a Sunday Night Heat taping.
Punk, after a stint in Ohio Valley Wrestling, arrived in WWE proper in 2006 with precisely one supporter: the equally maligned and increasingly marginalised Paul Heyman. Punk's chances seemed to evaporate when Heyman walked. They didn't; he forged a connection with the crowd by virtue of being completely different to the established WWE norm. The sensational in-ring performances followed later (his 2007 run was more botch fest than best in the world) and the sensational promos followed later still (it was only in 2009 that Punk successfully lobbied for more creative control).
By 2011, Punk had evolved from cult favourite to idolised iconoclast. He was burned out and unappreciated - but recognised that he held a straight flush. You could make the argument that he was a beneficiary of the star-depleted era in which he wrestled, though that speaks to his sharpness. He defeated the WWE machine because he recognised that it was spluttering.
The next few years were mixed; he wrestled major names near the top, though nowhere near enough for his liking. Still, if he were to return now after his shocking January 2014 departure, he would hold the royal.