10 Wrestlers Who Left Promotions With Nuclear Heat

There are very few settings in which you can proclaim to be the best in the world and remain popular. The competitive world of professional wrestling does not present such situations. CM Punk seized the accolade, ran with it, and won over the WWE fanbase. He presented a unique outsider character, with a cynical and sardonic wit, which fans could not help but gravitate and relate to. In pro-wrestling, heat seeks success.

During his time with WWE, Punk's confidence and outspoken ways saw him rub many up the wrong way – from Ryback, who he called out as an unsafe worker, to Hornswoggle (the two fell out over telephone number etiquette). Bruce Prichard recalled:-

"Everybody used to make fun of him because they didn't understand him […] They didn't understand the tattoos. They didn't understand his promos [...]”

Punk’s greatest heat was with the top of WWE’s hierarchy. As Punk’s star rose, his heat with Triple H was parallel, with suggestions that the older superstar was jealous. As the two feuded, their insults crossed a line from promos to genuine insults. ‘The Game’ ultimately used his sway to halt Punk’s push, with ‘The Voice of the Voiceless’ accusing Triple H of burying him. Punk left WWE under hostile circumstances and has continued to be vocal about the company.