10 Wrestlers You Won't Believe Got The Better Of Vince McMahon

8. CM Punk

cm punk vince mcmahon
WWE

WWE only signed CM Punk because they heard the buzz he generated from a distance.

When he worked a Sunday Night Heat tryout match, a double-sourced account (Court Bauer, Alex Greenfield) claimed that Triple H and Shawn Michaels tore his work to shreds in front of Vince McMahon. His ECW call-up was a miracle; Paul Heyman petitioned ceaselessly for it, and Vince's customary response to "This guy is really, really great and will make you a sh*t-tonne of money" is "F*ck off".

Skinny and tattooed with a fierce sense of self-worth that was often interpreted as arrogance, Punk was perceived internally as a jumped-up shindie-riffic sh*t disturber.

Punk himself didn't substantiate the hype. He was not undeniable; a lengthy series with John Morrison underwhelmed beyond the cracking blow-off. He was still over enough to earn an experimental World Heavyweight Title run in 2008, but he pissed off the Undertaker a year after he wasn't deemed necessary to even do the job.

But he got over as a super-worker of a heel capable of generating real, elusive heat. A star in himself, he shone brighter within the drab dreck of the John Laurinaitis era, and was so undeniable in 2011 that he wished death upon Vince, who strapped him up in response.

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!