10 WWE Exits Which Seriously Affected Other Wrestlers
6. CM Punk's Departure Sets The Stage For The Miracle On Bourbon Street
CM Punk's quest for change may not have ended with him being thrown into the last match on a WrestleMania card like he wanted, but at least his 2014 exit opened the door for another indie darling to end the show.
After no-showing an episode of Raw on January 27, it quickly became clear that the former WWE Champion wouldn't be appearing in a WWE ring for some time.
Punk was done.
His body was broken, he was frustrated creatively, and to top it all off, he'd reportedly been booked to face old nemesis Triple H in a match on the Grandest Stage of Them All. This was later evidenced in an apparent early draft of the 'Mania XXX card Punk decided to post on social media. Though he was still being booked in a 'main event' slot, 'The Voice of the Voiceless' knew he wouldn't be going on last and clearly wasn't willing to march out against 'The Game'.
Punk's abrupt departure meant the 'King of Kings' was left without a dance parter at the Show of Shows. Yet, that all changed as soon as the company decided to double-down on the increasing popularity of Daniel Bryan.
D-Bry would topple Trips, Randy Orton and Batista all in one night on-route to a show-closing shot of him lifting the WWE World Heavyweight title up high to the sound of 75,000 voices screaming 'YES!'