10 WWE Stars Who Were TRULY Buried

by Michael Sidgwick

1. CM Punk

Cm Punk
WWE.com

WWE never truly liked CM Punk.

He was told he didn't know how to work; Paul Heyman's ardent endorsement achieved the opposite of the intended effect; WWE sold him down the river, in 2008, when they felt buyer's remorse; and, in 2009, his ascension to the main event meant nothing, ultimately, because he worked a dark match in the same year as his Heavyweight Title breakthrough. Just 112 days separated his violent SummerSlam classic opposite Jeff Hardy and his humiliation to R-Truth at TLC, and all because Punk wouldn't wear a suit.

WWE, quite literally, never liked the look of him.

And so Punk, the best working heel in wrestling at the time, didn't get the WrestleMania XXVII main event, even after he reinvented himself as the most interesting villain in several years. That honour went to The Miz, a talent who displayed the necessary work ethic in the "right" way. Short of star power, WWE persuaded Punk to re-sign in 2011, complete with a renewed main event push. They "tried to f*ck on him" by marketing him as the Best In The World in 2012, but he rarely if ever headlined pay-per-views as WWE Champion.

The guy who enhanced the legacies of part-time stars, in a fitting act of revenge, left as a martyr to become the most elusive, biggest return pop of them all.

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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!