10 WWE Storylines That Were Based On Real Life

5. CM Punk Preaches To Jeff Hardy

Is there anything more annoying than a sanctimonious preacher who shoves their beliefs in everyone else's face as proof they're superior? That's what CM Punk became in 2009, and (for the first time) it made his Straight Edge lifestyle meaningful beyond announcers using buzzwords like "edgy" or "alternative".

Punk's feud with Jeff Hardy in the summer of '09 was based around the idea that a drug-free athlete had become World Champion at Jeff's expense because he was, morally, a cut above. The story told how Hardy's reckless ring style had led him down a dark, pill-popping path, and Punk was disgusted by it.

In the process, Punk became that street preacher passers by glare at or inwardly tell to shut up.

Again, the story was soaked in reality. Jeff did have a history of addiction problems, and Punk was legitimately drug-free. Years later, Hardy's rambling comments on YouTube would reveal that he really did view Punk as a pretentious preacher and that, behind the storytelling, there was truth to their duelling promos.