10 WWE Superstars John Cena Has Put Over
2. CM Punk
No one ever pegged CM Punk for success in the WWE. He was a tattooed indie darling who had nobody to vouch for him, even when senior members of management put a ceiling on him. This ceiling was not glass but straight up steel. All he had was the support of Paul Heyman to get through the door, and after that he had to do all the work by himself. He became ECW Champion in 2006 and also a two-time Money in the Bank winner, winning the briefcase at consecutive WrestleManias. He had middling world title reigns, and was lost in the mid-card. This changed in 2011.
John Cena vs. CM Punk was a match that no one ever thought the latter would win. It was the symbol of the machine against the rebel. Punk cut the scathing pipe-bomb promo on WWE, which was the first rocket booster attached to CM Punk. He thrived opposite John Cena, pointing out all the hypocrisies in his own character. His fight in Chicago may be one of the best WWE bouts of all time, but John Cena put over CM Punk in a way no one thought he would, and in a way that made him virtually bulletproof for the rest of his run.