15 Exact Moments Wrestlers Died Inside
2. CM Punk Can't Hold It In
The 'Championship Ascension Ceremony' of December 9, 2013, was a stark illustration of the attitude that eventually threatened WWE's monopoly by the decade's end.
Held in front of various former Champions to promote John Cena and Randy Orton's World Title unification match at TLC - including CM Punk - the fans in attendance didn't care about this Raw segment at all. This was was priceless in its dissonance. WWE talked up the ancient rivalry as if it were the most special thread in their grand narrative tapestry.
The fans cared only about Daniel Bryan. Profoundly uninterested in Orton's trademark droning, the crowd sent WWE a message by unleashing "Yes!" chants at Bryan's mere introduction. WWE was eventually harangued into listening, but they did not listen hard enough; in 2025, the company is still counter-programming AEW when AEW didn't even need to exist. All WWE had to do was give the existing base something they very clearly wanted and repeatedly stated.
A flustered Triple H, and this was great, banged on about a "an epic moment in time, a game-changing moment in time," and he was right - but that moment in time had nothing to do with Cena Vs. Orton. Before he was absolutely humiliated, Stephanie McMahon introduced her husband as at "the pinnacle" of the "greats" assembled in that ring.
CM Punk - who couldn't even be bothered to style his hair at this point, he was that checked out - descended, visibly, into a broken headspace. At first, he seemed incredulous. Then he burst into a giggle fit. His laughter was even delirious, so laughable was the idea that Triple H was the most important champion in WWE history.