20. The Abrupt Ending To His First Reign As World Heavyweight Champion
In 2008, after migrating from WWE's incarnation of ECW over to the Raw roster during the brand division, CM Punk won the Money in the Bank briefcase in a nail-biter ladder match at WrestleMania XXIV. On his first night as a Raw-exclusive star, Punk cashed in his shot at the title and defeated a prone Edge to become the World Heavyweight Champion. Although later known for his gold, Punk's time to become a reputable, respected champion was still in the making. Just when he had started to earn a name for himself in the WWE, Randy Orton knocked Punk out of action with a punt to the head. That led to Punk being forced to give up his World Heavyweight Championship without losing it in a match. After coming up short in a title rematch, Punk was quickly demoted to the tag team division, where he picked up the Tag Team Championships with Kofi Kingston. It was a long and far way to fall fast.
Nicole Malczan is a freelance writer, music lover, and pro wrestling fanatic. Combining all of her passions into one is her biggest joy. In her free time, she enjoys walking her dog, reading comics, eating pizza, and playing video games. http://nicolemalczan.weebly.com/
