CM Punk was responsible for wrestling's most exciting period since the Attitude Era. The "Summer of Punk" angle of 2011 captured fans' imaginations and made the pipedream of a revolution within the WWE a realistic possibility. No longer would undervalued, undersized talents be overlooked at the expense of the never-ending Cena era. Punk's words opened the industry's eyes to the possibility of a new age, breaking wrestling out of its slump and into a new golden era. Unfortunately, despite far succeeding beyond the level many thought him confined to, Punk found himself a victim of the forces he railed against. While enjoying the longest WWE Championship reign of the modern era, he was still kept below Cena on the card and played second fiddle to the seldom-seen Rock, much to the chagrin of both he and his fans. Punk's vision has partially came true. Daniel Bryan enjoyed a meteoric rise, culminating in a hugely successful WrestleMania triumph, and stars such as Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins are making their voices heard towards the top of the card on a consistent basis. Plenty others have fallen by the wayside however. Much-loved midcarders such as Dolph Ziggler and Wade Barrett have been unable to truly break out and enjoy the success they deserve. Fans fear for the future of promising NXT stars such as Kevin Steen and Prince Devitt, expressing the very understandable concern that the WWE will water down the style that made them such indie groundbreakers. Punk's WWE departure is often regarded as the result of his frustration at being unable to make such a radical change. He's definitely improved the industry through his defiance, but not nearly as much as he promised. Every day we don't see Punk return to the WWE and continue his mission, it seems as though we're in danger of slipping into another period of stagnation. He's the very symbol of change within the industry, and his absence in this regard is ultimately the most important reason for the never-ending support he receives.
