When CM Punk captured the Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania 24, many fans figured he would be the first Superstar to cash in the contract and lose. Alas, he didn't, as he successfully cashed in against Edge on the June 30, 2008 edition of Raw to win his first World Heavyweight Championship. What followed, however, was one of the worst reigns in the history of the "Big Gold Belt." It wasn't entirely Punk's fault since he was booked to look weak all throughout his time as champion. Among the few feuds Punk had as champ was with JBL going into SummerSlam. The story was that JBL believed he was superior to Punk because, unlike the Chicago native, he wasn't straightedge. Thus, the two were perfect rivals from a storyline standpoint, but they never quite had the in-ring chemistry officials and fans hoped they would. On a card also featuring John Cena vs. Batista and Edge vs. Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match, Punk vs. JBL stuck out like a sore thumb. It marked the one time Punk retained his title without any interference or use of shenanigans. Remember that Punk was a babyface at this point in time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfWCzJmHfps It was solid bout, but it was clear that fans had no desire to see JBL wrestling for the world title so late in his career. Punk gained very little if anything at all from his feud with The Longhorn Loudmouth.
Since 2008, Graham has been a diehard pro wrestling fan and, in 2010, he combined his passions for WWE and writing when he joined Bleacher Report. Equipped with a master's in journalism, Graham has contributed to WhatCulture, FanSided's Daily DDT, Sports Betting Dime, and GateHouse Media. Along the way, he has conducted interviews with wrestling superstars like Chris Jericho, Edge, Goldberg, Christian, Diamond Dallas Page, Jim Ross, Adam Cole, Tessa Blanchard, Ryback, and Nick Aldis among others.
