Ranking Who Was Really The Man In Wrestling Every Year 1990-2020

10. 2011 - CM Punk

Austin Jericho
WWE

CM Punk was among the last true organic draws in WWE, and 2011 was his year.

That there were so few successors is explained by the fact that 2011 was also a dismal year, one that incited a war, fought between the office and the public, that has raged for the ensuing decade.

A hit at the merch table, and a modest one on pay-per-view - his Money In The Bank career peak improved on the prior year's domestic number by 17%, in a very strong indicator of his Ace potential - Punk was also the talk of the entire industry in the early summer. His iconic pipebomb - a scathing exposé - rallied disillusioned fans who followed this iconoclast into his battle with the machine.

He brought a level of match quality and acclaim WWE hadn't delivered nor drawn in decades. He was the star WWE fans wanted to see.

They f*cked it up.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!