Ranking Who Was Really The Man In Wrestling Every Year 1990-2020
10. 2011 - CM Punk
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.