The WORST Wrestling Story Every Year (1989-2025)

2008 - CM Punk’s World Heavyweight Champion Arc

Why did WWE bother?

CM Punk, as a babyface, cashed in his Money In The Bank contract when he quickly defeated the beaten-down heel Edge on the June 30, 2008 Raw. Punk used the exact same means as the man he defeated - a man later marketed as ‘the Ultimate Opportunist’ for inventing the ultimate heel shortcut. Punk was booked to celebrate as if his victory was well-earned. This might have worked, had Edge been Punk’s fierce, hated rival. Edge, for once, did nothing wrong.

This was a disastrous start to CM Punk’s ascension as a babyface headliner.

Only, CM Punk never ascended to the main event picture. He never headlined a single pay-per-view. WWE never handed Punk that one definitive win to establish him, properly, as a made man worthy of headlining WrestleMania. They didn’t seem to want to do that - so why strap him up in the first place?

Perhaps it was thought that WWE didn’t need to beat anybody, and Punk would simply become a top star and draw regardless.

Punk went to a double DQ finish against Batista at the Great American Bash. While he defeated JBL at SummerSlam, it was a glorified midcard match, the build to which failed almost on purpose to get the best out of two very strong talkers.

And then Punk was written out of his own title loss, which almost redefines what a burial looks like. He was placed into and then removed from a Scramble match at Unforgiven in which he didn’t have to take the fall.

The World champion wasn’t even worth protecting. What?