Who REALLY Carried WWE Every Year (1985-2026)
15. 2012 (CM Punk)
Frustratingly, but not unexpectedly given his history, Punk's marathon 434-day run as WWE Champ was sort of pushed behind several other stories (including John Cena vs. John Laurinaitis!) on pay-per-view. Despite that, Punk excelled anyway by repeatedly delivering high-quality in the title picture.
Key matches vs. Dolph Ziggler (Royal Rumble), Chris Jericho ('Mania XXVIII then in a 'Chicago Street Fight' at Extreme Rules), Daniel Bryan (Over The Limit then a memorable 'No DQ' showdown at Money In The Bank) and Cena at Night Of Champions were all worth seeing.
A heel turn on The Rock at Raw 1000 also showed Punk's range and value. It came in spite of a company that seemed hesitant to put their full weight behind him. A certain fellow ex-Ring Of Honor standout would find out just what was that was like the next year. For now, in 2012, Punk remained the man in the eyes of fans.
There was a lot to like about his act. It still felt fresh, vibrant and like the shot in the arm WWE's headline scene needed. Anyone shocked that Vince McMahon would push smaller, more wrestling-centric workers like Punk and Bryan into main events needed to do some homework - he'd already played that card with Bret Hart in the 90s, and with the likes of Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit in 2004.
Punk fit that mould neatly himself. He wasn't a stereotypical WWE push, but he'd clicked with the audience and proved time and time again how priceless a worker he was.