WWE: 5 Most Memorable 'Spinner' Championship Holders

1. CM Punk

cm punk wwe champion Just over five years after CM Punk debuted in WWE, he would deliver the infamous promo on the June 27th 2011 episode of Raw that made scathing attacks on the McMahon family and the way that WWE was run. He also vowed that when his contract expired the following month, the WWE Championship would be going with him. Punk challenged Cena for the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank in his home state of Illinois on July 17th and was victorious. After mockingly blowing Mr McMahon a goodbye kiss, he did as he had promised and left WWE with the belt in hand. Punk would make unexpected and unannounced appearances at a WWE event at Comic Con in San Diego and an independent wrestling show. In the meantime, John Cena became the new WWE Champion prompting Punk€™s return. As Punk and Cena both held a version of the WWE Championship belt, there was much debate over which man was the true champion. In a match to determine the Undisputed WWE Champion at SummerSlam, Punk was triumphant. However, moments later he was assaulted by Kevin Nash and defeated by Alberto Del Rio who chose to cash in his Money in the Bank contract as a result. Punk€™s first reign as champion lasted a mere 28 days. Following a feud with WWE COO Triple H, Punk would again challenge for the championship in November at the Survivor Series pay-per-view. He defeated Del Rio to become champion for the second time. Following his victory, Punk would go on to successfully defend his championship against Del Rio, The Miz and Dolph Ziggler. At WrestleMania XXVIII he defeated Chris Jericho to continue his reign before feuding with Daniel Bryan, Kane, John Cena, The Big Show and Ryback through 2012. Punk€™s 434-day reign only came to an end at this year€™s Royal Rumble when he was defeated by current champion Dwayne €˜The Rock€™ Johnson. Punk€™s reign was the longest in the €˜Spinner€™ title€™s existence and the longest in WWE€™s modern era. The last Superstar to hold the championship for longer than Punk was Hulk Hogan from 1984 to 1988. Some would argue that Cena€™s 10 reigns and 1,058 days as champion should outdo Punk€™s sovereignty over WWE. However, the Second City Saint aimed to bring credibility back to the WWE Championship and his reign did just that, putting an end to the continuing championship merry-go-round.
 
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Dave is an English Literature graduate and former WhatCulture contributor. He is an avid Evertonian, fan of film and live music. During his time with WhatCulture, his primary contributions were in the WWE section.