7 Exact Times Wrestlers Got Their Spot TAKEN
6. Daniel Bryan > CM Punk (WWE Raw, July 15, 2013)
This entry isn’t meant to undermine CM Punk’s first WWE run. It was obviously incredible, so studded with iconic moments and ultra-rare actually good storylines for that era of the promotion that fans did in fact chant his name years and years after he left in January 2014. But the thing is, the ‘Summer of Punk’ wasn’t quite as hot as you might recall - certainly nowhere near hot enough to justify altering the philosophy of the company, or even pushing Punk ahead of John Cena.
Money In The Bank 2011 (205,000 buys) was actually outdrawn by Money In The Bank 2012 (206,000) and 2013 (223,000). Unlike the hit Nexus angle, Raw ratings actually fell to the lowest non-holiday numbers in months following the June 27 ‘Pipebomb’ promo. It was the most captivating thing to happen in the eyes of hardcore fans for years and years - but WWE perhaps has a point when they say that they shouldn’t cater to us.
Punk was an amazing heel in WWE, and is worth more to the company in 2026 than Daniel Bryan ever was - but Bryan was the more over babyface (eventually) in the early 2010s. Punk was always a little bit snarky even in the face role, and positioned himself as an outsider in and to the company. Bryan, less driven and spiteful and more relaxed, seemed happy enough to go along with WWE’s brand of daftness - and Bryan’s Team Hell No act with Kane was a high water-mark for that genre. Is this embrace of sports entertainment - Punk would never have done something like the Yes! chant unironically - why WWE fans opted for Bryan in 2013?
Both Bryan and Punk were babyfaces by that point. What’s interesting is that Bryan turned face in the autumn of 2012; Punk returned as a babyface at Payback in June 2013. Usually, the newest thing is the coolest - but Bryan had caught fire to such an extent that he was significantly more over. This was recognised on the July 15, 2013 episode of Raw, on which John Cena cut a promo. He said he needed help from the crowd selecting his opponent for SummerSlam, in order to make it the biggest show of its kind. Cena had a bit prepared, where he polled the crowd on a number of rubbish choices, like Jinder Mahal and Heath Slater, but he could barely get started. The fans chanted Bryan’s name immediately. When Cena finally issued the challenge to Bryan, the fans exploded. Bryan was the only possible choice.
Punk himself is well aware that Bryan took his spot as the best hardcore fan favourite in the sports entertainment company. On the infamous episode of Colt Cabana’s Art of Wrestling podcast, Punk said it “boggled” his mind that Bryan had not been “figured into [WWE’s] plans for WrestleMania 30 because this is his f*cking year”.