10 Things CM Punk Never Did In Wrestling
CM Punk’s legendary wrestling career made him one of the more beloved wrestlers of the generation. The WWE run allowed Punk to showcase his skills on the biggest stage. Punk proved that he could connect with most of the audience when given a chance. Even TNA and Ring of Honor tried to find success with Punk before him joining WWE.
RELATED: Best In The World: 10 Hilarious CM Punk Memes
We will look at the rare things Punk didn’t accomplish in wrestling. Most of his dreams came true when hitting a home run in big opportunities. However, there are things he failed to achieve before leaving WWE. Punk leaving the industry has fans still wanting him to return for one more run. Find out what is left to accomplish. The following things were never done by Punk in the wrestling world.
10 Main event WrestleMania
The public desire to main event WrestleMania saw CM Punk failing to reach his goal before leaving WWE. WrestleMania 27, 28, and 29 were the main three years Punk had a chance to close the show with his momentum.
Punk clearly was good enough, but the timing didn’t work out. The Rock vs. John Cena main evented the latter two, and Miz vs. Cena set up those matches. Punk made it clear he felt he deserved the main event spot for his hard work.
9 Win a title in TNA
CM Punk’s career started in smaller promotions trying to make his name. TNA saw the potential of Punk and wanted to make him one of their younger prospects. The demand to have wrestlers choose between TNA and Ring of Honor saw Punk refusing to continue working for TNA.
Punk had a solid feud with Raven, but he didn’t stick around long enough to create a special legacy. Fans barely even remember Punk working for the company despite being one of the most talented performers.
8 Win the King of the Ring
CM Punk made the finals of the 2008 King of the Ring tournament against William Regal. Both wrestlers had great arguments for winning the tournament, but Regal defeated Punk to get the new heel gimmick moving forward.
RELATED: Every CM Punk Singles Title Reign In WWE, Ranked
Punk never won the King of the Ring and missed out on his best chance. WWE felt Regal could utilize the gimmick better and went with him. Punk was fine without the King of the Ring victory as he won the Money in the Bank briefcase earlier in the year.
7 Work with Colt Cabana in WWE
The friendship between CM Punk and Colt Cabana saw them joining the wrestling world together. Both wrestlers showed great potential despite having drastically different in-ring styles. Cabana eventually signed a WWE developmental team when Punk was becoming a main roster superstar.
Punk shouted out Cabana on WWE television a few times and helped him get new fans. WWE never used Colt well on the main roster and released him after a few weeks. Punk and Cabana had a falling out to erase any chances of them reuniting.
6 Become grand slam champion
Grand slam champions in WWE win a world title, two mid-card titles, and scores a tag title reign. CM Punk, surprisingly, never accomplished that goal. WWE usually would see the wrestlers with versatility accomplish such a task.
Names like Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan, and Roman Reigns have accomplished this in recent years. Punk fell one title win short from accomplishing this goal. A potential return to WWE could change that, but it seems unlikely.
5 Wrestle Shawn Michaels in singles match
Shawn Michaels is often the top answered dream match opponent for most wrestlers. CM Punk missed out on facing Michaels in a singles match despite working together for about four years. Michaels and Punk did have a few secondary tag matches without much importance.
The retirement of Michaels in 2010 saw him ending his career in the ring. Punk would have been a tremendous opponent for Michaels, given the potential face/heel dynamic in play. Michaels and Punk could have brought in a lot of money if put in a position to succeed.
4 Have a big return
Most top tier wrestlers to leave WWE will have a big comeback of some sort in the company. Edge recently showed how things could work out if the return is done right. The better wrestlers will always have interest from the diehard fan.
CM Punk’s return to wrestling-related action saw him join the Backstage talk show in the weakest fashion possible. WWE fans are still holding out hope that Punk will return one day, but recent reports indicated Vince McMahon has no interest right now.
3 Win the United States Championship
The United States Championship has become as important as the Intercontinental Championship in WWE. This was the title CM Punk fell short of capturing to become a Grand Slam Champion. Punk was not on Smackdown until he was already a main eventer and no longer would benefit from the United States Championship.
RELATED: 10 Worst Things CM Punk Has Ever Done (In Wrestling)
Punk won the Intercontinental Championship on Raw, but he never had a chance to win the United States Championship, like many of his peers. The great career of Punk will see that as the one WWE belt he failed to win.
2 Pay off feud with Steve Austin
One of the coolest moments from CM Punk’s WWE career saw him having a hostile interview with Steve Austin. Both men were interviewed by Jim Ross with their characters in play. Austin tapped into his Stone Cold persona when seemingly teasing a match with Punk.
The belief in WWE was that Punk was the only dream opponent in Austin’s mind to even contemplate a comeback for one more match due to their similar trait. This match unfortunately never happened, and Austin remained retired for good.
1 Defeat Triple H
The rivalry between Triple H and CM Punk was more decorated behind the scenes than on television. Both guys reportedly had issues with the other that led to them clashing. Triple H become the on-screen rival of Punk during the infamous summer of 2011.
Punk revealed he hated working with Triple H since there was no trust there. Triple H defeated Punk in a forgettable PPV match despite the former having more momentum. The planned rematch for WrestleMania 30 saw Punk walking out before it could happen, so he never got the win back.
