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After seven years away, CM Punk has finally made his return to pro wrestling. He opened the second episode of AEW Rampage, to a massive ovation.
Punk's appearance was as electric as expected. He was visibly emotional, before cutting an excellent and passionate promo. The Chicago-native is set to go on a career-defining run as the biggest star in Tony Khan's promotion.
Fans have had an appetite for CM Punk to return to pro wrestling ever since he quit WWE in his prime. He was outspoken about his departure from the company, citing various instances that contributed to it. Some of them were from a creative standpoint.
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Perhaps more than most superstars, WWE constantly dropped the ball with him. He constantly proved himself as a star, but his booking would be a constant barrier. The Second City Saint would have become a WWE megastar, as he is set to be for AEW, but a few glaring errors truly stunted his growth.
Let's take a look at the five biggest mistakes WWE made with CM Punk during his time there.
#5 Ending CM Punk's first world title reign without losing a match (2008)
CM Punk's first shot at the top of the card in WWE came in 2008, following a couple of years as a part of the revamped ECW brand. He won the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania 24 and cashed in his contract on Edge to win the World Heavyweight Championship three months later.
However, this reign wasn't very good. Punk barely defeated any top stars, with his biggest win coming against JBL at SummerSlam 2008. But the worst part about it was how it ended. WWE did not even let The Straight Edge Superstar drop his belt to another star.
Punk was scheduled to defend the title in a scramble match at Unforgiven but was attacked backstage by Randy Orton. He was then replaced in the match by Chris Jericho, who won the big gold belt that night.
Any momentum Punk garnered over his first world title reign was squandered when he was removed from his own title defense. Fortunately, WWE regrouped with the Chicago-native and his second Money in the Bank cash-in yielded more successful results.
#4 Mishandling The Straight Edge Society: CM Punk's own cult (2010)
WWE built on CM Punk's 2009 rivalries with Jeff Hardy and The Undertaker by giving him a stable. This led to one of the most underrated periods of his career. Punk was the leader of The Straight Edge Society - a group based on his lifestyle of no alcohol, no smoking, and no drugs.
He "rescued" Festus and converted him into Luke Gallows, while also recruiting Serena and Joey Mercury. The Straight Edge Society had a very cult-like feel to it, with Punk becoming an overly psychotic and creepy preacher. Some of his promos were excellent, particularly during the 2010 Royal Rumble Match.
He dominated the start of it and delivered a sermon between entrants. However, WWE did not go all the way with the stable despite its potential. CM Punk should have become World Heavyweight Champion during this run, instead of his highest-profile moment being a loss to Rey Mysterio with his hair on the line.
The wheels fell off The Straight Edge Society train following a three-on-one handicap match loss to The Big Show at SummerSlam. Soon afterward, Punk turned on Gallows and defeated him. This was a complete waste of potential, ending in a complete whimper.
#3 Triple H defeating CM Punk during the 'Summer of Punk' (2011)
This entry essentially covers everything that happened to CM Punk in WWE after Money in the Bank 2011. Because this could be a list of its own, if branched out. The Voice of the Voiceless was on top of the world when he won the WWE Championship from John Cena and "left" the company.
However, his stock drastically fell over a few months. He was pinned on four consecutive pay-per-views, following some baffling circumstances. A month after a returning Kevin Nash cost him the WWE Title, the Chicago-native would be soundly beaten by Triple H at Night of Champions.
First off, Punk was the heel in this feud despite the fans being completely on his side. Nevertheless, he was the hottest star in the company and was fed to the part-timer. Triple H did not need to win, at all. He essentially squandered all of the momentum The Second City Saint garnered over the 'Summer of Punk.'
This remains a ridiculous decision, without much explanation behind it. CM Punk would go on to be pinned by Alberto Del Rio and The Miz on pay-per-view, before finally winning the WWE Championship at Survivor Series in November. He was a big star that should have been bigger.
#2 John Cena overshadowing CM Punk during his 434-day title reign (2012)
CM Punk's WWE Championship reign ranks among the greatest in history, despite the issues with it. For the most part, he played second fiddle to John Cena. Punk main evented a single pay-per-view as the babyface WWE Champion - one which did not feature The Cenation Leader at all.
Some main events were justified, while others were not. For every mega match against The Rock or Brock Lesnar, Cena main evented WWE pay-per-views against Kane and John Laurinaitis. The fact that the latter main evented Over The Limit 2012 instead of CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan remains utterly baffling.
The Straight Edge Superstar constantly stole the show from beneath John Cena, although he should have been closing them. Punk only got to headline pay-per-views consistently once he turned heel, as he feuded with the 16-time world champion. He was outstanding in that role alongside Paul Heyman.
While he excelled alongside Heyman, the babyface portion of his 434-day WWE Title reign does leave a little to be desired. Punk deserved to headline many more pay-per-views than he did.
#1 Not booking CM Punk in the main event of WrestleMania 29 (2013)
The end of CM Punk's year-long WWE Championship reign was frustrating, as he lost it not too far away from WrestleMania 29. Punk dropped it to The Rock in the main event of Royal Rumble 2013, as WWE clearly moved towards a second encounter between The Great One and John Cena for The Show of Shows.
This final blow represented the entire title reign, as The Voice of the Voiceless was consistently set aside in favor of the 16-time world champion during it. He would be a victim of WWE's rigid long-term planning, as Cena and Rock were earmarked for a feud spanning three WrestleManias.
The promotion should have been flexible and added Punk into the mix, while the two Hollywood stars retained more of the focus. The current AEW star had earned a headlining spot, following his historic reign. A show-stealer against The Undertaker was a decent consolation prize, though, to be fair.
Nevertheless, Punk would have added some interest into the rematch between The Rock and John Cena. This remains one of WWE's biggest dropped balls in the past decade. The Straight Edge Superstar quit the company less than 10 months after WrestleMania 29.
AEW is set to treat CM Punk as the megastar WWE never allowed him to be.
Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE
