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CM Punk has been the most talked about star in the wrestling world since his AEW debut and return to the business on AEW Rampage - The First Dance. After seven years away from pro wrestling, he has arrived in All Elite Wrestling and has made the promotion even hotter than it previously was.
His career has been a fascinating journey to say the least.
CM Punk has to be considered one of the biggest independent wrestlers of all time. His time before WWE helped fledging promotions get notriety and build themselves for future stars to come in.
Upon coming to WWE, Punk was never supposed to make it to the top of the company, but he did just that against conventional wisdom. A lot of that is because of the memorable feuds he had.
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With Punk's comeback match at AEW All Out 2021 on the horizon, it seems like a great time to remember all the classic feuds that he has taken part in throughout his career. In this article, let's take a look back at the five greatest CM Punk rivalries.
#5 CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio
Heading into WrestleMania 26, CM Punk was riding high with his first stable in WWE, the Straight Edge Society. He spent weeks shaving the heads of followers of his Straight Edge gospel and recruited Luke Gallows and Serena Deeb to his cult-like faction.
Punk also drew the ire of Rey Mysterio after harassing his family and taunting him by singing "Happy Birthday" to his daughter, Aliyah.
This set up a showdown at Mania where if Punk won, Mysterio would have to join his Straight Edge Society. Rey picked up the win in a short yet fun matchup. This only upset CM Punk and made him want revenge.
To get a rematch, he decided to put his hair on the line against Mysterio at Extreme Rules 2010. Thanks to outside interference from a new member of his group, Punk won this return bout.
In the end, everything was put up for grabs in their final blowoff at Over The Limit 2010. If Punk won, Rey Mysterio would have to join the Straight Edge Society, while if Mysterio won, CM Punk would have to get his hair shaved.
This was an intense and bloody battle. Despite a break in the action to clean up Punk's bleeding head, the two men brought aggression in an energetic clash.
Rey Mysterio picked up the win with a crufix pin to have the right to shave CM Punk's hair. Kane helped fight off the Straight Edge Society and Rey tied Punk's arms in the ropes to shave his head.
It was a rivalry of twists and turns that showed some tremendous character work from Punk. It also gave Mysterio one of his best WWE feuds ever.
#4 CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe
As previously mentioned, CM Punk was known worldwide before he ever stepped inside a WWE ring. His time on the independent scene put a greater focus on professional wrestling in smaller promotions.
He has to be considered one of the faces of the first independent wrestling revolution, but Samoa Joe would have to be right next to Punk as one of those faces.
Samoa Joe was so unique and different from most competitors of his size seen in the business before. Despite being more than 275 lbs, Joe was extremely agile and showed a level of athleticism that smaller opponents weren't ready for.
He was also a submission specialist who gained the moniker of "The Samoan Submission Machine".
This submission expertise made his matches against CM Punk absolute barnburners. The two men put on a critically acclaimed trilogy in 2004 that absolutely took the wrestling world by storm.
In a time where WWE was considered stale, Punk and Joe put on two one-hour draws that are considered some of the best matches of either man's career.
This sets the stage for a final showdown that saw Samoa Joe finally defeat CM Punk in dramatic fashion. The Joe vs. Punk series elevated both men and put their names on the map.
Their classic series helped both get signed to major companies within the next year. Joe signed with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling in June of 2005, while Punk signed with WWE in September of 2005.
#3 CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan
CM Punk and Samoa Joe tore it up before their time in mainstream wrestling and brought more eyes to the independent scene. They weren't alone in this as Daniel Bryan also has to be regarded as one of the faces of that independent wrestling boom.
Bryan and Punk have mixed it up on several occasions, but they would soon meet again in WWE.
During CM Punk's iconic 434 days as WWE Champion, he faced many different competitors that fought to take his title from him. One of his most prominent challengers was Daniel Bryan.
This came at an interesting time in Bryan's WWE career. At WrestleMania 28, Sheamus defeated Bryan in just 18 seconds to win the World Heavyweight Championship, which started the Yes Movement.
Fans rebelled against WWE's decision to beat Bryan in such a small amount of time after his character change and becoming the World Heavyweight Champion. The company placed Bryan in a rivalry with CM Punk to allow him to continue his heel character, feuding with the top babyface.
The two men put on an excellent WWE Championship Match at Over The Limit 2012 with Punk pulling out the win.
The feud continued over the next two pay-per-views with added elements. Bryan's ex-girlfriend AJ Lee was soon inserted into the rivalry, causing another competitor to be added. CM Punk defeated Daniel Bryan and Kane in a Triple Threat Match to retain the WWE Championship at No Way Out 2012.
Punk and Bryan clashed one last time at Money In The Bank 2012. The final showdown was a No Disqualification Match with AJ Lee acting as a special guest referee.
This was yet another tremendous encounter with both men showing their versatile ability inside the squared circle. CM Punk defeated Daniel Bryan to retain the WWE Title and put their feud to rest for now.
#2 CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy
CM Punk gained a lot of popularity before his time in WWE. It wasn't until Punk turned heel and came off as an elitist due to his straight edge lifestyle that his career really took off.
For the first few years in WWE, Punk was a fan favorite that achieved many accolades such as the ECW Championship, Mr. Money In The Bank and the World Heavyweight Championship.
His first run with one of the top prizes in WWE wasn't considered a success due to its short length and his position in the company. Due to John Cena's top babyface spot, CM Punk would never be considered #1 in that role.
He once again won the Money In The Bank contract a second time at WrestleMania 25, but this cash-in went differently from his first.
CM Punk's first Money In The Bank cash-in saw him beat the first Mr. Money In The Bank, Edge. This felt like karma coming back to haunt The Rated R Superstar. For his second cash-in, Jeff Hardy had just defeated Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship in a Ladder Match.
Following the contest, Punk cashed in on the beaten-down Hardy to win his second World Heavyweight Title.
CM Punk started to show signs of arrogance, blaming Hardy's loss on the lifestyle that he chose. In their rematch at The Bash 2009, Punk got himself intentionally disqualified, which really solidified his status as a top heel.
Jeff Hardy gained a measure of revenge by beating his rival to win the World Heavyweight Championship on the Night of Champions 2009 event.
Their next confrontation took place at SummerSlam 2009 where CM Punk and Jeff Hardy faced in a TLC Match. This was by far their best encounter and one of the best matches of 2009. Punk defeated Hardy to regain the World Heavyweight Championship for a third time.
Punk and Hardy faced each other one final time on the next episode of SmackDown in a Steel Cage Match for the gold. Jeff Hardy put his WWE career on the line in this showdown. It was intense, dramatic and full of hate.
CM Punk once again defeated Hardy to retain his title and sent Jeff packing from WWE for over a decade. The feud is fondly remembered as among the best that either man has had in WWE.
#1 CM Punk vs. John Cena
CM Punk always had one obstacle between him and the mountaintop of WWE. It was John Cena. The Doctor of Thuganomics has always occupied the top babyface position in the company since Punk arrived. The Straight Edge Superstar was even an extra at Cena's entrance at WrestleMania 22 in Chicago.
When CM Punk became a commentator while injured in late 2010 to early 2011, it was John Cena he targeted upon his return. Punk would then take over the Nexus to battle Cena, but John overcame the odds as he usually does.
He pinned Punk to win the Raw Elimination Chamber Match on his way to a WWE Championship Match at WrestleMania 27. This part of the story was just a prelude.
Later in the summer of 2011, CM Punk defeated WWE Champion John Cena in a non-title bout. The following week, he defeated Alberto Del Rio and Rey Mysterio in a Triple Threat Match to become the Number One Contender for the WWE Championship.
Following the win, Punk announced that his title match against Cena at Money In The Bank would be his final match with the company.
CM Punk set out to win the gold and walk out of the company with his contract expiring in his hometown of Chicago. A week later, Punk interfered and cost Cena a Tables Match against R-Truth.
After the match, he sat on the stage with Cena down in the ring and cut what would be known as "The Pipebomb Promo". This amazing diatribe set the wrestling world ablaze.
CM Punk mentioned former WWE talents like Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar as well as putting down the management of the promotion and how Cena was in a long line of company men like The Rock.
This promo was revolutionary in that it created new fans and brought lapsed fans back to watching wrestling again. It set the stage for what would be the biggest WWE Championship Match in years.
At Money In The Bank 2011, CM Punk and John Cena put on an all-time classic that is among the greatest WWE matches in history. Punk owned a significant hometown advantage in Chicago and the crowd elevated everything the two men did.
Punk defeated Cena to win the WWE Championship and walked out of Chicago's All State Arena with the title.
CM Punk returned just eight days later following Cena beating Rey Mysterio to win the WWE Championship. With Punk's return, there were two WWE Champions and a showdown was made to crown the undisputed champ.
Triple H served as a special guest referee. In another great contest, Punk beat Cena in controversial fashion this time.
CM Punk and John Cena continued their series of matches at Hell In A Cell 2011 in a Triple Threat Cell Match with Alberto Del Rio, at Raw 1000 in 2012 when Cena cashed in his Money In The Bank contract on the WWE Champion CM Punk in a failed attempt and then at Summerslam 2012 in another Triple Threat with Big Show, which Punk won.
Their next clash went down at Night of Champions 2012 with Punk and Cena putting on an outstanding battle that went to a no contest after a double pin. Outside of another Triple Threat with Ryback at Survivor Series, the two men faced each other once again on the February 25th, 2013 episode of Raw with Cena winning in yet another fantastic bout to face The Rock at WrestleMania 29.
The encounters between these two generational talents helped anchor the WWE for nearly three years. They traded the WWE Championship and helped both men in their careers.
For Cena, it gave him a rival who pushed him to evolve. For Punk, Cena gave him a level of notoriety no one else in WWE could give him. That's why CM Punk vs. John Cena is Punk's greatest rivalry of his career.
