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#2 CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy
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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.
