3 Best CM Punk Matches

CM Punk is regarded by many as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of his era--in fact, some would argue of all time. Irrespective of whether you happen to love his anti-hero persona or hate his guts for whatever reason, it'd be hard to deny that Punk has carved a unique niche for himself in the sports-entertainment business.

While Punk has lately been busy with his MMA career--competing in the UFC on two separate occasions--the professional wrestling world eagerly awaits the time when The Voice of the Voiceless finally chooses to lace up the wrestling boots again. Besides, although Punk has stated that he doesn't really intend to stage a comeback to pro-wrestling, if Bret Hart could return to the WWE years after the Montreal Screwjob, Punk could very well return to the wrestling business again--albeit probably with a company other than WWE.

In honor of one of the all-time-greats of wrestling, today, we take a look at the 3 best CM Punk matches of all time...

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#3 CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy: SummerSlam 2009

Jeff Hardy entered the 2009 edition of WWE SummerSlam as the World Heavyweight Champion, however, it would be CM Punk who'd walk out the new holder of the big gold belt. Punk defeated Hardy in what many consider to be one of the most brutal matches in WWE history.

Hardy memorably performed a death-defying Swanton Bomb on Punk from atop one of the tallest ladders available--crashing through the announcer's table and utterly annihilating not only Punk, but also himself. Somehow, the two managed to drag their battered bodies back into the ring and climbed up a ladder which was set in the middle of the ring--looking to retrieve the World Heavyweight title which was suspended above the ring owing to the match being contested under the "ladder match" stipulation.

This was a match which featured both Superstars fighting tooth and nail--as the fans went wild for the insane, high-flying action as well as highly-physical brawls that took place over the duration of this amazing matchup. In the end, Punk and Hardy battled atop the ladder in the middle of the ring--with Punk throwing his opponent off the ladder and retrieving the title...However, Punk would then be attacked and Choke-slammed by The Undertaker to close out the show...

#2 CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio: Over The Limit 2010

Perhaps one of the most memorable hair gimmick matches in professional wrestling history--the Straight Edge Society Pledge vs. Hair Match at Over The Limit in 2010 is fondly remembered by fans and experts worldwide. The stipulation was that should Rey Mysterio lose, he'd have to take the SES pledge--whereas if CM Punk loses, he'd have to shave his head bald.

The match saw Punk bleed, but still keep up his heelish antics--hurting Mysterio at every turn. The match seemed to be fast-paced right from the get-go, and Punk notably got the better of most exchanges--Nevertheless, Mysterio caught Punk in a crucifix cradle position and pinned his shoulders to the mat for the 1-2-3.

Needless to say, the fans went wild, and the SES members who were banned from ringside for the match--Luke Gallows & Serena--immediately began attacking Mysterio in the aftermath of the matchup. Thankfully, Kane came down to make the save for Mysterio--which in turn saw the latter fight Punk, and handcuff the leader of the SES to the ring's ropes.

Mysterio then proceeded to shave Punk's head bald--following which, Punk would don a mask for a considerable amount of time after the event...

#1 CM Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler: Royal Rumble 2012

CM Punk headed into the 2012 Royal Rumble PPV as the WWE Champion, and walked out with his title intact. The odds were stacked against Punk at the event, however, The Second City Savior prevailed nonetheless.

Punk and Ziggler put on what some believe to be one of the best technical wrestling matches of the PG era at the aforementioned event--engaging in a series of beautiful chain-wrestling maneuvers in their battle over the WWE Championship. Furthermore, with authority figure John Laurinaitis as the enforcer for the match, Punk had to ensure that he'd completely broken down Ziggler, in order to emerge victorious.

In the end, after a grueling back-and-forth contest, Punk delivered a second Go-To-Sleep to Ziggler and defeated the latter by way of pinfall--successfully retaining the WWE Championship.