CM Punk won almost everything in WWE before retiring. However, there are five things he never accomplished.
Punk has not competed in a wrestling ring since January 2014. His last match was the 2014 Royal Rumble. Punk later left WWE and announced his retirement from pro wrestling.
Now, the 42-year-old seems close to making his in-ring return, but not to WWE. According to reports, Punk could be heading to AEW. It is widely rumored that Punk will make his comeback at All Out on September 5th.
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The Best in the World is considered one of the greatest WWE Superstars ever. He is a six-time world champion, a former Intercontinental Champion, and a former Tag Team Champion. He has also won the Money in the Bank briefcase twice.
Despite all these accomplishments, Punk had a hard time achieving a few other goals.
Here are five things CM Punk never did/accomplished in WWE.
#5. CM Punk never won the Royal Rumble match
Despite being a top WWE Superstar for a few years, CM Punk never won the Royal Rumble match. The Straight-Edge Superstar competed in six Royal Rumble matches throughout his career. His first Royal Rumble experience came in 2007. He entered at number eleven and eliminated a single participant before getting thrown over the top rope by The Great Khali.
The following year was no different for Punk. He entered the Royal Rumble at number twelve and eliminated one superstar before getting eliminated by Chavo Guerrero. In 2009, the 42-year-old tried his luck for the third time but lived through the same scenario. He entered at number 18 to eliminate one guy before The Big Show threw him out of the ring.
The 2010 Royal Rumble match was a little different for The Best in the World. This time, he eliminated five participants after entering at number three. However, Punk lasted in the match for only ten minutes before being eliminated by Triple H.
A year later, CM Punk gave an impressive performance in the Royal Rumble match. He was the first entrant and lasted over 35 minutes. After eliminating seven superstars, the former leader of the Straight Edge Society was taken out by John Cena.
Punk's last Royal Rumble match is probably the most memorable for the WWE Universe because they have never seen him in a WWE ring since. In that match, he entered again at number one and kept fighting for an impressive 49:12 minutes. He eliminated three participants but was later eliminated by Kane.
Winning the Royal Rumble match remains something that CM Punk never achieved in WWE.
#4. CM Punk never won the King of the Ring tournament
CM Punk might have been The Best in the World, but he was never The King of the Ring.
Punk competed in the King of the Ring tournament in 2008. The Straight-Edge Superstar faced Matt Hardy in the quarterfinals and defeated him in less than four minutes to book his ticket to the next round.
In the semifinals, Punk had to go one-on-one with Chris Jericho. After a tough match, the former ECW Champion came out victorious, reserving his place in the finals.
Punk's opponent in the final was William Regal. Regal beat Hornswoggle and Finlay in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively. Despite fighting hard against the British superstar, CM Punk could not avoid tapping out to the Regal Stretch, losing his opportunity to become King of the Ring.
WWE held The King of the Ring tournament only one more time before Punk retired. It came in 2010. but the former WWE Champion was not among its participants. Sheamus was crowned King of the Ring after defeating John Morrison in the final.
#3. CM Punk never won the United States Championship
CM Punk has won every title available on the WWE main roster during his time there except for the United States Championship. Surprisingly, Punk never had a United States Championship match throughout his long WWE career.
The Best in the World spent most of his first two years on the WWE roster competing on ECW. During that time, the United States Championship was defended on SmackDown and was held by several superstars including Bobby Lashley, MVP and Matt Hardy.
In mid-2008, Punk moved to Monday Night RAW and was later drafted to SmackDown in April 2009. The same draft sent the then-United States Champion MVP to RAW, which kept the title out of CM Punk's reach.
The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion did not return to RAW until October 2010. Despite finally having the United States Championship on the same brand, Punk was occupied with other goals. The 42-year-old led The New Nexus faction before later chasing the WWE Championship.
The United States Championship remains the only title that CM Punk never won during his time in WWE. Not winning the title prevented the former WWE Superstar from becoming a Grand Slam Champion.
#2. CM Punk never headlined WrestleMania
CM Punk was a huge star in WWE, but he never competed in a WrestleMania main event.
Punk competed seven times on The Grandest Stage of Them All. He started his WrestleMania participation in 2007, competing in the Money in the Bank ladder match. Although he lost that match, he won the briefcase twice in a row at the following two WrestleManias.
In 2010, CM Punk lost a singles match against Rey Mysterio. He also suffered a defeat the following year against Randy Orton. In 2012, he faced Chris Jericho for the WWE Championship, but the bout was not the main event. Instead, John Cena vs. The Rock headlined The Show of Shows.
The following year, Punk had a huge match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 29. However, the main event spot was reserved for the Cena vs. The Rock rematch for the WWE Championship.
Headlining WrestleMania will remain one of the few things that CM Punk never achieved in WWE.
#1. CM Punk never defeated Triple H one-on-one
CM Punk defeated many legends in WWE throughout his career, including John Cena and Chris Jericho. However, he never beat Triple H one-on-one.
Punk was never shy about expressing his discontent with WWE management. Chief Operating Officer Triple H was one of the names Punk criticized during his time in WWE. It led to a feud that saw The Cerebral Assassin put his management position on the line in a no disqualification match against the Straight-Edge Superstar. Triple H promised to resign if he lost the bout.
The two men squared off at the WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view in 2011. The Miz and R-Truth interfered in the match, attacking both competitors. Kevin Nash also interfered in the same manner before getting knocked out by Triple H. The King of Kings then pedigreed Punk to earn the victory.
That match was not the only one Punk had against Triple H. Earlier, he faced The Game on SmackDown in January 2010. He lost the match via disqualification after his Straight Edge Society followers, Luke Gallows and Serena, interfered.