5 underrated CM Punk matches

Crowds still chant for CM Punk, which shows how popular he is. Although he is currently honing his craft at rival promotion AEW, everyone still remembers his legendary WWE tenure.

The thing that makes CM Punk special is that he didn't fit a certain mold of WWE Superstar, yet he rose to the top and often shined with his performance. He ran away with any feud, program or promo material thrown at him and made wrestling seem that much more authentic and fun.

The Voice of the Voiceless is an elite in-ring worker as well. His time in WWE was marked by countless memorable matches. From THAT Chicago blockbuster against John Cena to The Best vs. The Beast matchup, Punk was putting on clinic after clinic in his best years.

He has performed great matches and some of those gems have gone under the radar. Here are five of the most under-appreciated CM Punk matches.

#5. On our list of underrated CM Punk matches: Vs. Seth Rollins (RAW, December 30, 2013)

We can only imagine how good a modern-day version of this match will be

CM Punk was about to leave WWE a few weeks after the match. Looking back at the match where he competed with Seth Rollins, we can classify it as the last classic he contested in WWE.

Punk and Rollins tore the house down on the December 30, 2013 edition of RAW. The two superstars showed phenomenal chemistry and wrestled a high-octane banger. In the end, it was The Second City Saint who took victory after an evenly-contested affair despite interference from Dean Ambrose.

#4. Vs. Randy Orton (Extreme Rules 2011)

CM Punk is a performer who is mostly associated with John Cena by the fans due to their rivalry. But Punk also had a couple of great matches with Randy Orton.

The one that goes under the radar is the hellacious Last Man Standing Match between the pair at Extreme Rules 2011. This was the final match of their critically-acclaimed rivalry with The New Nexus banned from ringside. It was a one-on-one affair.

There was brutality and hard-hitting spots aplenty, including an RKO on the table. The conclusion laid down a statement, with Orton's avalanche RKO proving enough to keep his opponent down for the ten-count.

#3. Vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane (No Way Out 2012)

These three superstars overcame an average love rectangle angle

No Way Out 2012 saw CM Punk being forced to defend his WWE Championship against both Kane and Daniel Bryan in a triple threat match. At the time, the three superstars were involved in a romantic angle with RAW General Manager AJ Lee, and they decided to meet in the ring to determine who was best among them.

Although the premise of the feud was lackluster, the match was spectacular. Punk, Bryan and Kane wrestled an incredibly fast-paced match that had several near falls and heart-in-mouth moments. Lee appeared to aid the WWE Champion, and he hit Kane with a huge GTS to retain his title.

#2. Vs. Rey Mysterio (Capitol Punishment 2011)

Every Punk vs. Mysterio match has delivered

Capitol Punishment is not the best pay-per-view WWE has ever produced. In fact, they never brought it back after 2011 due to it not being well-received by their fans. The only positive to take away from the show was the barnbuster between CM Punk and Rey Mysterio.

Punk was involved with The New Nexus. Mysterio was among those who took exception to his antics, prompting the two to go on to battle at the show. They traded their best shots and wrestled an absolute clinic for fifteen minutes, with incredible reversals and counters dictating the encounter.

Every time The Best in the World tried to hit his opponent with the GTS, he was countered. It took a third attempt at the finisher to seal the match in Punk's favor.

#1. Vs. John Cena (SummerSlam 2011)

CM Punk vs. John Cena at 2011's Money in the Bank remains the best match they have contested. However, the critical acclaim the match received unwittingly set the bar so high for their subsequent encounters that they have always paled in comparison.

It was incredibly unfair for the rest of the matchups between the pair. Especially the one where they wrestled at SummerSlam 2011. MITB revolved around whether Punk would leave WWE with its top title, whereas the SummerSlam storyline was about who among the two rivals was the real WWE Champion.

The in-ring work was as good as their MITB match. The match also had a special guest referee in the form of Triple H. The ending saw a mistake from his side when he accidentally gave the pinfall for The Second City Saint despite his opponent's foot being on the rope.

As Punk celebrated his victory, a returning Kevin Nash attacked him and left him laying. That opened the door for Alberto Del Rio to cash on his MITB contract as the champion and steal his title, making it quite an eventful match and show.