6 WWE Superstars you didn't know CM Punk wrestled

CM Punk was probably on everyone's mind during Starrcast 3 and AEW All Out. Wrestling fans were under the impression that Punk was going to make his much awaited return to the ring. CM Punk has not wrestled in over 5 years and it doesn't look like he's going to make a return anytime soon.

CM Punk seems content with his life, which consists of being an MMA commentator as well acting in horror films. Would he ever return to WWE? In the pro wrestling business, never say never. WWE fans are always contemplating matches that he could have had with some of the better names in WWE right now.

Punk seems content with his current lifestyle, perhaps because he felt he has achieved what he wanted. But what some people have not realized that he has already had dream matches with current WWE Superstars and a couple of legends, which might have gone unnoticed to the WWE Universe. These matches might have been in other promotions, but they still count.

Here are 6 WWE Superstars you didn't know CM Punk had matches with.

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#6 Shane Douglas

It's hard to believe that CM Punk faced off against The Fabulous One and The Franchise Shane Douglas in TNA/Impact Wrestling. While being a forgettable hardcore match, it's still stunning to see Shane Douglas, who was the catalyst for Paul Heyman's ECW in the ring with the Voice of the Voiceless.

Before the his infamous pipe bomb, Shane Douglas did the infamous spot of throwing down the NWA title after winning the title in a tournament in the Philadelphia-based territory known as Eastern Championship Wrestling. It was here that Shane Douglas proclaimed himself the new ECW champion and established the E in Extreme.

#5 The Sandman

Based on the look that CM Punk had, a lot of people thought that he fit seamlessly in hardcore matches. This was antithetical to the style he developed later in his career. And there was no one more violent in the ring than The Sandman himself.

An ECW Original, The Sandman was the master of the Kendo stick and brought it everywhere with him. He used to chug beers and drink them whole in the ring. It was an element that semmed to have influenced the Stone Cold Steve Austin character. Perhaps, The Sandman's greatest storyline was his infamous feud with Raven.

Raven turned The Sandman's real-life son against him and made him join his cult. This was astonishing for the time as it was an adult storyline that was so different than anyone had seen before.

During his initial TNA/Impact Wrestling run, The Sandman was involved in a match with CM Punk and Julio DiNero. The two had betrayed Raven and decided to torment Raven by going after his former ECW colleague.

In a way, CM Punk was the original "Legend Killer." It's just that he seemed to be only targeting the ECW Originals. Whether by chance or design, it certainly was a great learning opportunity for The Best in the World.

#4 AJ Styles

If there was one match that WWE fans wished they could see right now in WWE, it was CM Punk vs AJ Styles. The match writes itself. The Best Wrestler in the World vs The Phenomenal One. It can't get any better than. Though, it already happened in Ring of Honor.

Rewind back to 2004 in an ROH ring. And you'll find these two going at it in the middle of the squared circle. If AJ Styles was a TNA/Impact Wrestling original, Punk was an ROH icon. The two had actually faced each other ten times in Ring of Honor between 2002 and 2004 and had a spectacular feud. Their styles complimented each other effectively.

Imagine what could have been, had he stayed in WWE. The feud would have been one for the ages. AJ Styles was obviously the more athletic of the two while CM Punk was probably the better of the two when it came to in-ring promos.

Whatever the case may be, This is one feud that the WWE Universe would have loved to have seen. Imagine a match maineventing WrestleMania. It certainly wouldn't have disapointed those in attendance.

#3 Raven

If anything, at the time, this was considered one of the best feuds in wrestling outside of WWE. The feud was impressive at the time. The story was quite simple. CM Punk was a straight-edge star who had a terrible upbringing because of his alcoholic father. Punk, who was the heel, saw Raven, as his father's equivalent engaging in a lifestyle that was disgraceful.

CM Punk and Raven had a series of matches that last almost a year in 2003 and was considered the best storyline ROH had going at the time. The matches were brutal and were a series of no-disqualification matches where both wrestlers brawled over a course of time.

Punk's time with Raven in the ring molded him into a better wrestler and gave him an education in match promos and in-ring psychology. During an interview, Raven reflected on this.

"I never realized I helped him that much. Maybe he was listening when I thought he was arguing with me. I thought he would've looked back with less than fondness on me because we butted heads quite a bit, but I'm glad he didn't."

CM Punk's time before WWE was impressive and it helped him go a long way into making him a WWE Superstar.

#2 Samoa Joe

Before TNA/Impact Wrestling, Samoa Joe was one of the mainstays of Ring of Honor. He was the Samoan Bulldozer for a reason and his matches were excellent. They had a trilogy of matches which is considered as one of the best in the company's history. The first two matches were both 60 minute matches and were fought to a draw.

Though Samoa Joe defeated CM Punk in the last match, the second match was considered the best of the three. But in essence, what was the point of the story between the two? They had respect for each other's abilities, but wanted to beat the other and prove who was the best of the best. It was as simple as that.

There was no theatrics, but just two men utilizing various facets of wrestling from power moves, high flying spots and submissions. Both men just didn't want to lose to the other and it is what the audience loved.

Would these matches have worked in WWE? It's quite possible it could have worked well. These men were still young in ROH and as experienced veterans, they could have brought something very different to the WWE Universe.

#1 Eddie Guerrero

During his time on the independent circuit, CM Punk had the luxury of being able to get into a ring with Eddie Guerrero and an unmasked Rey Mysterio. It was an education that he remembers to this day.

A few months back, Rey Mysterio took to Instagram to remember their triple threat match.

He responded to the post and commented,

People should know how good Eddie really was. He was in a rough spot. Recently fired, home front was turbulent. He came to this show and looked tired. Said to me 'I hate three ways. If it's okay with you, can you and Rey put something together and just call it to me?' I wasn't sure that was possible. He didn't miss a beat."

"And you Rey, so open and giving to a little punk Indy kid. You laid out a masterpiece and I wasn't sure I could keep up. One of the early times I remember being in the ring and thinking to myself, 'this is f------ MAGIC!' A pleasure. An honor."

"I miss Eddie, truly fortunate to have worked him as many times as I did. I feel the same about you Rey! Legends, who treated me like an equal, and I've never forgotten it. Viva la raza!"

The rest is WWE History.

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Edited by Kingshuk Kusari