3 similarities between CM Punk and Daniel Bryan
Over the last seven decades that WWE has been around, we have a wide array of Superstars step foot inside their ring. Throughout history, there have been a select few who have gone on to become the game-changers.
Names like Bruno Sammartino, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Steve Austin, and The Rock have been some of the biggest trailblazers of their respective eras.
When one thinks of trailblazers in modern WWE, two names that instantly pop up is that of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. Punk and Bryan's careers in WWE has mirrored each other in many ways.
For starters, they were never supposed to make it big in Vince McMahon's land of giants. They didn't have the build and the physical attributes of a prototypical WWE Superstar. Bryan and Punk got over with the fans purely on the back of their in-ring ability. They were the first to break the myth that you have to be a homegrown talent to succeed in WWE.
'The Summer of Punk' and ' The Yes Movement' will always be fondly remembered by wrestling fans for years to come. None of what we see today on the main roster and NXT would've happened without Punk and Bryan succeeding in the company.
With that being said, here are three similarities between two of the most influential figures in modern WWE:
#3 ROH Legends
Before joining WWE in 2005 and 2009 respectively, CM Punk and Daniel Bryan made a name for themselves in the Philadelphia-based promotion, Ring of Honor. Both of them go on to hold the company's top prize, the ROH World Championship, during a time when the promotion was without a doubt the hottest it's ever been.
Punk's rivalry with Samoa Joe over the ROH World Championship is what helped put ROH on the wrestling map. The duo's trilogy of matches has achieved cult status within the wrestling community. Punk's last match in ROH to this day remains one of the most emotional moments in the company's history.
While Punk helped put ROH on the wrestling map, it was Bryan who helped the company become the global force that it is today. Bryan had legendary rivalries in the promotions against the likes of Nigel McGuiness and Takeshi Morishima. His match against McGuiness at ROH Unified saw one of the bloodiest finishes in wrestling history with Bryan delivering a series of stiff elbows to an already bloodied McGuiness, who was unable to defend himself and passed out in the process.
ROH wouldn't have reached the heights that it did and become the top independent promotion in North America without the contribution of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.