5 Opponents who have defined CM Punk's wrestling career
The wrestling world is in shock and awe. Almost five years after abruptly leaving the company, CM Punk is finally returned to WWE. Well, sort of. The ending to this week's WWE Backstage saw the show's host, Renee Young revealed that CM Punk will be joining the show. Following his appearance on the show, WWE and FOX officially confirmed the former WWE Champion's involvement with show as an analyst via a press statement.
As expected, this piece of news blew up the internet and both #CM Punk and #WWEBackstage were trending Worldwide on social media. It was confirmed by Punk himself a few months ago that he had auditioned for the show but we never heard anything concrete since then. The Voice of the Voiceless returning to WWE programming was almost a distant dream a few months ago but now that it's finally happened, it begs the question whether or not he will making an in-ring return for the company.
One of the most revered figures in wrestling today, CM Punk left WWE following the 2014 Royal Rumble. Fans have been clamouring for the Chicago native to return to the squared circle. Since leaving WWE, Punk has dabbled in multiple professions with varying degrees of success. Whether or not he eventually returns to the ring, Punk will go down as one of the most seminal professional wrestlers of our generation.
Throughout his wrestling career, Punk has faced off against a myriad of opponents. From technical geniuses like William Regal to bruised brawlers like JBL, the Chicago native has locked horns with some of the best that this business had to offer. But, there have been a few who were integral to the evolution of Punk and have left an indelible mark on the Straight Edge Superstar's career.
Here are five opponents who have defined CM Punk's wrestling career:
#5 Daniel Bryan
The WWE style and the overall presentation that we know today wouldn't have existed had Punk and Bryan not faced off against one another way back in 2012. While their feud might have got lost in the annals of WWE history, we believe it to be one of the most seminal feuds in WWE in the past decades.
Punk was in the midst of his historic 434-day WWE Championship reign and Bryan had just come off his infamous 16-second loss to Sheamus at WrestleMania 28. Seeing these two former ROH standouts lock horns for the top prize in the business was a dream come true for the WWE Universe. Punk and Bryan weren't your prototypical WWE Superstars and were known to wrestling fans even before they arrived in WWE.
Punk and Bryan had a series of high-quality matches over the Summer of 2012. The duo's matches showcased what they had to table as in-ring performers. The success of their feud saw a huge change in philosophy in WWE where the company became more open to bringing in Indy darlings and give them a platform to showcase their talents in front of a global audience. We would've never seen Superstars like Seth Rollins, AJ Styles and Samoa Joe grace a WWE ring had the feud between Punk and Bryan not been successful.