5 times CM Punk stole the spotlight in WWE
People did not expect CM Punk to succeed in WWE. He didn't fit the mold of a WWE Superstar. Punk even found himself on the chopping block while in developmental, but Paul Heyman gave him a chance at ECW.
Life on the main roster wasn't easy for Punk either. Despite converting average storylines into something special, the Straight Edge Superstar was left frustrated by WWE's booking.
However, Punk eventually broke through and established himself as one of the biggest stars in professional wrestling. He ended up being a trailblazer, opening up pathways for wrestlers from the independent circuit to WWE.
With that being said, here are five times CM Punk stole the spotlight in WWE
#5 CM Punk was a part of Team DX at WWE Survivor Series 2006
CM Punk’s rise to pro wrestling’s ‘Best in the World’ can be traced back to a South Philly rec center trib.al/0hB294J
In his first-ever WWE pay-per-view, CM Punk was part of Team DX in a 5-on-5 tag team elimination match. Even though big names including Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, and Edge were involved, Punk was the most over wrestler with the Philadelphia crowd.
He later stated that the audience reaction might have backfired on him during an interview with the Philadelphia Enquirer:
"That kind of backfired on me at that point in Philly because that wasn’t the case. That’s not what happened. People were mad because ‘We don’t understand. Why’s this kid over?’ Then they’ll use the crutch of ‘Oh, it’s just internet fans.’ Yeah, OK, 18,000 people packed the place and they’re all just internet fans but whatever. It means something to me now because it was validation," CM Punk said.
Team DX eventually scored a decisive victory over Team Rated-RKO without a single participant being eliminated. This was yet another example of CM Punk connecting with the audience despite not being put under the spotlight.