The 10 most important WWE matches of the 2010s

We're now in a new decade, but before WWE programming resumes and heads into the 2020s, it's time to use this temporary lull to look back on the 2010s, namely, the most important matches of that decade.

These matches weren't necessarily the best ones, rather, they were the ones that made the most impact. These were the 10 matches that either got the most mainstream attention, shaped the landscape of the company for years to come, altered relations between the WWE brass and the fanbase, or all of the above.

Which 10 matches are worth mention in such a category? Here are the ones that come to mind. Note that these aren't ranked. Rather, we're simply going to look at them in chronological order.

#1 John Cena vs. CM Punk (Money in the Bank 2011)

Aside from being one of the best matches in the company of the 2010s, this saga altered the relationship between the fans and the company.

By 2011, a sizable and vocal portion of the WWE fanbase was beyond tired of John Cena, and had been for a long time. There was a certain dissatisfaction with the company overall as well.

Seizing on this sentiment, CM Punk delivered the most notable promo of the decade with his infamous worked shoot "pipebomb" in June. Gaining mainstream recognition, he vaulted into Money in the Bank that year in his home town of Chicago, where the anti-establishment rebel, with his contract running up in hours, would do battle with the establishment golden boy.

The match got a then-rare five star rating from Dave Meltzer. Though the "Summer of Punk" would peter from here, the bad booking after this match was yet another example of how the fans would come to trust the company's management.