WWE News: CM Punk Tops PWI 500 Proving He Is the Best in the World

That's right folks, CM Punk may finally be getting his long-awaited vindication.

Like it or not, according to CageSideSeats.com, Pro Wrestling Illustrated has named the WWE champ No. 1 for their 2012 "Top 500" wrestlers' list.

The article states:

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According to Pro Wrestling Illustrated, who revealed on Aftermath Radio last night (Aug. 20, 2012) that Punk is number one in its annual list of the top 500 wrestlers. The rest of the list will be available with the digital issue released on Thursday.

The "Straight Edge" superstar has certainly had an incredibly successful year. The so-called "Summer of Punk" started with his infamous shoot promo and he became one of the hottest acts in years. His Money in the Bank match against John Cena was a smashing success and he was a made man. Even when he lost the title, he took precedence as the main event in a program with Triple H before regaining the belt in November of last year at Survivor Series.

He has managed to hold onto it ever since, a grand total of 275 days. He's won every match at every pay-per-view event since then, too, often having the best match on the card while doing so.

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This is the 22nd annual list, and I do believe they redeemed themselves from last year's pick. For those of you who don't know, the wrestling magazine had The Miz as No. 1.

Since that announcement, The Miz's career has taken a turn for the worse, as he went from main-eventing WrestleMania 27 to barely landing a spot in this year's event.

With the exception of what many feel was a misstep, Punk is in some elite company. Stars like Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels have all landed the coveted spot at least once.

So, this one is for all of the CM Punk fans out there who feel he doesn't get his due. Consider this bigger than any other accomplishment to date.

In the end, this distinction will not do anything to further his WWE career, as they haven't recognized the award in years and probably never will again.