WWE: 12 Dream Opponents for CM Punk

To be the best, you have to beat the best. CM Punk proclaims to be the best in the world. And for the most part, the current WWE Champion is right. No other wrestler commands the attention of the "Second City Saint" as Punk does in and out of the ring.

Wrestling today, however, is not like it was 25 years ago when someone like Punk would be traveling the states and the globe to challenge a different promotion's "top contender," whether it be a Robert Fuller or Charlie Cook or Doug Somers. And with the challenges of competing night after night, the fans across the world got to see the best of the best.

Now it seems everything is a watered-down version of "what used to be," and that may not be the proper representation of "wrestling" as a business.

This is a list of wrestlers who would be "dream" matches for the current WWE front man. Some could still happen and some have happened. Some can't happen because of different wrestling eras or the wrestler is no longer with us.

But in the right time and circumstances, these opponents would give Punk one hell of a match.

Roddy Piper

Can you imagine these two just trying to talk over each other?

Some of the best mic work from Piper came in the early 1980s when he and Ric Flair were working for Jim Crockett. They ad-libbed everything and it was perfectly placed.

I think Punk reminds us all of our former greats in that he is unpredictable and charismatic at the same time.

Piper was a much better worker in the NWA than WWF. Hopefully, he would bring that type of skill set to the match.

Terry Funk

Whether he is the consummate mat wrestler or the crazed man who made hardcore wrestling mainstream, you would have an amazing match.

Terry Funk was a former NWA World Champion, the brother of Dory Funk, Jr. and a great tactician in the ring. He used a great deal of ring psychology and submission holds to beat his opponents.

He and Punk could be mirror images at times in the ring.

Arn Anderson

The Best in the World takes on the "Best to Never Hold A World Title."

Anderson is as much a brawler as he was a ring general. He has that never-quit mentality and when he gets an opponent down, he goes in for the kill.

Both he and Punk are about the same size, maybe with Anderson being a bit thicker. But this would surely be a treat to watch.

Nick Bockwinkle

An underrated match, to say the least.

Bockwinkel was as good a wrestler as there was in his prime.

And he was exceptional on the mic in an interview with his wit and educated conversation.

But in the ring, he was all business.

Jack Brisco

He wasn't much for talking, but he let his wrestling speak for itself.

There wasn't a better amateur wrestler who made the transition to the business in the 1970s than Brisco.

A popular sort who maximized his skills in the ring and captured the NWA Title multiple times.

Could his old-style holds keep Punk grounded?

John Cena

The two have a chemistry that makes wrestling look fun again.

Maybe that is what we all need in this business.

No one sells for Punk like Cena and likewise with Punk. They gave us one hell of a feud in 2011.

Could this happen again? We all hope so, and soon.

Shawn Michaels

Another one of those matches that could have defied logic.

While they are much alike, they are so different. And their styles would have married well in the ring.

And I think this kind of mic work between the two of them would have been magic, much like Michaels and Jericho.

Harley Race

Race is known as one of the toughest men ever in the business.

He was a brawler and a genius in the ring. This may not look like a good match, but I see it as the "old school fighter" vs. "the new age outlaw."

Something has to give.

Bruiser Brody

The old-school wild man vs. the new reckless one.

Brody and Punk are a lot alike and some could make the argument Punk is a new version of the old scene.

Could he withstand the barrage by the tougher Brody? He has withstood a lot in his career.

This one could be epic.

Bob Backlund

The WWF's version of the consummate wrestler.

Backlund was the gentleman of the company, carrying the WWF Title and challenging everyone in his path.

That is how old-school wrestling was and should have been.

And this could have been a 60-minute iroman match.

Edge

He set the bar for titles. He was clearly one of the best. And the two could have been a rivalry for the ages.

Edge is underrated, in my estimation. He was clearly forced out way before his time.

When he was at his best, he was one of the five best in the business, and hearing both Punk and him jabbing each other on the mic would have been awesome.

Randy Savage

OOOOOH YEAH!

I want to see this badly. You want to see this badly. Unfortunately, we cannot see this badly.

Savage and Punk are so much alike in demeanor and in terms of in-ring performance. It would be a clash of titans in the business. A Flair and Steamboat meeting.

And both of them have the same off-the-top-rope move; the only determination would be to see whose would be better.

Both are outstanding.