WWE Money in the Bank 2012: How Did Bryan vs. Punk Compare to Past Matches?

Since Daniel Bryan and CM Punk began feuding a few months ago, they have stolen the show every time they've taken the pay-per-view stage.

Money in the Bank was no different.

Even with stiff competition from two Money in the Bank ladder matches, Punk vs. Bryan was still the match of the night.

Every match up between Bryan and Punk has been different. Each has been phenomenal in its own right. Their encounters have highlighted the PPVs of the summer months.

At Over the Limit, Bryan and Punk wrestled for nearly 24 minutes in what was arguably the best pure wrestling match of the year. Bryan and Punk meshed perfectly and put on one of the best technical matches in recent memory. 

Bryan and Punk's next encounter would be in a Triple Threat that also included Kane. For obvious reasons, this match was less focused on the Bryan vs. Punk saga. In addition to Kane's involvement, AJ also played a bigger role in this match.

Punk and Bryan had their second singles encounter at Money in the Bank. Punk defended his WWE Championship against Bryan in a No Disqualification match that featured AJ as the guest referee.

Due to the progression of the story between the three of them, as well as the stipulations that resulted from this story, the match was less focused on the technical wrestling.

Instead of being the technical clinic you would expect from Bryan and Punk, the No DQ stipulation made it more of a brawl. In addition to that, the drama that came with AJ's involvement as referee had fans on the edge of their seat for every near fall throughout the match.

In my opinion, the beautiful combination of storytelling, technical wrestling, and brutal brawling made this match between Punk and Bryan their best yet. 

The best part was that AJ's role as guest referee left me with no idea how the match could play out. CM Punk and Daniel Bryan are two of the best wrestlers in the world, but AJ's role in their feud has enhanced it in ways that their wrestling ability never could.

Michael Prunka is a Bleacher Report Featured Columnist. To stay up to date with his WWE and NHL commentary, you can like his Facebook page and follow him on Twitter.