WWE: 7 Ways CM Punk Has Solidified His Hall of Fame Career

CM Punk is going to be in the WWE Hall of Fame.

Yeah, I said it, but it really shouldn't come as much of a surprise.

If Punk were to decide tomorrow that he wanted to hang up his boots for good, I think it's safe to say that he's already done enough to deserve a spot in the WWE's elite class of legends.

But just in case you aren't convinced that Punk will end up in the Hall of Fame one day, allow me to try to convince you why I think he will be.

Here are seven ways CM Punk has already solidified his Hall of Fame career.

7. His Promo Skills

I'm not 100 percent sure where CM currently ranks or will end up ranking among the all-time greatest talkers in wrestling history.

But he's certainly near the very top of that list.

Just about every wrestling fan can agree that guys like "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and The Rock are arguably the greatest promo guys ever, and Punk is gradually entering that territory.

After all, Punk has shown some absolutely tremendous skills on the microphone throughout his entire WWE career.

It's not just his major "pipe bombs" like the infamous worked shoot, his creepy rendition of "Happy Birthday" to Rey Mysterio's daughter or any of his promos when he was the leader of the Straight Edge Society.

It's the fact that he's consistently great on the mic and has been pretty much since the moment he stepped into the WWE.

Punk may not always cut the greatest promo ever, but it's very, very rare to see him cut one that at least isn't very good.

Whenever he decides to call it quits, I think we'll be mentioning Punk in the same breath as Piper and The Rock as one of the very best talkers in wrestling history.

6. His Current Historic WWE Championship Reign

At the time of this writing, CM Punk has held the WWE Championship for 284 days.

Thus, as we all know by now, he is currently in the midst of one of the longest WWE title reigns in history.

That is the second longest WWE Championship reign since 1994, when Diesel held the belt for 358 days in what turned out to be one of the worst WWE title runs in the company's history.

There's been a lot of chatter in recent years about the length (or lack thereof) of World title reigns, but Punk has managed to break the mold so to speak by holding the WWE's most prestigious title for nearly 10 months now.

Punk still has a long way to go to match John Cena's 380-day title reign from 2006 to 2007, but even if he falls short of that mark, it's still been a very impressive run at the top for him.

Should he surpass Cena or even come close to it, however, he will have one of the most historically significant title reigns of the modern era and one of the longest since the days of Hulk Hogan and Bruno Sammartino.

That's elite territory right there.

5. His Versatility as a Heel, Face or Tweener

Not every WWE superstar can make every type of character work.

But CM Punk can.

The versatility he's shown as a performer has been nothing short of incredible, as he's somehow managed to perform extremely well whether he's a babyface, heel or a tweener.

He gained popularity in his early years as a Straight Edge baby face, turned heel and became the sadistic leader of the Straight Edge Society, led another cult-like group in the New Nexus and then become the rebellious tweener before going full-fledged face again.

Now? He's working in a tweener role and seems to be headed back to his heel roots.

Just about all of the greats in the wrestling business have been able to do exactly what Punk's been doing throughout his career: Adapt with the times and prove to be capable of working in a variety of roles.

I'm honestly not sure there's another wrestler on the WWE roster who has played so many different characters, but been able to have a ton of success in each of those roles.

You can't help but be impressed by a guy like Punk who's been able to stay fresh without getting lost in the shuffle.

After all, not many have done it like he has.

4. His Participation in Major Angles

CM Punk has played a huge role in a number of major angles throughout the years.

There was his Money in the Bank cash-in on Jeff Hardy that led to an epic heel turn and the best feud of 2009, his formation of the Straight Edge Society, his "takeover" of the new Nexus, his epic worked shoot promo, his vow to leave the WWE with the WWE Championship, his beef with Triple H and John Laurinaitis, his long-running feud with John Cena, his GTS on The Rock on Raw 1000, etc.

Really, you'd be here all day if you were to analyze Punk's participation in some of the biggest storylines in recent history.

WWE superstars can make an impact without winning titles or adding accolades to their resume, and Punk has managed to do that.

Yeah, his participation in the World title scene certainly helped his case at times. But he's been part of a number of unforgettable moments and angles that have helped define his career.

Some superstars get lost in the shuffle or fail to do anything memorable at different points throughout their careers, but for the most part, Punk has managed to do something to stay relevant no matter what his position on the card has been.

He always matters, he's always relevant, and he always get the fans talking.

3. His Impact on the WWE and Pro Wrestling as a Whole

CM Punk has undoubtedly made his mark on pro wrestling.

Although I wouldn't quite rank him up there with the Steve Austins, The Rocks or the John Cenas just yet, the impact he's made on the WWE can't be denied.

Over the last couple of years, he's become the second-most popular star in pro wrestling, creating a huge buzz at plenty of different points along the way.

Punk has revolutionized the business with his promos (that worked shoot "pipe bomb" created interest in wrestling that we haven't seen in years), he's made wrestling skills more important than at any point in recent memory, and he's helped open the door for other guys like him to succeed.

Although Punk isn't directly responsible for the success of guys like Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan, I have no doubt that what he's done--his great promos, matches and angles--has helped pave the way for those guys and others like them.

Personal feelings about Punk aside, he's managed to make wrestling interesting again while putting on some of the best matches and feuds in recent wrestling history.

Even if you don't particularly care for Punk, it's hard to deny that things like his feud with Jeff Hardy or his worked shoot didn't have a tremendous effect on the WWE from both a business and an entertainment standpoint.

2. His History of Great Matches

I recently put together a list ranking CM Punk's 7 Best Matches in the WWE.

Now, we may disagree on the placement of some of the matches on this list, and you may think I've "forgotten" about some of his matches as well.

But here's one thing I think we can agree upon: Punk has a long history of putting on great matches.

Of course, we have the unforgettable ones like Punk vs. Jeff Hardy at SummerSlam in 2009, Punk vs. Daniel Bryan at Over the Limit 2012 and Punk vs. John Cena at Money in the Bank last year.

But there's also Punk's fantastic series of matches with Rey Mysterio, his great bouts with Randy Orton and a long line of excellent TV matches, especially over the last couple of years.

This is pro wrestling, after all, and Punk has definitely been one of the WWE's best wrestlers over the last few years and pretty much throughout his entire WWE career.

When I think of Hall of Famers, I think of guys who could flat-out go in the ring.

When I think of Hall of Famers, I think of CM Punk.

1. His Resume

If nothing else convinces you that CM Punk will be a WWE Hall of Famer one day, then just look at his resume.

Here it is:

• Three-time World Heavyweight Champion
• Two-time (and current) WWE Champion
• Two-time Money in the Bank winner (2008 and 2009)
• One-time ECW Champion
• One-time Intercontinental Champion
• One-time World Tag Team Champion

Punk also had the "Match of the Year" (against John Cena at Money in the Bank) and "Feud of the Year" (with Cena) in 2011, according to both PWI and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

He also had the "Feud of the Year" in 2009, according to the WON, and topped the PWI 500 in 2012.

I think all those accomplishments should speak for themselves, right?

Just looking at that resume right now, Punk has piled up more accolades than just about every superstar who's ever stepped into the WWE, including some of the all-time greats.

Punk is already great. Next stop: The Hall of Fame.

Drake Oz is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter!