Best and Worst Moments of CM Punk's Feud with Paul Heyman

For months, CM Punk and Paul Heyman walked on the shards of their broken friendship to assault each other.

At times, this was the most emotionally searing feud in WWE and other times, it dragged. It was a rivalry that featured a candidate for Match of the Year, as well as its share of mediocre bouts, fantastic performances followed by missed opportunities. 

Heyman was Punk's advocate, friend and cornerman. When Punk asked for some distance, to be on his own in the ring, Heyman became a tantrum-throwing child wrapped in a cartoon villain. He sent Brock Lesnar after Punk, setting off a rivalry that spanned the summer and ended at Hell in a Cell with Punk throttling him with a kendo stick.

The following is a look at the highs and lows from a feud now over.

Best: Paul Heyman's Explanation

There was initially doubt whether Paul Heyman had sent Brock Lesnar after CM Punk. The betrayal became official at Money in the Bank when Heyman smashed Punk's head with a ladder.

The next night, both Heyman and Punk set up the feud perfectly, each with their own stellar performance.

Heyman claimed that Punk failed him by not beating Undertaker at WrestleMania and mocked Punk for having no family, snickering and grinning throughout. Punk responded by saying that he was going to burn everything around Heyman and hurt him.

The intensity from both grabbed the audience right away.

Two elite talkers threw down, a story began in earnest, and WWE Raw added to its collection of great promos.

Worst: CM Punk vs. Paul Heyman, Aug. 12

Nobody expected this match to actually get underway, but awkwardness stood where suspense should have.

CM Punk and Paul Heyman were scheduled to face other as the main event of the Aug. 12 episode of Raw. Heyman had prepped by taping his hands. He paced, sweated and shook at the thought of this bout coming to fruition.

Heyman then walked out to the ring with Brock Lesnar and immediately announced that this match was set up as a trap for CM Punk.

Instead of bluffing longer or delaying the surprise, Heyman showed his hand extremely early in a segment that had the smell of rewrite all over it.

The lasting image ended up being Punk sneak-attacking Lesnar with a video camera. The script leading up to that point stumbled and stuttered. 

Best: CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar, SummerSlam

SummerSlam has been 2013's best pay-per-view so far and CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar is a huge reason why. The hard-hitting, dramatic bout earned a 4.5 out of 5 rating from Dave Meltzer, per ProFightDB.com and is easily one of the top three matches of the year.

Punk and Lesnar countered each other's moves beautifully, and Paul Heyman served as Punk's anger muse and chief distraction.

Lesnar looked every bit the beast he was billed as, and Punk survived with guts, swift kicks and a touch of fearlessness born from insanity. The two warriors blended an MMA fight with an alleyway brawl, using steel chairs and submission holds to tell a story of hatred and intensity.

The reason many fans felt that the Heyman and Punk feud tapered off after this point is that none of Heyman's other cronies could deliver the kind of performance that Lesnar did. 

Worst: Curtis Axel Looks Weak

His association with Paul Heyman should have done more for Curtis Axel, but at times he was the thug easily disposed of as the hero made his way to his archenemy.

That was most evident on the Oct. 14 WWE Raw. Ryback had defeated R-Truth in just over five minutes. Axel needed only to survive for that time span for Heyman to name the stipulation of the match between Ryback and CM Punk at Hell in a Cell.

Punk, of course, defeated Axel in time, adding to the long list of times he'd put Axel away. Punk also beat Axel at Night of Champions and on Aug. 26 with a chance to get at Heyman on the line. 

While Brock Lesnar served as a dangerous roadblock between Punk and Heyman, Axel was far too easy to push aside. 

This led to their battles being predictable and missed out on a chance to build Axel into more of a threat going forward.

Best: 'I Fathered You!'

On Aug. 26, CM Punk defeated Curtis Axel for the right to fight Paul Heyman, but he soon found himself handcuffed and held still in order to suffer Heyman's wrath.

There have been few WWE moments as chilling as Heyman breaking a kendo stick over Punk's chest screaming, "I fathered you" and "you broke my heart." He was crazed as he shouted in Punk's face, a tortured, wicked man going on a rampage.

This was one of the feud's peaks, forging an unforgettable memory into our collective minds.

The hero endured the villain's attacks which made the audience hunger to see revenge be had. Fans got an unsettling look into Heyman's mind and were given even more reasons to cheer for Punk.

Worst: Hell in a Cell

After everything CM Punk and Paul Heyman had put each other through, this tepid match had no place being the final chapter.

The Hell in a Cell structure promised the violence required of this stage of the rivalry, but the action inside it didn't deliver. Months of verbal showdowns, ambushes, trickery and loathing should have led to a bout worthy of a climax, not one that enters the discussion for worst Hell in a Cell outing ever.

There was nowhere near the energy and intensity one would expect here.

John Canton of TJRWrestling.com only gave the bout 2.5 out of 5 stars, while Dave Meltzer, via ProFightDB.com, only dished out a 2.25 rating. That's not the kind of reviews one hopes for with a match like this.

Blame Punk reportedly working with injuries or a lack of chemistry with Ryback, but the end result is a disappointing match that caps off a feud that deserved better.