CM Punk's Most Memorable Matches, Moments in WrestleMania History

It has been a little over four years since CM Punk last competed in a WWE ring, but his memory as an active Superstar lives on. WWE fans often chant his name to this day. 

A big reason for Punk's long-lasting popularity is that he always seemed to deliver on the WrestleMania stage when the lights shined brightest.

Although Punk never main-evented a WrestleMania—a major point of contention when he departed the company—the Straight Edge Superstar was always in high-profile matches, and he frequently stole the show regardless of his spot on the card.

Punk may never have another match at the Showcase of the Immortals. But that doesn't mean we can't look at a rundown of his greatest WrestleMania bouts and moments, all drawn from a successful WWE career.

Punk Becomes Mr. Money in the Bank at WrestleMania 24

Punk made his second WrestleMania appearance as a competitor at WrestleMania 24 in 2008, and the Voice of the Voiceless made a huge impact by prevailing in a stacked Money in the Bank ladder match in Orlando, Florida.

WrestleMania 23 Money in the Bank winner Mr. Kennedy, Chris Jericho, Carlito, John Morrison, MVP and Shelton Benjamin were also part of the chaotic contest, which set a great tone for WrestleMania 24 as one of the first matches on the card.

After falling short in the Money in the Bank ladder match the previous year, Punk somewhat surprisingly came out on top and earned himself a guaranteed world title bout at any time of his choosing.

Punk had enjoyed some level of success in WWE prior to winning Money in the Bank, but much of that came as part of the ECW brand, which wasn't considered to be on equal footing with Raw or SmackDown by viewers.

With the victory, Punk was immediately launched into the title conversation. And it seemed, for the first time during his WWE tenure, that he was destined to become a main event-caliber performer.

This came to fruition just a few months after WrestleMania 24, when Punk successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Edge to become the new world heavyweight champion.

Punk went on to become a multi-time world champion and one of the most popular Superstars in WWE history, but his ascent to the top started at WrestleMania 24.

The photo of Punk sitting atop the ladder, briefcase in hand, remains an iconic image, representing one of Punk's crowning achievements in WWE.

Punk Repeats as Money in the Bank Ladder Match Winner at WrestleMania 25

WrestleMania 24 constituted Punk's first true endeavor in the spotlight, and WrestleMania 25 proved he was there to stay.

Competing in his third consecutive Money in the Bank ladder match, Punk became the first and only Superstar to win Money in the Bank two years in a row.

Punk's first MITB win helped him reach another level, but his stay on top was short. In having him win it for a second time, however, WWE demonstrated huge confidence in the former independent star's ability to be a mainstream moneymaker.

That confidence being well-placed, winning Money in the Bank at WrestleMania 25 was key to Punk's continued rise.

Punk went on to cash in his contract on Jeff Hardy at Extreme Rules, which led to Punk turning heel and eventually creating the Straight Edge Society.

In the WrestleMania 25 Money in the Bank ladder match, Punk managed to outlast Christian, Finlay, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, MVP and Shelton Benjamin. The contest opened the show and effectively pumped up the crowd since Punk had a huge following even before he became one of the faces of the company.

It can be argued that Punk's first Money in the Bank win didn't fully stick. But after winning the match again at WrestleMania 25, he solidly hit his stride, never looking back for the remainder of his tenure in WWE.

Punk Eats an Epic RKO from Randy Orton at WrestleMania 27

Following the dissolution of the Straight Edge Society, Punk became the leader of Nexus and set his sights on Randy Orton.

Punk and Nexus terrorized The Viper during the build toward WrestleMania 27. But Orton systematically took down Punk's backup, leading to a true one-on-one match on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

Orton was among the most popular faces in the company at the time, and Punk was the perfect foil due to his dastardly heel tactics.

Some might argue that The Undertaker's win over Triple H was the match of the night. But Punk and Orton did plenty with the nearly 15 minutes they were allotted and quite possibly put on the best pure wrestling match of the entire card.

The contest was only Punk's second career singles match at WrestleMania, and he made it count despite not receiving top billing.

Punk put on a great show. But it was an offensive move from Orton that helped make their fight one that will be replayed for years to come.

While in control of the bout, Punk went for a springboard clothesline. The Voice of the Voiceless immediately regretted that decision, though, as Orton caught him with an RKO in midair to pick up the victory.

Orton has hit his fair share of incredible RKOs during his time, but there is no question that his cutter on Punk is near the top of the list.

Although it was an Orton-centric moment, Punk sold the move perfectly and helped create a WrestleMania moment that fans still talk about.

Punk Pushes The Undertaker to the Limit at WrestleMania 29

Punk made no effort to hide his desire to headline a WrestleMania—and while he never did, he and The Undertaker left fans buzzing at WrestleMania 29.

After losing the WWE Championship to The Rock leading up to WrestleMania 29, Punk shifted his focus toward The Deadman and ending his remarkable undefeated streak at WrestleMania.

Punk was as fiendish as a heel could be during the build toward their match, going so far as to spill the ashes of Paul Bearer from the urn.

John Cena and The Rock main-evented WrestleMania 29. But, based on the build and the in-ring story told by Punk and The Undertaker, theirs is arguably the most memorable match from the entire show.

Both Punk and The Undertaker had stirring entrances, and Living Colour played Punk to the ring to further build anticipation for what turned out to be a classic showdown.

The Undertaker had come close to losing his streak on a few occasions prior to WrestleMania 29. And there were several points during the match when it seemed a distinct possibility that The Phenom was about to be dealt his first loss on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

Punk put The Undertaker through the announce table with a diving elbow drop and used plenty of dirty tricks throughout the bout, including striking The Deadman with the urn after Paul Heyman handed it to him.

There were also some near-falls on the other side, with Punk even kicking out of a Tombstone at one point.

Taker finally managed to put Punk away, but he was clearly pushed to the limit, and the capacity crowd seemed satisfied with the threat Punk presented to the streak.

The Undertaker's run ended one year later when he lost to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 30. But, based on Taker's matches since WrestleMania 29, it is safe to say that Punk gave him his last truly great match at the Showcase of the Immortals.