CM Punk: Top 10 Moments of Punk's Wrestling Career

Following CM Punk’s epic "shoot" promo on John Cena, Vince McMahon and the rest of the WWE hierarchy, the straight edge superstar is the hottest man in WWE. Everyone can’t stop talking about his tell-all tale and how it will impact the remainder of his time with the company, not to mention his future in the industry.

Already being haled as one of the greatest promos in recent WWE history, everyone is beginning to bow down to the greatness of the Internet Wrestling Community’s golden boy. Punk has been part of the industry for more than a decade and instantly became one of the most beloved superstars on the Indy circuit due to his exceptional microphone skills, tattoos and wrestling skills.

The man is hands down one of the most complete performers to ever bless the squared circle. In light of taking his fame to new heights following Raw, here are the top 10 moments of CM Punk’s wrestling career.

10. Joining Nexus

The Nexus storyline was one of the biggest storylines of the past few years in WWE.

It speaks to CM Punk’s standing in the company and abilities as a performer that the creative team brought him on to be one of the major players in this angle.

Coming back to Raw and being thrust into the storyline displays a true testament to his legacy, given that the WWE heavily promoted the storyline.

9. TNA Stint

Although not the greatest stint of Punk’s career, his time in TNA was extremely important to his growth as a professional in the face of wrestling fans around the world.

TNA emerged as the rival to WWE and instantly become widely recognized among dedicated wrestling fans. TNA gave Punk the outlet on PPV that Ring of Honor could not at the time.

His exposure to the wrestling community helped him develop a strong cult following that initially began in Ring of Honor. His following grew stronger, much like his overall skills as a talent.

8. WWE-ECW Debut vs. Justin Credible

Of course Punk’s debut within the WWE universe has to be on the list.

Punk won his debut in great fashion against former ECW superstar, Justin Credible.

Punk instantly became a beloved character with his fantastic in-ring moves, microphone skills and image. He received great praise from the commentary booth, and this was clearly a special moment in his storied career, as he finally received exposure from the biggest company.

7. Vowing to Leave WWE with Championship

Although another recent occurrence in the storied legend of CM Punk, this is one of the most defining moments of his career because it helped him cement his legacy in the industry.

This moment created a mystique around Punk rarely seen in his career.

He is now on top of the world as everyone awaits his next move. We are all at the edge of our seats waiting to see what happens next with Punk and not just if he will leave WWE, but if he will leave with the WWE Championship.

6. Birth of Straight Edge Society

It seems just about every iconic superstar in WWE history either went up against a regime or started their own. CM Punk giving birth to the Straight Edge Society helped solidify his standing with the company and in the faces of the fans.

This was an important stint during his career because it showed just what type of heat he could bring in and the true lasting power of his amazing gimmick. He cut some of the better promos of the era during his time with the Straight Edge Society and also proved, as usual, that he can help create others too.

5. Ring of Honor Feud with Raven

Punk has been part of several great rivalries during his professional career, but none may have been more important than the one with Raven.

Raven, a former ECW legend known for his microphone skills and hellacious hardcore battles, greatly assisted Punk in honing the immense skills we see today. He helped bring Punk to defining promos and matches that helped birth one of the great careers of the past decade.

This was the feud that helped solidify the Straight Edge gimmick for years to come.

4. Punk vs. Samoa Joe II, Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor was a breeding ground for some of the top workers to ever bless the hallowed mat. Inside those ropes, fans saw some of the greatest matches of the past decade, yet none were more prolific or highly touted than the middle match of the Punk vs. Samoa Joe trilogy.

This immense match lasted all of 60 minutes and saw both men refuse to quit as it went to a draw.

Highly-respected professional wrestling journalist and editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer, awarded the match a five-star rating, which he rarely ever does for a match conducted on America’s amazing soil.

Of every storied feud and tenacious showdown of Punk’s career, none were more collectively regarded as this match with Samoa Joe.

3. First World Heavyweight Championship Victory

As much as the Internet Wrestling Community pretends to despise WWE, it is still the No. 1 professional wrestling promotion in the world. Anytime a performer can grab the World Heavyweight Championship, even for a split second, they are etched in stone forever in the grand legacy of Vince McMahon’s global creation.

Winning the World Heavyweight Championship, despite in typical heel fashion, was one of the grandest moments in Punk’s career.

For those who believed his run at the top wouldn’t last, this was the first of three World Championship reigns.

2. Signing WWE Contract on Ring of Honor Championship

CM Punk was one of the many shining stars at the eventful Ring of Honor promotion. He put together some of the greatest matches in promotion history, which led him to the WWE.

He had a defining five-star match with Samoa Joe, but nothing was more eventful than when he put together the then-promo of his life and capped it off by signing his WWE contract on top of the Ring of Honor Championship.

It was one of the greatest villainous acts of professional wrestling history and the perfect way to define his heel status on the Indy circuit. It proved to everyone he had the talent to succeed at the elite levels of the professional world, but also left Ring of Honor with a moment it will never be able to top.

1. June 27, 2011 WWE RAW "Shoot" Promo

Call me a prisoner of the moment, but everything about this segment was perfect.

Punk comes down to the ring and destroys "Superman" John Cena, the poster boy for everything WWE.

Better yet, he does so wearing a Stone Cold Steve Austin shirt.

He effectively proceeds to own Cena, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Hulk Hogan and of course, Vince McMahon.

As he sat down on at the top of the entrance ramp and berated everyone,—even claiming to be Paul Heyman’s boy and bringing up Brock Lesnar—he shouted out New Japan, Ring of Honor and another man screwed by the WWE, his buddy Colt Cabana.

It was easily one of the greatest "shoot" promos ever. Every iconic superstar has his one defining moment that truly puts him over the top in the face of the company and fans across the world—this was his moment.

It remains to be seen whether or not Punk remains with the organization following July 17, but he will forever live in professional wrestling infamy following this legendary promo.