Superstars from the Past We Would Love to See Face CM Punk

He is the hottest thing in wrestling since The Rock took over the WWE.

CM Punk is great theater, great television and most of all, as his new boss said, he is good for business.

What else could you ask for in a wrestler/entertainer?

What WWE fans might like to see is Punk take on the greats of the past—and a few in the present—and see if he really is the greatest today.

Ric Flair stood by his motto "To be the man, you have to beat the man."

Could Punk beat these opponents?

Chris Benoit

If the "Crippler" was still alive, this would be a great rivalry today.

The technical and high-risk skill of Benoit against the arrogance of Punk.

Fans would be on their feet the entire match.

This also could be what we witness today instead of Cena vs. Punk.

Randy Savage

Oh Yeah!

The Macho Man vs. Punk. This one could be good.

I could see Punk making a comment about how Savage hides behind Miss Elizabeth, and Savage firing off a few jabs at Punk. This, of course, would culminate in a great PPV match.

Classic WWF style.

Jerry Lawler

Lawler was a rebel in his day.

As someone who worked with Jackie Fargo and Jerry Jarrett to help develop the mid-south/Memphis territory, he was a fan favorite who could have owned the city if he wanted to.

Lawler was also a free-spirit and someone who spoke his mind.

He feuded with all the great champions of the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Harley Race

No one in the NWA was tougher than Harley in the 1970s and early 80s.

Race was a brawler who would fight you out of a building. He was brash, tough and spoke his mind.

He also helped build the Missouri area. And when you win the NWA world title eight times, you are a legend to be reckoned with.

Arn Anderson

He was a better technical wrestler than Ric Flair and a great competitor. If there was ever a situation where you needed help in the ring, you wanted AA in your corner.

Anderson used the "Brainbuster"  and "Spinebuster" like no one else, and there was always a "snap" to his work.

I would love to see Punk go 30 minutes with "The Enforcer."

Chris Jericho

Somehow I think this still may happen.

The Ayatollah of Rock & Rolla can still get it done in the ring.

Seeing these two jaw at each other in a shoot may be as exciting as watching old clips of Roddy Piper and Ric Flair from the 70s.

Jericho's ring presence and technique are some of the best ever.

Do we hear Wrestlemania XXVIII?

Batista

Another of those matches that can still happen.

There has been talk of the big man returning to WWE. It hasn't happened yet, but since Trips is now "in charge," who knows.

The raw power of Batista against the calculated game of Punk. Sounds like a winner.

Brett Hart

The best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be.

And then there is Punk.

I would love to see a "fairly" technical match between the two superstars.

Brett Hart from 15 years ago in a match with Punk has Wrestlemania written all over it.

The Rock

The Rock says bring it!

The People's Champion and the Straight Edge Superstar.

Another promo waiting to happen.

Punk said "Dwayne" was the biggest ass kisser in the WWE. Let's see if he backs his words up.

Bob Backlund

In his day, there was no one better in the game.

Backlund was a great technical wrestler who would wear opponents down and used a version of the STF to beat his them.

Can Punk handle the skill and plotting Backlund used to beat all the greats in the then WWF?

Hulk Hogan

Personally, I do not think this is a very good match.

Hogan is too limited—and always was.

Another "ass-kisser" according to Punk, so let's see if he can put his money where his mouth is.

Punk is too grounded for him and although size shows a big difference, Punk still has an edge.

Roddy Piper

I am going to say this should be 1970s to early 80s Piper taking on Punk.

There is no one better on the microphone than Piper, and I will stand by that forever.

But I see a little of Piper in Punk. And the two would put on one hell of a show.

Kurt Angle

Another match that would deserve Wrestlemania consideration.

Can Punk beat the Olympic Champion?

Angle is great on the mat and in the air.

Punk will try to keep Angle grounded.

A great human chess match.

Sting

The Icon comes to WWE.

What does the 52-year-old have for Punk?

Actually, Sting in his prime would have been awesome in a match-up against Punk.

It will never happen, but it sure would be fun to watch.

The Undertaker

The Dead Man may be through with wrestling, but 10 years ago this would have been a great feud.

The two locking arms at Wrestlemania would be EPIC.

This may be the best match we never see in wrestling.

Ric Flair

He has to beat the man to be the man.

Flair in the 1980s was the best heel ever. Punk floats between being a heel and being a hero.

A lot of similarities here and a good mat match for all to see.

Beating Flair would cement Punk as a superstar who could be the best.

Stone Cold Steve Austin

If Austin was in shape and could wrestle without fear of injury, this is made for "the now."

There are so many similarities between the two and their styles really mesh well.

Two brash SOBs in the ring.

Oh, the microphone would be shaking at these promos.

This is one the fans want to see.

Triple H

Don't ever piss your boss off!

I thought Trips would do something this week in the ring to prove he still had it.

All he did was take it.

Punk and Trips would be a good match, maybe one for control of RAW or the signing of, say, Colt Cabana?

Who knows, but it is great fodder to think about.

Shawn Michaels

The two are made to face each other.

And when the two were on camera for a promo a few weeks ago, it was magic.

Michaels at the height of his WWE popularity would have been the great opponent for Punk, much like Sting and Flair in the 1990s.

And both are similar in size and ability.

Wow.