Wrestling: 50 Classic Superstars You Want To See Face CM Punk

CM Punk is still as popular as ever.

The "Straight Edge Superstar" continues to draw fans in arenas across the country. Whether it is in a match with his arch rival John Cena, or speaking the "gospel" about where Triple H's testosterone may be, his vignettes and shoot interviews are some of the best ever in the business.

What also makes Punk so great is that he sells for Cena, and Cena in turn sells for him. The mutual respect is magnified by some of the best wrestling Cena has done in years. And it shows that both men (when they are not trying to laugh at one another) really respect one another's prowess.

But what if it was, let's say 15 years ago? What if the landscape of professional wrestling had changed.What if there was a WCW and what if there were younger, more intense wrestlers whose craft was better than some of the competitors today?

What if there were wrestlers 20-25 years ago that wanted a crack at Punk? What would a match like that look like? Would the buzz be just as great? Could he have carried the WWF back then, or WCW or even the NWA (Ric Flair would have had something to say about that)?

Punk's popularity opens all these doors to questions about former superstars and how they may do in a match with the newly crowned anti-hero (sorry Stone Cold).

Here are some wrestlers I thought may make for an interesting match with Punk.

Arn Anderson

The best wrestler never to be a world title holder.

Anderson was arguably better than Ric Flair in the ring and equally adept on the mic. He is a classic wrestler who defined "team" wrestling, meaning he did what was best for the Four Horsemen.

I would love to see the "Gourd Buster" vs. "GTS."

Barry Windham

He won the NWA World Title, but only after Ric Flair left the NWA.

Personally, I always thought Windham could carry the NWA much like they had hoped David Von Erich would have and Ric Flair held up his success.

Windham was a great worker and the tall, lanky kid from Texas grew into one of the best ever in the NWA.

"Superstar" Billy Graham

Ohhh, the pythons!

Graham was one of the first heel champions to hold a world title for an extended period of time in the WWF.

His arms and his strength were unmatched (yes, take that Hulk Hogan) and his charisma was some of the best of his time.

Bob Backlund

Maybe the best technical wrestler ever in the WWWF, WWF or WWE.

Backlund's amateur credentials were very impressive and he parlayed that into two WWF title runs. He lost to the Iron Shiek, who helped usher in Hulkamania.

The mat skills against Punk would be great to see.

Nick Bockwinkle

This former AWA world champion said he could be sleeping and if he heard someone count "two" he would pick his shoulder up.

He was a well-spoken wrestler who battled Verne Gagne and then the likes of Hulk Hogan in the AWA.

He would give Punk a run for his money with a well thought out shoot interview.

Brett Hart

The best there is.

The best there was.

The best there ever will be.

Until now.

Hart was great, but I think Punk is better. It would be great to see these two egos go at it.

Bruiser Brody

I see a lot of Brody in Punk, but I am not sure why.

Maybe it is the free spirit, the "I don't give a S&%T attitude" or the hard work that is done in the ring.

Brody was loved for his free spirit and free-thinking mind.

Bruno Sammartino

I wonder how Sammartino would fare against Punk?

Sammartino was the best of his time, but in many eyes in wrestling (NWA wrestlers), he was a product of the WWWF machine.

Let's see if he could stay away from Punk's GTS.

Abdullah the Butcher

I know, it is my evil mind working again.

But to me this just works.

Butcher sells blood and pain like no other wrestler ever.

Punk seems to thrive on a good challenge.

Looks like a match made in gore heaven.

Carloa Colon

I wanted to have an international flavor to this. Colon is a God in Puerto Rico.

He is the equivalent of Ric Flair in the WWC. And his years of in-ring competitors means he can take the best Punk has to offer.

Chris Benoit

Can you imagine what it would be like if Benoit was alive and still as dangerous as ever?

I think this would be the most anticipated match in WrestleMania history with the right marketing.

No one ever used the German Suplex like Benoit and no one ever had the heart and tenacity that he possessed.

It would be an amazing match.

Dean Malenko

The Man of a Thousand Holds.

Malenko was a quiet as many man ever, but when he got in the ring, his moves, his style and his ability spoke louder than anything else.

Malenko made a short run in the WWE but now is a road agent.

Ted DiBiase

A second generation wrestler and son of the late Mike DiBiase.

Before he had fame in the WWF, DiBiase was a regional champion in the Louisiana area under Bill Watts.

DiBiase was a great worker and could play both heel and face and had some classic matches with "Dr. Death" Steve Williams.

Dory Funk, Jr.

He was an NWA World Champion. He was as sound a technician as there was in the 1970s. Funk's spinning toe hold was effective and his knee drop left men writhing in pain.

His ability to beat men with simple wrestling holds was a testament to his training under his father, Dory Funk, Sr.

He was also a favorite in Japan.

"Dr. Death" Steve Williams

There were not many who were as tough in the ring as Steve Williams.

The former Oklahoma Sooner product was as bad as they come when it came to just bringing it.

He feuded with Ted DiBiase in Louisiana and then became a heel in the "Varsity Club."

Also had a feud with Terry Gordy and also a successful run as a tag team champion with him.

Eddie Guererro

Another one of those matches I wished I could have seen. Actually, these two men would have made great partners as a tag team or in an alliance.

Guerrero was so fluid in the ring, moving from legs to arms to head. It was more ballet than anything else.

And his ability to use the ring ropes would have been great to see if he could have used the "Frog Splash" on Punk.

Greg Valentine

Slow and deliberate. Just like a turtle.

Valentine was a great mid card champion in both the NWA and WWF.

His shots to the chest were solid and he was known as a hard worker who perfected his craft.

Scott Hall

Remember this guy?

A former AWA tag team champion with Curt Hennig and a Florida Heavyweight Champion in Tampa.

Hall went to the WWF and became Razor Ramon.

THIS guy could give Punk a match to remember.

Curt Hennig

He was such a great worker. Ric Flair said when he was at his best, he was one of the Top 10 best wrestlers ever.

Hennig was a great singles or tag team competitor. He could make you look your best and your worst in a match.

He was truly one of the greatest.

Hulk Hogan

Let me tell you something, Brother.

This match does not sit well with me.

Hogan was not a great wrestler, he was a performer. Punk can do both.

Once Hogan slowed down, could he really handle Punk's all around mat game?

The Iron Sheik

The man was a beast.

He could mat wrestle and was trained by Verne Gagne.

He was a gimmick in the WWF, but in other promotions, he was a regional champion.

Let's see if he could put the "Camel Clutch" on Punk.

Jack Brisco

Some argue he was he best technical wrestler to ever put on a pair of boots.

Brisco was so smooth in the ring and a great showman.

He and his brother Gerald were world tag champions as well.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts

He was a good regional wrestler before he came to the WWF. He was a tag team partner of Barry Windham and later feuded with him in Florida.

Roberts allowed his demons to get the best of him while under the guide of Kevin Sullivan. And for years he allowed demons to take control of everything he did in and out of the ring.

He is a contrast in style than Punk.

Jushin "Thunder" Liger

I never saw him before he was in WCW and when he was on, there was always magic.

Liger could mat wrestle, fly through the air or chain wrestle with the best of them.

His style would compliment Punk's skills.

Kevin Von Erich

Kerry would have been an obvious choice. But Kevin Von Erich was the best chain wrestler of the Von Erich boys and he was better than people give him credit for.

Von Erich's "barefoot drop kid" was powerful and his leg locks left opponents screaming for release.

Ivan Koloff

The man who spoke in broken English and was a former WWF world title holder was best known for causing havoc in the NWA with his "nephew" Nikita.

Koloff, an undersized villain, was great at bearing down on his opponents and making them weak with the knee behind the back of the head off the top rope.

Kurt Angle

He is one of the few "current" wrestlers I put on here.

Angle is one of the Top 20 of all time. He is still kicking ass at 43 and it would be great to see him in a series with Punk and the contrasting styles.

It would be EPIC!

Lex Luger

He had one of the best bodies in wrestling. Period.

Luger was a muscle-bound god who used the torture rack to beat his opponents.

I see him trying that and getting a GTS instead.

Magnum TA

This is another one we would have never known about.

TA was good looking, a great technical wrestler and wonderful on the mic.

His injuries in a car wreck took him out of action too soon.

It may have been a great feud.

Rick Martel

A former AWA world title holder. He was the excellence in execution. He was a great chain wrestler and could mat wrestler better than most.

His WWF character would have been great in an angle with Punk.

Mr. McMahon

I had to put this one in here, mainly because it never got to this point.

But what if it had?

McMahon could hold his own in the ring and taking on his "newest" problem child would have been great.

I think the style of fight would have been much different than the one with Steve Austin.

The Great Muta

Muta came to the states with Gary Hart to battle Sting, Lex Luger and Ric Flair. Along his travels, he fought Sting and Barry Windham and gave the wrestlers from the orient some real exposure. He also won the NWA World Title.

Punk's style and martial arts background would be great against Muta and a match like this would garner "instant classic" status.

Kendo Nagasaki

Another wrestler chosen to battle the great Dusty Rhodes.

The master of the Kendo Stick and the green mist.

I just loved seeing him in action.

Owen Hart

Personally, I think if Hart had lived to see his 40's he would have been better than his brother, Brett.

A great technical wrestler who could mix it up. He was good both as a heel and face.

You have to wonder what could have been.

Pat Patterson

One of the all-time greats in the WWF.

Patterson was a fixture in the 1970s before the Hulk Hogan era began.

It would be interesting to see how he would fare with a more agile and faster opponent.

Paul Orndorff

If Barry Windham got screwed out of more success because of Ric Flair, then Paul Orndorff can say the same thing about Hulk Hogan.

A great performer in the NWA before he moved north, Orndorff was a chiseled god in the ring and powerful as anyone.

He and Punk could have a feud for the ages.

Pedro Morales

He was a WWF world title holder and one of the most beloved wrestlers in the WWF before the Hulkamania era.

Morales defeated Ivan Koloff to win WWF gold.

A great technical wrestler who could mix it up as well.

Randy Savage

I would have wanted to see Savage in his prime try and beat the snot out of Punk.

Both are brash and arrogant and would talk each other to death.

It also could have signaled the changing of the guard in professional wrestling.

Ric Flair

In the mid 1980s this would have been one of the best matchups in wrestling.

Flair's brash heel style would attract a smile and a laugh from Punk.

Then, the two could put on a 60-minute clinic.

Rick Rude

OK, all we would need to see is Rude come out in a pair of tights and that chiseled body and try to show up Punk.

And then, it would be on.

Rude was such a great performer in the ring. This could be a classic as well.

Roddy Piper

The man with the gift for gab was also a great in-ring performer in the NWA, WWF and WCW.

He is one of the all-time best.

He and Punk would wage a war of words first and then after about 30 minutes, get down to business.

Buzz Sawyer

Sawyer lived his life on the edge, a stark contrast to Punk.

He nearly killed himself in a feud with Tommy Rich in the early 1980s. He knows a thing or two about feuds and giving everything every night.

He and Punk would put on a show.

Shawn Michaels

When Shawn Michaels was cocky, slick and arrogant, he was at his best.

This is one of those matches we can only dream of and hope for.

But it will never happen.

Ricky Steamboat

He is such a great in-ring performer (Ric Flair's best competition).

Steamboat has been a WCW world title holder. He is one of the most skilled ever.

The two would clash like Steamboat and Savage at WrestleMania.

Sting

This one could still happen.

In 1988 the man with the face paint came to WCW and lit it on fire. And he still sets arenas ablaze.

Can he have the same firepower as he did 20 years ago in a match with Punk's skills?

We may get to see that very soon.

Kevin Sullivan

Do people know how good a competitor in the ring he was in the early 1980s?

Sullivan was short, squatty and mean and could wrestle a bear if he had to.

He would try to wear Punk down and ride him to a victory.

Tito Santana

He never has a bad match. He is the consummate professional. A former Intercontinental champion and world tag team winner.

It would be great to see him in a 60-minute match with Punk.

Tully Blanchard

He was such an important part of the Four Horsemen. Whether a tag team champion with Arn Anderson or a singles champion facing Dusty Rhodes, he brought it every night.

He was the type of wrestler that would not quit until the opponent was beaten and battered.

And his comrades would be there if need be.

Ultimate Warrior

He was one of the most popular faces in the Hulk Hogan era.

He would come to the ring, shake the ropes and push his weight around. He was limited and he was a great show.

But can he really keep up with the style of Punk?

Jesse Ventura

You could not have this list without "The Body."

Jesse was one of the most obscure wrestlers in history. He was big, powerful and a great part of wrestling history.

Jesse would love to get into a situation like this. Punk is a great talker and yes somewhat flamboyant.

The past meets the future.