Who Screwed Up the Summer of CM Punk in WWE?

As CM Punk is making headlines these days (maybe not for the right reasons), we look back at the time WWE had potential gold in their hands ... only for them to squander it away. From the Pipebomb to Money in the Bank, Summerslam to Survivor Series and all points in-between, we look back at the 2011 Summer of Punk!
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[@WrestlingWithWregret]

ALL MY WRESTLER RETROSPECTIVES! kzbin.info/aero/PLdy7NPpr-Icxk08WVNWy_hh-Ay68Y5R_u

[@Ruben-to9yk]

2011-2012 were weird years and wasted potential. Edge's sudden retirement. Cena just hanging around feuding with people counting the days till Rock stopped filming movies. Summer of Punk derailed by making Punk lose to HHH and fueding with Kevin Nash of all people. Christian being Orton's bitch never beating him when it really counts. Awesome Truth splitting before they really took off as a tag team. Laurinaitis as GM. The career murder of Zack Ryder Jericho not winning the Rumble (Still mad about that one!) Bryan losing in 18 seconds Cena beating Brock on his return

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Z True Long Island Story was hilarious on KZbin

[@unstablebrother]

But Bryan losing in 18 seconds made sense in the end

[@joshgallie1543]

@@unstablebrother again with this shit. No it doesn't

[@addi543]

Iirc, Awesome Truth ended because of R-Truth getting busted for drugs. In regards to Cena beating Lesnar in his first match back, I argue that was an “insurance policy”, don’t want Brock going over all of your top guys, then deciding to say, “Hey, I’m bored, maybe I’ll try hockey this time” and leave without putting anyone over or “making” anyone again (and I argue Brock leaving in 04 was what caused them to adopt their “we don’t make stars, the WWE brand is the star” philosophy)

[@MetalMadness_00]

Least AJ Brooks was doing good for herself

[@LoganProductions54]

14:00 Not gonna lie, I always dug this opening where Triple H tried to run a two hour show with just six wrestlers, it had a fun vibe to it and I wish it lasted longer.

[@gabepollock1641]

It was a clever way of dealing with the reality that such a situation would have caused. The humor between Triple H and Punk coupled with the earnestness that HHH had for being a man of many hats created an all-around great segment.

[@michaelbecker2435]

honestly I think all 4 guys played a part Seamus and cena get over looked but they had a couple good bits as well.

[@Badusername2000]

i would watch that, everyone wrestles everyone, everyone gets a shot at commentary and being a ref, it couldn't fill 2 hours but it would be fun

[@austinleach1307]

I decided to revisit this storyline last year, and something that stuck out to me that you didn’t mention: Punk felt less biting, and what didn’t help was people stopped being insulted by what he had to say. When Punk went after Vince, Vince sat there fuming and ready to wring his neck. When Punk went after HHH, HHH stood there in smug indifference as if to say “I know I have all the real power here so your insults mean nothing”, at most HHH just got catty back. Even look at just Cena! That pre-MITB contract signing? Sure, he mostly ignored Punk, but eventually Punk got him to break with the Yankees line. The pre-Summerslam signing? Cena sits there and says “fine speech”. You can’t sell Punk as this edgy Voice of the Voiceless saying the truths everyone else is afraid to say if nobody is treating what he’s saying as a big deal.

[@austinleach1307]

@KZbin Viewer Bruh, it’s a storyline. It always has been. And those HHH promos sucked and killed the angle.

[@radicalstanza3614]

@KZbin Viewer lol, please

[@imaratspal]

@KZbin Viewer They're only truth if you want them to be truth. That Triple H is this big shot making decisions, so he knows better and people can't complain about it because they all wish they were big shots like him and Punk just complains because he wants all of the attention. Punk complains because the show sucked, his ideas for what he wants for his character were being ignored. Maybe there's some correlation there? How about you give the guy a shot and find out? Why is Triple H even trying to put himself over the more active wrestlers who actually have a future, not building them up? Makes little sense.

[@LukeLeonettiYouTube]

“Fine speech” is Cena’s way of going “I have been bested and am unable to come up with a proper response”

[@radicalstanza3614]

@KZbin Viewer No, it's him ramping up to deliver exactly that.

[@Pentarax]

I've noticed that after the Attitude Era, Vince seemed to have this weird insecurity about anyone getting bigger than the company. Like, Hogan became bigger than any promotion in the 90s and The Rock became bigger than wrestling entirely in the 00s; as soon as Punk threatened to eclipse the WWE that summer, they overbooked everything around him and it dragged him back down. More recently, they did the same thing with Becky Lynch. After *that Survivor Series build* and the Royal Rumble when she went white hot...they promptly overbooked it. Vince got involved, Stephanie got involved, Charlotte Flair got thrown in, we had numerous fake-outs and other shenanigans and even everything after the Mania win was overbooked and bloated. (Mad props to Cena for managing to make the jump to Hollywood the way he has.)

[@DeadmanInc336]

You can also chalk it up to Brock, Rock, Austin, and Goldberg all leaving one after another after WrestleMania 20. He probably figures: "Well, fuck it! If there's a chance any of these guys are gonna leave me, I'm not gonna invest in them." And I don't think he ever let that go. And ever since then, nobody is allowed to get over unless the boss says so.

[@jeffcherubin9073]

It's funny you mention John Cena making the jump to Hollywood seeing how he could have a career outside of WWE while pointing out Vince having said weird insecurity about anyone getting bigger than the company. I think Cena's the rare exception because of the timing. as Cena was fully transitioning to Hollywood, Vince was working on making Roman the next top guy . It's like Vince (in his mind) knew history was low-key repeating but I think this time was like, "Fine, I'll live with it," It also helps that Cena comes back from time to time unlike the previous departures some of which were acrimonious

[@DeadmanInc336]

@@jeffcherubin9073 plus Cena put in the time. He was 'the guy' for nearly a decade in WWE, whereas somebody like The Rock for example was only the top draw for a few years. A'lot of people forget that Rock had an astonishingly short wrestling career before he left for Hollywood full time.

[@jeffcherubin9073]

​@@DeadmanInc336 You're right about that and yeah, it was short.

[@retroradiationkingofvideog8526]

Yeah I noticed it too like he so scared that if he push other wrestlers they would go Hollywood or worse join other competitions which have happened before multiple times like the rock going full time hollywood and hullk hogan gong to wcw, the problem is no matter what all this would happened eventually so vince was in a constant panic if this was the case

[@patrickjspoon]

The moment you referenced Vince getting squashed by the collapsing set I yelled "PAUL! I CAN'T FEEL MY LEGS!" I fear that OSW has ruined me

[@elneco4654]

PAAAAAAHHH*

[@Drummerboy_marc]

Pahhhh

[@addi543]

I’ve long since theorized that The Miz was originally meant for Punk’s spot (the guy holding the WWE Title under Cena’s shadow in 2012 while John is outside the title picture) with how hard he was pushed from John Morrison’s also-ran tag partner to WWE Champion in a little over a year (rubbing elbows with the celebrity guest hosts, getting the most promo time outside of Cena/Orton/etc., holding the US, Tag Titles and winning MitB in under a year). But Miz being overshadowed by Cena/Rock (which Punk avoided and even owned Rock on the mic in the build to their Royal Rumble ‘13 match) and the awful Cena/Miz WrestleMania XXVII match caused them to write Miz off as a failure and they turned to Punk and let him cut the Pipebomb. There was never any intention of making Punk THE GUY imo, they just went with him because the guy they originally wanted wasn’t able to grab their so called BRASS RING.

[@Lunacorva]

Okay, that's a nice theory and all, but the problem with that idea... is that it make WAY TOO MUCH SENSE.

[@LoganHunter82]

@@Lunacorva Lol

[@SevenHunnid]

Bro, I’m 20 years old & mexican , grinding hard to get out the hood, I can’t be 30 with nothing to show for so i smoke weed on my youtube channel 😂🤒🤒

[@JeremyBearimy913]

Nope. Cena was gonna hold the belt all the way up to WM28 and defend it against The Rock. Putting the belt on Punk just gave WWE an excuse to do Rock-Cena twice.

[@amysmileyreid95]

That’s a very fair assumption

[@DeadmanInc336]

Bottom line is this: WWE never wanted Punk in the first place. And since day one it was going to be an uphill struggle with Triple H and Michaels snickering and burying him backstage, management trying to cut off his nuts out from under him, and trying to screw him out of every single outside opportunity possible.

[@wstine79]

I will say I did enjoy it some of the things that you started after before you left. He brought the SHIELD, introduced Brian Danielson to the mainstream, and gave Undertaker an awesome pay-per-view match.

[@wstine79]

🎵 "Look at the Zane. What do you see? He's talking about Punk in WWE. It's about his summer Where He's the Champ. And how Vince squander that opportunity."

[@Ezoogie]

Man that was a stretch

[@lampini]

baby face/rebel COO HHH is the most unbelievable thing ever when we all know how HHH made his way up the ranks in WWE

[@scottotd]

It's the only funny part about the last 75 DX reunions though

[@wrestlingbuff87]

Between the Summer of Punk, the Nexus angle the year prior and Zack Ryder getting buried later on, everything was why I would always laugh when I would see people talking about how angles or superstars should be booked because those three were always my go to for why invest any effort knowing nothing was going anywhere substantial while under Vince. Now, that he's gone... Im genuinely interested more so than I ever have been in the booking of angles and talent knowing they're be treated with care under Triple H.

[@scottotd]

Those examples, Bryan only getting a push because they had no other option and soooo many NXT guys getting nothing on the main roster is why I gave up.

[@michaelsinger4638]

Yeah it took basically a fan revolt, plus Punk walking out of WWE, plus Batista getting such backlash that they had to turn him heel, for them to FINALLY push Bryan.

[@mrdude88]

@@Sky_Blaze Bro, you don’t even watch wrestling anymore. You’re making opinion based off of cliff note reviews on KZbin shows.

[@natashaaston1328]

@@scottotd I slowly got chipped away at nxt call by nxt call up. Shayna was the last straw I think

[@davidcameron8870]

nexus and ryder arent material for maint eventers.

[@ItsTheFizz]

The RAW walkout felt like Vince having a moan about Occupy Wall Street

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Or the NBA Lockout

[@enigmaskull3495]

Considering his track record, wouldn’t surprise me.

[@outlawrip-offartist4161]

@@claymathewselevator8121 Also I remember at at that time the NFL went on a short-term strike around the same time too. So there was a lot of inspiration around that time for the raw workout.

[@TheCholopolo209]

When you think about the summer of Punk. CM Punk - gone Vince McMahon - gone John Laurinaitis - gone Albert Del Rio - gone Kevin Nash - gone (legends deal) John Cena - semi retired Only Triple H remains from that group. Strange when you think about all the big names gone, especially during the 'budget cuts'

[@wisewolftony]

At least with most all of them it's a good thing they are gone. Vince was an out of touch crazy old man who no longer knew how to book a product for the modern times. Johnny Ace was a bozo who had a shitty eye for talent thinking only guys like 6'5 or taller with muscles were worth signing. ADR was never a draw his character was pretty dull and he was just an average wrestler compared to who WWE has now on the roster. And Nash had zero business being involved in anything back then much less now.

[@Whatabozo9]

Punk's back

[@TheCholopolo209]

@@Whatabozo9 a year ago he wasn't though

[@Whatabozo9]

@@TheCholopolo209 yeah but he is now

[@PunksInVegas]

Still can't get over how the Summer of Punk in WWE fizzled out with Kevin Nash having "texted himself" in the end

[@apersononyoutube1994]

One upside to the Johnny Ace/Punk storyline: there was a bit where Punk had a compliation of Ace's greatest hits to the tune of Stan Bush's The Touch and it was so funny

[@claymathewselevator8121]

I loved that

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Whenever I hear that song I think of that video

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Road Dogg also returned to award him Slammy before

[@MrPie]

What I feel gets often overlooked is the fact that Punk, given a setback or two, became one of the most established stars on the roster before the Pipe Bomb. Even if some folks felt skeptical of his character, Punk had a push that felt mostly organic up to 2011--ECW title, two Money in the Banks, a babyface and heel run as world champion, etc. So it's not like the Pipe Bomb was a risk with a questionable talent. If they had enough faith in Punk and gave him a main event run, then who knows. Cena could have been like Steve Austin, and Punk could have been like The Rock. But the company just went back to their old formulaic ways with overexposed talent.

[@Romchikthelemon]

Seems like you're too young to understand where you're wrong. Those wrestlers are from different planets.

[@davidcameron8870]

punk could have been overexposed and it would be the same complaint as always

[@comixproviderftw_02]

“That young kid Triple H DEFINITELY needed the win there”. 😂

[@kenterminateddq5311]

I can't wait until Zane & Wrestling With Wregret covers "The Walkout Of Steve Austin (or Sasha Banks & Naomi)".

[@claymathewselevator8121]

I like what Smart Mark Sterling idea was on Matt Cardona’s MC True Long Island Story podcast that the Raw On Strike should’ve just aired local talent matches all night 😂

[@ivaneurope]

Johnny Ace's arc (from his introduction as an on-air character til his 'dismissal' at No Way Out in 2012) was somewhat similar to Jonathan Coachman's back in 2006 - a buffer authority figure, a stooge for the babyfaces to foil his schemes.

[@ThePrince63357]

Coachman did have more personality tho

[@charleszulas4021]

I was at No Way Out, that main event was hard to sit through.... Boring

[@claymathewselevator8121]

@@charleszulas4021 Tyrus, Matt Cardona, Alex Riley, Santino and Kofi Kingston helping John Cena win 😂

[@claymathewselevator8121]

@@ThePrince63357 A broomstick has more personality than John Laurinaitis

[@Romchikthelemon]

Can't stand both of them.

[@wormwoodnowa]

Just want to say your oratory style and pacing is great. Keeps it moving while going into detail!

[@Denji2006]

I think they just didn't want "the new Stone Cold" to be someone like Punk and when they realized what was happening while apparently not getting along with some people backstage, they had to murder the momentum. He got the belt, but he was never the anti-authority rebel to the levels of Stone Cold in that era.

[@GetBenched2010]

Because Punk was never, ever over.

[@ghosttornado]

@@GetBenched2010 you have to be a real loser to try and do historical revisionism about wrestling lil bro

[@LukeLeonettiYouTube]

I was but a mere 11 year old watching all of this. Even though it’s aged so badly, it holds a special place in my heart because I watched it nonstop and it was probably the first year I remember watching all of the time

[@ktownshutdown21]

This aged interestingly over the week, LMAO

[@skull902]

Imagine if they had actually let Punk defend the WWE Title in ROH, or an event like Wrestle Kingdom. _Astronomically_ unlikely, but something (particularly the latter) I'd still love to see one day.

[@AlexSpalex1]

WWE should have brought back the ice cream bars.

[@Mxyz]

Hunter should bring them back now just to spite punk 😂

[@riotd.r.8363]

They kind of did, but it was a half-assed attempt

[@kidvillain188]

I remember they made Ice Cream sandwiches a few years ago.

[@jahdorose8659]

They contract deal with that ice cream company probably ran out

[@justinditzler4168]

Couldn't afford them, Vince was spending all his $$$ to keep people quiet lmaooo

[@johndonald9239]

After winning the title at Survivor Series 2011, CM Punk got main event only 5 ppvs although being champion for over a year.

[@jbtreshawn]

and i think 3 of them involved Cena

[@jimmysdadgoingcrazy]

Cuz he doesn’t draw

[@scottotd]

@@jimmysdadgoingcrazyHe wasn't given a chance to draw, you can't make your champ and afterthought and then blame people for seeing your champ as an afterthought. They did the same to Bret

[@ryanodonovan9497]

@@jbtreshawn And with the other two Pay-Per-Views, John Cena just wasn't there. That is unless he was being literal with his catchphrase.

[@michaelsinger4638]

A WWE title match between Punk vs. Daniel Bryan did not main event one PPV, because Cena vs. freaking Johnny Ace did. Absurd.

[@Thecallmemisterajp]

Yeah Rock/Cena definitely should’ve headlined Mania, but I always thought they kinda missed the boat on doing a Team Cena vs Team Rock Survivor Series match, with Punk being on one of the teams. Could’ve not just given Punk the rub, but also guys like Ryder, maybe Dolph, and Bryan and others, plus Punk’s interaction with Cena and Rock would’ve been great TV.

[@Osterergerbanta]

What an amazing time for this video to be released. Now, I'm gonna just wait for the inevitable "CM Punk in AEW" video

[@EncinoDude]

He doesn’t make negative video’s about AEW, he doesn’t wanna lose the paycheck from Tony

[@Osterergerbanta]

@@EncinoDude he literally made a video criticizing AEW 2 weeks ago

[@BoneSoldier666]

@@EncinoDude nah but like do you really think TK is paying wrestling with wregret??

[@Supreme_Cipher]

That Pipebomb Promo was a Huge Work.

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Night Of Champions not being main evented by a championship match oh the irony

[@rhedosaurus2251]

You know who CM Punk reminds me of? Jason David Frank: AKA Tommy from the Power Rangers franchise. Let me explain. 1. Both are loved by a lot of people due to the good memories they gave the fanbase. 2. Yet, they also piss off a lot of people due to their behavior behind the scenes and often in public. 3. They can't go a year without either causing controversy or controversy somehow crashing into them. 4. They both claim to be moral upstanding people, yet their claims are questionable for the last two reasons.

[@BabysitterSky]

Lol this is actually pretty spot on.

[@TheOtakuKat]

Difference is Jason David Frank has a actual win record.

[@jaredthehawk3870]

Funny enough JDF publically threw his name in the hat for Punk's first MMA opponent. Probably would have been a major money maker. Result would have been the same though most likely.

[@TheOtakuKat]

@@jaredthehawk3870 If I recall Punk dissed JDF for the challenge as well.

[@TheLandofObscusion]

The funniest thing of all is that, depending on what Punk says on AEW following his burial by Moxley on Dynamite to unify the AEW World Titles, this could become even more true! JDF just this past weekend at Power Morphicon told his own fans that he's now leaving the Green Ranger behind, saying that "it's time to grow up" & to start telling "darker" stories (i.e. he's creating his own "original work, do not steal"). Even if it doesn't happen right away, there is the chance that Punk, should he let his ego blow up too much again (anyone remember his "I never main evented WrestleMania, so my entire wrestling career was worthless" rant not long after he left WWE?) I could easily see him do something similar to what JDF just did.

[@PUCKTHEGREATEST]

the ending of this vid is so crazy to me now, this was RIGHT before brawl out, way before brawl in, & way before his return to wwe. so much changed

[@CDL237]

Most memorable part of the storyline was Booker T explaining he got up during the walkout because he had to go to the bathroom

[@claymathewselevator8121]

I remember that 🤣

[@punklover99]

This whole thing is like Homer trying to jump the gorge, a cool idea that took off well and then just kept getting worse

[@claymathewselevator8121]

He did say Charles Montgomery Punk 😂

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Or the episode where Lisa becomes a vegetarian and the pig keeps flying away “It’s just a little airborne but it’s still good”

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

Let’s not forget that although Punk had the same storyline in ROh, wwe did a very similar storyline 2 years ago with Tommy dreamer with his contract expiring and he needing to win a title to keep his work in wwe Just like 2011 and 2013 summerslam s it had the same results

[@EmaGuzman]

I remember that storyline, Guillermo. Sadly, we all know that ECW didn't have a chance to compete agaist RAW and SmackDown even when they could. Take for example Kane. I think that he could have been a great ECW Champion since he proved that he could be hardcore like in 2003, and what happened? He won the title in 8 seconds at WM, defended it agaist Chavo Guerrero at Backlash, then only teamed up with Punk at Judgment Day, an then, at One Night Stand, the PPV where Kane could prove that he was capable of go to the extreme to defend the ECW Championship, wasn't even booked for the PPV, just staring at the TV when Big Show became the N° 1 Contender, and then, lost the ECW Title at Night of Champions getting pinned, never got his rematch and then turning heel. A wasted oportunity to build back the ECW Championship and Kane's credibility. They had the chance, but didn't even bother... And talking about Dreamer, in his case, the only highlight of him winning the title was the match where he won it, wich to me was good, even the match was called a Hardcore Match, even when WWE did't want to use that term anymore, and using it again at Battleground 2013. But after that, nothing happened sadly. He retained the title agaist Christian in a random RAW match where the other 2 world titles where on the line that night with better matches, and on top of that they made him lose the championship back to Christian at Night of Champions, in freaking Philadelphia!! And the thing that angers me the most was that WWE totally wasted their rematch, making it an Extreme Rules Match, wich was great, to take place at ECW, only to give us at SummerSlam a match between Christian and William Regal that only lasted 8 seconds. To me, that Extreme Rules Match between Dreamer and Christian should've been at SummerSlam, but again, totally wasted... WWE had chances to build back the ECW Title and brand after having Vince as champion, and let's not forget the Benoit tragedy, since I also think that Benoit as champion could've been great. They had champions like Morrison, Punk, Kane, Matt Hardy and Christian, but all of them were at the back seat and that was frustrating. I started watching WWE on a regular basis in 2009, and I have to say that even if it wasn't perfect, I really enjoyed Christian's reign, but the problem was that his matches, wich were great only happened on TV, never on PPV. The only time the ECW Championship got a better match than the WWE or World Heavyweight Championships was at TLC 2009, where the Ladder Match between Christian and Shelton Benjamin stole the show, over the Tables Match for the WWE Championship between John Cena and Sheamus (I admidt, I don't like Tables matches), and the Chairs Match between The Undertaker and Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship, and even the TLC Match between Jeri-Show and DX for the Unified Tag Team Championship. But sadly, by the time the Ladder Match, the writing was on the wall. I hope Brian see this comment and give his opinion about that. Hope you all have a great day

[@twkreviews6683]

I still remember watching this storyline play out in real time and being so confused with every passing week.

[@mattm7798]

Great video. This could have been the start of a new boom period. It's hard to understate how white hot of a babyface Punk was after the pipebomb promo. You had legit sports websites commenting on it. There was an energy in wrestling we hadn't seen since 1998. They could have milked him being the real champion for at least 5-6 months, more if they did it perfectly....but no, they had Cena win the title right back and Punk return. That right there was the beginning of the end. They had lightning in a bottle and Vince just couldn't help himself and return to the the very thing Punk was railing against. This is what happened when Vince had no real competition. I have little doubt Austin would have never become what he did if WCW wasn't pressuring him to win. Brian said it...it was possibly the worst booking move in the last 20 years(and that includes forcing Roman Reigns down everyone's throat that even the Rock couldn't help him).

[@Cruz0881]

Really thought my AirPods died when Brian cut his own mic

[@AsparagusVideo]

Still blows my mind how it went from Punk/Cena... to Punk/Vince... to Punk/HHH... to HHH/Nash.

[@elbermoramontero2769]

And now he's all out of AEW...can't wait for that Punk on AEW video

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Today is your lucky day 😂

[@ramontorres8424]

And now we wait for that "CM Punk in AEW: What went wrong" video.

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Today your wait is over 😂

[@Adyman182]

Now do "How CM Punk screwed up the AEW Summer of Punk" or simply "The Fall of Punk"

[@comixproviderftw_02]

Give it about a year and half.

[@wisewolftony]

@@attiepollard7847 Honestly even if you take out the locker room part of it. I'm sure Punk would still be in the same situation. You would need to suspend him for what he did at the scrum not that it would really matter if you did or not seeing how regardless he would be off TV for the next 6 to 8 months with his latest injury. Hard for me to have any Sympathy for Punk in this situation. As this all started because Page had one sentence in his promo that Punk didn't know about. That literally nobody thought anything of the line. Yet it angered Punk so much that he felt he had to go off script as well to put down Page in a much worse way. Which then lead to all these journalist speculating as to what the beef is between the two. IDK if the EVP's actually leaked anything to the press as all the journalist say they never got any info from them. Which even if they did get the info from them why couldn't Punk have just gone to Khan or any other higher up and told them about it and let them handle it. Instead he had to go totally scorched earth and make the entire locker room and promotion seem like they were bush league.

[@whodatboi2567]

Funny thing is that, with the proper writing and handling, the WWE becoming an unsafe workplace could have been a natural story progression. It could have been a result of Punk's attempts to revolutionise the WWE having the unintended consequence of creating chaos as the heels could see that extreme means to get their voices heard could work.

[@PaddyDukess]

Been waiting on this video for some time! Glad it’s here and it’s wonderfully done as with all your content!

[@tinotica]

I’ve missed Wrestling With Wregret episodes. I’m hoping we can eventually get one for The Lex Express, WWE in 1995, heel Michael Cole, and the Raw Guest Host era

[@claymathewselevator8121]

The Summerfest- Jeremy Piven

[@tinotica]

@@claymathewselevator8121 yep. He could do a top 16 worst guest host countdown. There’s so much to choose from lol

[@claymathewselevator8121]

@@tinotica Honorable mentions would be the good ones 😂

[@tinotica]

@@claymathewselevator8121 so Bob Barker and (surprisingly) the Muppets 😂

[@fro-zone2k]

@@tinoticaThe heel Michael Cole is the one I have been waiting for a long time and still waiting.

[@Guz1316]

Well done! I couldn’t stop laughing at the part when they have the skeleton crew on Raw. I kept rewinding your video and laughing at your comments.

[@claytonrios1]

"What made Steve Austin famous was beating up a clueless, inept millionaire." That hits so much harder now. I miss you Punk.

[@Gurziak]

Based Comrade Austin sticking it to the upper class. Austin being a commie is now canon. Whoever thumbs up this comment is deserves a helicopter ride like their commie friends.

[@Dwainecurtis2001]

The problem was they did that angle multiple times with different people.

[@DasNordlicht91]

With increasingly diminishing returns, too.

[@JamesKlemm87]

@@DasNordlicht91 I mean, beating up your boss is kind of a one note story so it's not surprising it only worked once.

[@TravisBroski]

@@Gurziak Ol’ Stone Cold gonna unionize the means of production, WHAT?

[@scorpionqueen11]

I always wait a lil while to revisit your channel so I can binge your new content. Lol. Thanks for another great video!

[@misfit_kev]

Been waiting for this video since I found the channel in 2017, excellent job Brian!

[@ricardonb6375]

I feel that this was taken from the CM Punk retrospective video Zane did with Vee Infuso, unfortunately, it's now removed. I miss that video.

[@Horcrux_maker]

While i appreciate Punk's talent,and his ability to hold a crowd in the palm of his hand,he also strikes me as the type of person who if he's having a bad day everyone else has to have a bad day too,and let's face it,no one likes working with those people

[@punklover99]

Agreed, he's a good worker but has too much of an ego. I really hope his return is much better

[@treyg8148]

Why does 2011 seem like 30 years ago

[@wesleycooper6775]

@6:09 I spat out my drink for that troll comment lmao

[@hurgenflerg2133]

There's nothing WWE hates more than a wrestler who gets over without a push. Then, now, and forever.

[@vanderful2397]

Zane any chance of you creating a playlist for videos like this (like Sting in WWE, Savage in WCW & Authority etc.)

[@fightrudyfight5799]

That H man with the smoke bomb sounds like he ran a little place called Globo Gym 😂😂

[@jwebby85]

“You only want to be the catalyst for change as long as it benefits you. Unless CM Punk is on top, unless he’s “the man”, that’s not enough for you.” -Triple H. It was true in 2011, it’s true in 2022.

[@Evanswift]

That HHH Vince part hits WAAAAAY different in 2024

[@everythingfan9726]

I can’t lie, no matter how bad it may have been the walkout show is one of my favorite episodes of Raw ever. I watched it happen live on my TV and 9 year old me was rolling in my living room floor. That shit was hilarious.

[@brianmfpaul115]

Next 3-5 year video topic: CM Punk in AEW

[@claymathewselevator8121]

1 year 😂

[@supportiveduck]

In a few years we’ll be getting a sequel titled “How AEW screwed up the summer of Punk 2022”

[@wwesvk9958]

You Can even wear my Blazer. IM IN 🤣 14:23

[@washmyhoohah]

8:56 "Skinny fat ass" I honestly cannot tell if that was deliberately stupid or a genuine brain-fart moment

[@tafua_a]

"Skinny fat" is actually a term that exists, the thing is only gym freaks like Triple H ever say something like that.

[@LukeLeonettiYouTube]

@@tafua_a IE, little to no muscle and a gut

[@ryankeefe2102]

According to JR's podcast one of the biggest things Triple H didn't like about Punk was he thought he had a soft oversized ass

[@washmyhoohah]

Wow, I am... learning a lot about this

[@victorolosaurus]

ooh the long awaited on-screen debut of Brian Schiedel, adding another "Face of Brian"

[@djwilson1993]

“SHIT-UHHHH!” 🤣🤣🤣 definitely wasn’t expecting that ending

[@Simouno]

It's funny how MJF went through a similar arc in AEW that involved Punk directly since he went from being the hottest thing in wrestling by simply walking away and when he came back the momentum immediately vanished because the company couldn't capitalize on him being an outsider

[@DrknssRules1]

"Shit-uh!" I'm fucking dead now.

[@dbone3356]

"For nearly 20 years, I've heard a whole lot about CM Punk. Both good and bad." How about indifferent? I took a break from wrestling for about a decade from... Sometime in '07-'08ish for some reason, till WM34. I can't remember my last show, but my first one back was that Mania. There was a large period in between where I had given up on wrestling altogether. I was just really... Disenfranchised. Which was strange to me, since wrestling was a huge part of my life, for most of my life, to just give it up cold turkey. It was actually thanks to KZbin and this channel (and others like it) with the classic reviews and lists that made me remember the good times. So I slowly started getting back into it. Watching reviews of current shows and stuff. Anyway, I was a lapsed wrestling fan when Charles Montgomery Punk was in his heyday. When I was actively watching wrestling, he was either in ROH (which I hadn't heard of). In NWA:TNA which, I wanted to give the benifit of the doubt as it was owned by Jarrett, who I was never a huge fan of, but I knew he was fairly old school, and I mean, it was a NWA affiliate. But also it was on weekly PPV and it's head booker was Russo. In OVW, which I knew about, because, of course, but I didn't have a Blue's Clue how to watch it where I lived, and then ECW, which, I was a fan of the actual company, but after One Night Stand 2: Electric Boogaloo, it went downhill when they brought it back on SciFi and I had no desire to watch the bastardized version. By the time I started paying attention to wrestling again, everyone was talking about how great this guy had been. How he had had a Summer and a pipe bomb and I remember being annoyed because every third wrestling KZbin video (and wrestling article) was "Oh please, won't he come back to save us, and tickle our taints?" I came to the conclusion that even if he was the greatest wrestler in the history of ever, it would be impossible for him to be anywhere near as good as everyone was making him out to be. And I kept going back and forth between wanting him to stay retired forever, because as annoying as it was, it was also quite sad and funny, but also hoping he would, so people would stop whinging about him. Then he came back, and, after a honeymoon period where he had the best match/promo/segment on their shows every week, which, admittedly would be like finding the least smelly turd in the litter box. After he beat the worst World champion since Jinder, and then lost it again in what somehow feels like less time than his MMA career, people are whinging again. *Smoke Bomb!*

[@ryanburke7553]

Nobody really talks enough about just how bad Nash’s hair looked

[@KoolKeithProductions]

I don't really care how it ended, but the Summer of Punk is what got me back into wrestling. I don't recall a damn thing about 2010 WWE, do you? I wasn't watching any shows live and would only view a KZbin clip here and there. But once Punk dropped his infamous Pipe Bomb in the summer of 2011, you bet your azz l was there watching live the next Monday to see what the fallout would be, and l have barely missed a show since.

[@claymathewselevator8121]

You Can Even Wear My Blazer has to be one of all time favorite Triple H quotes 😂

[@gabepollock1641]

The angle that made me a fan of CM Punk and saw me fall in love with wrestling for the first time in my life. Happy to see this covered Brian.

[@ClovissenpaiDotR]

9:40 I hate how the crowd popped for this line because he basically admitted to the crowd that his own movie went straight to DVD after calling HHH out on the Chaperone.

[@TheLibermania]

He shows that he makes fun of himself. Being able to laugh about yourself is a very good trait

[@ClovissenpaiDotR]

@@TheLibermania CM Punk: "Your movie sucked" HHH: "And yours?" CM Punk: "Oh mine sucks too in addition to yours" crowd explodes... ???

[@TheLibermania]

@@ClovissenpaiDotR Logic reaction to a person who has charisma and disses himself.

[@kevinhenry4047]

9:10 Huh? So Punk is can roast Triple H as much as he wants but Triple H shouldn’t allowed to say anything back?

[@tomg6220]

Correction Daniel couldn't cash in his mitb on punk because at the time there a mitb for smackdown (the world title) and raw (wwe title)

[@omardrabick8323]

It was during this exact time period where the Anonymous Raw General Manager SHOULD HAVE been revealed as John Laurinaitis. What a miracle reveal He could have been, not just to have a culprit to reveal, but it would push Laurinaitis even harder as a credible heel General Manager and explain the entire conspiracy storyline against Triple H as Chief Operating Officer.

[@danielhess1082]

I don't think Daniel Bryan cashing in on Punk was ever on the radar, Bryan's case was specifically designated as being for a shot at the big gold belt World Heavyweight championship. Alberto Del Rios case was designated for the wwe championship

[@forrestcrabbe]

The guy in the commercial before this video started thinks his tesla should have the same insurance cost as a Ford fusion. Delusional. Y'all have a badass day 🤘

[@itsaaron9090]

Does anyone else remember when Raw went on Strike they advertized on Smackdown that Orton and Big Show never walked out and that they would be on Raw and yet they werent

[@mrkipling2201]

The pipebomb promo was the first bit of WWE stuff I'd watched since the peak years of Austin and the attitude era. Apart from this channel, of course!!

[@zyshawnmoore551]

It's funny to look at that walkout segment on raw in August of 2022 as we speak, knowing that Triple H is doing the exact opposite right now 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@duskdragonpip]

So the C.M. stands for Controversy Magnet?

[@RawPiece98]

10:20 and 10:24 there's an audio and video skip. Not sure if it's just on my end.

[@comixproviderftw_02]

Not just you. Weird error.

[@Elementa2006]

From what I remember the ratings for the RAW episode post Money In The Bank 2011 were seen as pretty disappointing by many wrestling news outlets despite seeing a a slight increase compared to the previous week's RAW and people made a big deal about how this was proof an "Indie darling" like CM Punk wasn't a draw as champion. So maybe that played a part.

[@GetBenched2010]

he never drew a dime for Vince, nothing of value was lost by Punk dipping out.

[@Jasonvoorhees57469]

Hearing that verse in the end credits made me think you should put your theme song on bandcamp

[@haroonshah9335]

Bro this is been a video I have been waiting for so loong

[@SirJoelsuf1]

18:40 I'm REALLY sick of this idea that the Invasion was squandered. WWE did the best with what they were given, and guess what? They did, and it wasn't that bad when everything was considered. No one understands that when WCW was at its hottest, its main players were WWE castoffs in their mid 40s. Invasion WCW? Most of it was young dudes, many of them well under 35. There were only two guys who were over 35 during WCWWE: DDP and Booker T, and both of those guys had plenty to offer. What REALLY would have been different if Hogan, Sting, Goldberg, Hall, and Nash were in WWE during the Invasion? What, it would have been more convincing? Those were the same guys we were watching for the last 5-10 years! It would have gotten really boring really quick. The REAL tragedy about the Invasion was WWE still thought it was 1999 at the time.

[@brianmfpaul115]

4 months in the future uploaded "CM Punk in AEW" video

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Today

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

No joke at first I didn’t thought punk returned the following week, I thought it was Andy leavine

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Silent Rage

[@latrelle611]

Are we ever gonna get Brian with a beard again? Looked kool man

[@jordancarter8029]

That colt opening…chef’s kiss my man 😂

[@anthonyjordanmoviesandmore2470]

If you only knew what the future held when you made this video

[@jeremyhegg9367]

It still baffles me how ineptly they screwed this up. Punk returning too soon, losing for 4 months, then still becoming WWE Champion cause everyone else was busy, while if Triple H had lost at Night of Champions, he would've been removed as COO, yet a couple weeks later, after the walkout, he essentially was removed from power anyway, but not as COO mind you, just from being in charge of Raw, gotta make that distinction lol If they could've just shown a little patience. They could've drawn out the tournament a little longer, had Rey Mysterio still get a somewhat short reign, but at least more than a day leading up to a pretty fresh and interesting match with Cena at Summerslam, then had Del Rio cash-in on the winner (presumably Cena) and done all the rest as planned the next couple months minus Punk losing/being the fall guy for the "real stars". Then Punk could return to unify the titles by beating Del Rio at Survivor Series, but since he had never lost since winning at Money in the Bank, it would've made his 434-day reign over 500 days. Then I'd argue he actually beats The Rock at the Royal Rumble and either makes it Punk v. Rock v. Cena at WrestleMania thus giving him the WrestleMania main event he wanted and *maybe* he wouldn't have left in 2014. Or alternately he puts his 600+ day title reign up against Undertaker's 20-0 streak , while Cena and Rock just have a straight rematch. That way you could've added more stakes to Punk v. Undertaker without having to invoke Paul Bearer's death.

[@Albert-lj5jb]

It was a chance to usher in a new era like Hogan did in the 80's, like Austin did in the late 90's, but ultimately, it seems, sponsors were just more important than CM Punk.

[@GetBenched2010]

Punk has always been a bust, nothing of value was lost.

[@JThom529]

@@GetBenched2010 just because you can put up a hate comment just to be contrarian and nothing else, doesn’t mean you should, troll account

[@bruno78392]

@@JThom529 but he is not wrong, outside of the internet marks like yourself, punk was never a draw, that is why cena was maineventing shows

[@BabysitterSky]

I mean... yeah. Sponsors are more important than a mid carder who got a hot for a bit.

[@MoviesWithJosh]

Why is there random breaks?

[@anthonybynum11]

yeah I'm thinking it was a clip of someone he had

[@nexusgiga]

@@anthonybynum11 probably copyright

[@markwrenn5965]

Your text tone sounds just like the jingle at the end of every State Farm commercial.

[@GojiEm]

5:39 It hits even more different after the TKO merger, or maybe just the same but even more vindicating.

[@MikeCappella98]

I'm sorry the opening to the Raw after the walkout always makes me laugh. I always laugh at the "I'm in" when Triple H allows him to wear his blazer. I have no recollection to the rest of the show so maybe its just a small bit of nostalgia (I was 13 when it happened).