CM Punk famously left the WWE partly due to not being given the spot in the main event of Wrestlemania. The former WWE Champion held the biggest championship in the company for a record 434 days yet was never given the baton as the face of the company.
That was instead given to John Cena. The 16 time champion was treated as a bigger deal than Punk during the legendary title reign. He regularly main evented pay per views and was given additional perks, like TV shows and movie roles, while CM Punk was looked over and considered a second-class wrestler.
This was exemplified at two Wrestlemania events. At Wrestlemania 28, CM Punk was in the middle of his WWE title reign and should have been the number one man in the company. However, the dream match between John Cena and The Rock took the main event away from him, and instead Punk defended his title against Chris Jericho in an undercard bout.
The next year at Wrestlemania 29, the same thing happened. CM Punk was put in a match against The Undertaker, vying to be the first man to beat The Deadman at Wrestlemania. They tied in the real-life death of The Undertaker’s manager, Paul Bearer, and helped make it the hottest feud going into the event. However, Punk lost the WWE Championship at the 2013 Royal Rumble to The Rock, leading to yet another Rock vs Cena match to steal his place in the Wrestlemania Main Event.
However, despite saying different in the Colt Cabana podcast, CM Punk now thinks he did main event Wrestlemania – in a way. His match vs The Undertaker was the best match on the card and one of the best WWE matches in history. You can click here to read about that match.
Because the match was the best match on the card by far, CM Punk says he did main event Wrestlemania. While traditionally the main event is considered to be the final match on the card, he claims that his match was the main event because it had the best story and his performance was so good (“I was a man fucking possessed) that they should have “went home” after that match because it was impossible to follow.
Speaking with Jeffrey Harris for the 411 Wrestling Interviews Podcast, CM Punk said.
“I think the last one I did, was it [WrestleMania] 29? Against Undertaker. Just given all the circumstances leading up to that and everything that happened after it. You know, to me that’s the most defining punk rock moment of my entire career…I was a man fucking possessed, and I somehow simultaneously didn’t give a fuck and cared way too much at the same time.”
“And I went out there and I fucking absolutely destroyed it. And they couldn’t follow me, no matter what they said. People still to this day will be like, ‘Oh you never main evented WrestleMania.’ And I say yes I did. Yes I did. Because it’s that one. You should’ve just packed it up and fucking went home after that, you know?”
it’s good that CM Punk can move past his previous insecurities and see the value in the work that he did, without need the express approval from Vince McMahon. That match with the Undertaker was incredible if it was on first, last or in the middle and will go down as one of the best matches in WWE history.
Where do you rank CM Punk’s main event match (allegedly) with The Undertaker? Let us know in the comments or click here to read about why AEW fired CM Punk.