CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar was one of the marquee matches at Summerslam 2013.
It can be argued that it was CM Punk’s last great match before he walked out on WWE after the 2014 Royal Rumble.
He battled the Beast, pre-breaking the streak, in a no-holds-barred match that showcased just how amazing wrestling can be.
However, the match was slightly overshadowed by the main event of that night.
John Cena vs Daniel Bryan was the last match on the card and was one of both men’s best matches ever.
This made some people forget just how good Brock Lesnar vs CM Punk was and how the pair had what could be called the best WWE match of all time.
CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar
CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar took place at Summerslam 2013 in a No Disqualification match.
It pitted two former WWE Champions against each other, and came about after Paul Heyman betrayed CM Punk at Money in the Bank 2013 and joined forces with Brock Lesnar to take down The Best in the World.
It featured one of the most interesting and compelling build ups of any match on the card, even more so than Daniel Bryan vs John Cena.
Brock Lesnar vs CM Punk was a classic grudge match between two of the best wrestlers on the planet, who did their best to bring their interpretation of wrestling to the eyes of the thousands of paying fans.
The match was built upon CM Punk’s search for revenge. Not exclusively on Brock Lesnar, but on his former manager and friend Paul Heyman.
Heyman had helped Punk keep his WWE Championship for 434 days, making him the longest reigning WWE Champion of the modern era.
CM Punk initially wanted space from Heyman, who responded in kind by setting Brock Lesnar on Punk, beating down his former friend and aligning himself with the former UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Meanwhile, Lesnar saw another WWE superstar he was to conquer, and someone to beat to prove himself to the a beast in the ring against.
The odds for CM Punk to defeat Brock Lesnar seemed slim. Lesnar was an unstoppable monster who had conquered the world of pro-wrestling and UFC.
Very few could step into the ring with him and walk out of the match by themselves, let alone defeat the man who the next year would end the Undertaker’s undefeated streak at Wrestlemania.
Not only would CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar make you believe that Punk could defeat Lesnar, it made CM Punk look like the biggest star in wrestling, despite how badly WWE fumbled him.
The Match
The match was as fast paced as any. Both men came flying out the blocks, with Lesnar being vicous with his shoulder tackles into the corner.
However, CM Punk quickly took down Lesnar with a succession of high risk moves that knocked the Beast off his feet.
While the contemporary fan may know Brock Lesnar as “the man who does German suplexes and naff all else”, watching this match will open their eyes to just how good a wrestler he is.
His selling for Punk’s flying knees and kicks to the gut are incredible, and he has no qualms of being knocked around by the smaller CM Punk.
The two men’s styles couldn’t be more different, but meshed perfectly. Brock Lesnar was all power and brutality, whilst Punk had to utilise all his cunning and speed to get Lesnar in position to lock in his favoured Anaconda Vice finishing move to try to force Lesnar to tap out.
The match was a symphony of violence, even though the only weapon used in the match a solitary chair. The intensity and hatred from both men turned ever move and every hold into a potential killer blow, with Lesnar tossing around Punk like a rag doll at times.
The match was built brilliantly, with CM Punk having to work as hard as ever to keep the big man down. The duo worked at a lightning quick pace, with every time CM Punk paused for even a second, Brock Lesnar found a way back into the match and punished him for his mistake.
One thread of the match CM Punk’s desire to finally get his hands on Paul Heyman. This played strongly into the end of the match. At one point, Lesnar had CM Punk on his shoulders for the F5, when Punk grabbed the tie of Paul Heyman, who stood on the ring apron as he interfered in the match. As Punk clung, this distracted Brock Lesnar and allowed CM Punk to lift him onto his shoulders and hit him with the dreaded Go to Sleep.
This would have been the end, had Punk’s pin not been split up by Paul Heyman. However, the end would soon come (after CM Punk paid homage to Eddie Guerrero with a DDT off of an F5) when Brock Lesnar would F5 CM Punk onto a chair and still the victory from the best in the world.
For me, CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar was the match of 2013. Both men brought their A game, and it showed just how good Lesnar could be when he really tries in the ring. For me it is a five star match, and Punk’s second best of his career (just behind CM Punk vs The Undertaker and just ahead of CM Punk vs John Cena)
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