CM Punk's return to WWE at the 2023 Survivor Series sent shockwaves through the professional wrestling world.
After one of the messiest divorces in company history, it was thought that Punk would never return to WWE. But when his relationship with AEW soured and Vince McMahon left WWE, things began to turn.
Punk and Triple H apparently patched a decade's worth of hate up during Thanksgiving weekend that year, which prompted the biggest return in wrestling history as "Cult of Personality" blared across the speakers inside Allstate Arena just outside of Chicago.
But, unfortunately for Punk, he would be injured shortly thereafter and miss the chance to compete in his first WrestleMania since 2014.
Now, as WrestleMania 41 is just around the corner, let's take a look back at Punk's career record on the "Grandest Stage of Them All."
CM Punk’s Complete WrestleMania Record
Surprisingly, for being as big of a name as he is, the "Chicago-Made Punk" hasn't had many WrestleMania appearances.
In fact, McMahon himself has had more singles matches (five) than Punk (four). However, Punk has competed seven matches on the biggest stage in professional wrestling. He's under .500 at 3-4 at WrestleManias.
Punk's first three WrestleMania affairs were Money in the Bank ladder matches (back when WWE put the briefcase on the line at WrestleMania, as opposed to its own PLE). He won back-to-back briefcases in 2008 and 2009, becoming the only wrestler to do so.
In 2010, Punk got his first singles match at Mania, losing to Rey Mysterio. Had Punk won, Mysterio would have been forced to join Punk's "Straight Edge Society" stable. The following year, at WrestleMania 27, Punk lost to Randy Orton.
Punk's last two WrestleMania appearances (until 2025), were undoubtedly his highest-profile matches. In 2012, Punk retained the WWE Championship against Chris Jericho and in 2013, Punk lost to The Undertaker, which pushed the Deadman's streak to 21-0.
Punk's most-recent appearance at WrestleMania was in 2024. He wasn't medically cleared to compete, but he did distract Drew McIntyre long enough for Damian Priest to cash in his Money in the Bank contract and win McIntyre's World Heavyweight Championship.
CM Punk's Year-by-Year WrestleMania Matches
CM Punk's Most Iconic WrestleMania Matches
Winning back-to-back Money in the Bank contracts was huge for Punk, as he successfully cashed in both times. In 2008, he became World Heavyweight Champion by pinning Edge and in 2009 he won the same belt by pinning Jeff Hardy.
While there's no shame in losing to Mysterio and Orton, Punk didn't win a singles match at WrestleMania until 2012 when he successfully defended the WWE Championship against Jericho. However, Punk's best Mania match came in 2013 against The Undertaker.
This was the final win in Taker's vaunted WrestleMania winning streak and the performance was excellent and matched the intensity of the build. Punk had been tormenting Undertaker over the (very real) loss of his former manager Paul Bearer, who passed away in March of that year.
Years later, Punk would describe significant backstage tension regarding this match and its placement on the WrestleMania card. While speaking to Colt Cabana on the Art of Wrestling podcast, Punk claimed to be unhappy about his pay for the show, despite management telling him he was in the main event.
This incident wasn't the reason Punk departed from the WWE, but it was certainly one aspect of his complicated and messy divorce from the company in 2014.
Has CM Punk Ever Been in the WrestleMania Main Event?
Despite being one of the most popular professional wrestlers of his era, Punk has yet to be in the main event of WrestleMania.
That changes this year, as Punk will square off with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in a Triple Threat match to close the show on Night 1. His desire to close the show has been worked into the television storyline.
It seemed like Punk was on track for a main event program last year as well, but after tearing his triceps during the 2024 Royal Rumble match, he was forced to miss the event.
His injury is one of the many "butterfly effect" moments in the build to WrestleMania XL, as it was part of the reason the company pivoted to Reigns vs. The Rock in the main event (and subsequently relented and booked Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes in the Night 2 main event).
More WrestleMania on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as CM Punk's Career Results at WrestleMania.
