If CM Punk just took the Triple H match at Wrestlemania 30

[The Rick Jericho]

Does this change the landscape of the company?

Because then we have:

Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan (I believe this was rumored)
Triple H vs. CM Punk (He leaves the company fulfilling his contract, so no bad blood)
Batista vs. Randy Orton (Batista wins the straps)

Therefore we have:

Batista vs. Brock Lesnar for the titles
Shield don't breakup because they wouldn't be busy with Evolution as Batista doesn't turn heel
Daniel Bryan is never elevated

Quite a different world if Punk only accepted the match.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

I think the movement for Bryan getting put into the title match still happens completely independently of Punk leaving or not. They just don’t do the Triple H match first, at least not at WrestleMania.

[Red Mage Riot]

Apr 9, 2023 18:18:24 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

I think the movement for Bryan getting put into the title match still happens completely independently of Punk leaving or not. They just don’t do the Triple H match first, at least not at WrestleMania.

Yeah, the Bryan thing was unstoppable, and had very little to do with Punk one way or the other.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Yup.

If you look years back at my post history, you’ll find I said this meant the fans would never, ever get what they wanted again.

Danielson winning was protection against the fans hijacking Mania. WWE learned their lesson, the fans didn’t.

[Nosnorb]

And thank f*** that match didn't happen, because it would have been one of the all time worst WM matches. Triple H would have chewed up and spat out a half dead CM Punk by wrestling with his "BIGGEST BADASS EVURRR-AH!" style and made Punk look even worse than he did in the last few months of his WWE career.

Hell, Punk might not even have made it to 'mania 30 in the first place given how battered he was.

[tirtefaa]

It's really hard to say.

There was a belief that Punk truly wasn't gone until well after Mania was over.

But yeah, having Punk face Triple H absolutely served no value. That ship sailed back in 2011, and even then, it was done poorly. Like, they could have told two stories about how Triple H and CM Punk were both trying to do right by the fans, but unfortunately, they made Triple H look like a sacrificial saint who was the only guy who cared while Punk looked like a complete toady. I doubt that less than 2 years later they were going to tell a better or even equal story.

And here's the thing...I actually doubt the Triple H/Punk match was going to happen.

Maybe that is what Vince pitched to Punk in order to assume it'd appease him (like "oh wow, I get to have a WrestleMania match with the legendary Triple H"), but Punk didn't care.

My feeling is that Punk would have probably worked Kane instead. He would have beaten Kane, but that's as rewarding as finding a $2 bill in a sewer drain.

[Nosnorb]

Apr 9, 2023 19:28:12 GMT -5 tirtefaa said:

My feeling is that Punk would have probably worked Kane instead. He would have beaten Kane, but that's as rewarding as finding a $2 bill in a sewer drain.

It would have been a better match than Trips vs Punk by virtue of lasting about a fifth as long and Punk would have went over like you said, but it would have still been a shit match.

[Mozenrath]

Apr 9, 2023 18:18:24 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

I think the movement for Bryan getting put into the title match still happens completely independently of Punk leaving or not. They just don’t do the Triple H match first, at least not at WrestleMania.

Which would be a shame, as that match was goddamn awesome.

I'm sure Punk vs Triple H would have probably been decent, depending on what they opted to do with it, but unless Punk really cared about it, it would have died a death. When he's phoning it in, it's really obvious.

[Lizuka #BLM]

Apr 10, 2023 2:09:49 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Apr 9, 2023 18:18:24 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

I think the movement for Bryan getting put into the title match still happens completely independently of Punk leaving or not. They just don’t do the Triple H match first, at least not at WrestleMania.

Which would be a shame, as that match was goddamn awesome.

I'm sure Punk vs Triple H would have probably been decent, depending on what they opted to do with it, but unless Punk really cared about it, it would have died a death. When he's phoning it in, it's really obvious.

I really doubt Punk would've put in any effort whatsoever because during his last run basically the only time he cared was the Brock match.

[Mozenrath]

Apr 10, 2023 2:14:40 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

Apr 10, 2023 2:09:49 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Which would be a shame, as that match was goddamn awesome.

I'm sure Punk vs Triple H would have probably been decent, depending on what they opted to do with it, but unless Punk really cared about it, it would have died a death. When he's phoning it in, it's really obvious.

I really doubt Punk would've put in any effort whatsoever because during his last run basically the only time he cared was the Brock match.

Yeah, probably. I don't even know what they could have offered him that'd have made him try.

[Jindrak Mark]

Another Punk-related butterfly effect for Bryan was in 2012. Apparently in the run up to Raw 1000 Punk was given two options: Turn heel on Rock and keep the title for another 6 months before dropping it at RR or stay babyface and drop the title to Bryan (I'm guessing would've been at MITB 2012?) then Bryan would get the Rock feud and his babyface turn would have been delayed at least for a few months.

Punk obviously chose the heel turn and Rock match but what if he didn't? If Bryan already has a 6 month WWE title reign (just months after a 4 month World title reign) and a major match with Rock does he have the same "held down by management" vibe and have fans hijacking shows demanding he main event come Wrestlemania 30? Also Team Hell No probably doesn't happen in this scenario as Bryan would be busy as WWE champion throughout summer-winter 2012 and I don't think would have been doing that level of comedy stuff.

[Ganon83]

It's ironic that Hunter was forced into retirement almost the second that the first potential matchup with big money potential in many years finally showed up (Cody).

[dreidemy]

Tbh I can see Punk getting out before WM 30 and screwing the plans too close to the show for WWE to come up with something good like what we got

[Jonathan Michaels]

I still maintain the BIGGEST butterfly effect involving Bryan is if they called the audible and had Santino win the Chamber match.

Because then 18 seconds doesn’t happen to Bryan and that changes everything.

[bluebeach25]

In retrospect i really think Punk/HHH Match not being on the Card was positive than negative.

Bryan would have never main evented like he did that Night. They really had plans of Bryan vs Sheamus! By Punk walking out and Fans turning Batista basically automatically Heel they had no other chance than to give Bryan the big moment.

I also doubt if Punk would have let the HHH Match happen given their relationship! Hunter probably wouldn't have been to happy to job to Punk in a Match in the first half of the Card without having some interaction at the End like he did have. Also wasn't Punk/Kane planned at one point?

[ChitownKnight]

Remember after Bryan lost EC, him vs HHH was teased on the Raw after and the fans thought that was it lol

[Jindrak Mark]

Apr 10, 2023 20:42:30 GMT -5 Jonathan Michaels said:

I still maintain the BIGGEST butterfly effect involving Bryan is if they called the audible and had Santino win the Chamber match.

Because then 18 seconds doesn’t happen to Bryan and that changes everything.

I don't think that would change anything for Bryan.

If Santino wins the chamber I think he drops it back to Bryan on the following Smackdown and everything continues as is. Santino was a beloved underdog face. It makes no sense to put him against Sheamus who was newly face himself and they wanted to get cheered for winning his first world title.

Both in hindsight and at the time I was completely in favor of Santino winning that chamber. They had already teased him getting a major win at RR 2011 and fans wanted it so bad. I'd have given him the moment at EC then had a newly focused Bryan absolutely kill him on Smackdown hopefully to really get him over as a heel because he still seemed a bit midcardy and comedic at the time by world champion standards.