10 Best CM Punk Matches In WWE

7. Vs. Jeff Hardy - SummerSlam 2009

After something of a false dawn in 2008, CM Punk really came into his own in the summer of '09 while battling Jeff Hardy over the World Heavyweight Title. 

The feud saw Punk go from babyface, to tweener, to full-on heel and do some of his (at that point) strongest work, as he chastised the Charismatic Enigma for his lifestyle and bad judgement. 

Defending champion Hardy was at a significant advantage in their SummerSlam main event, which was fought under TLC rules. 

Two-time Money in the Bank ladder match winner Punk adapted quickly and showed that he wasn't afraid to either give it or dish it out, something that was evident when he dropped Jeff spine-first onto the edge of a steel chair, which set the tone for what was to come. 

There were the requisite big stunts and bumps, with Jeff taking most of the abuse, including a nasty superplex onto a laying ladder. He managed to hit his gigantic Swanton Bomb off the VERY big ladder through the announce table, but it took just as much out of him as it did his opponent, and Punk was able to land another big shot and regain the title. 

This wasn't the best TLC match ever by any stretch, but it was very, very good and one of Punk's most assured WWE performances since debuting three years earlier. 

The post-match scene with the return of The Undertaker was also really well done.