{"id":151093,"date":"2026-01-19T07:00:59","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T12:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=151093"},"modified":"2026-01-19T01:32:56","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T06:32:56","slug":"potential-what-if-matches-for-cm-punks-wwe-2k26-showcase-mode","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/01\/19\/potential-what-if-matches-for-cm-punks-wwe-2k26-showcase-mode\/","title":{"rendered":"Potential “What If..?” Matches for CM Punk’s WWE 2K26 Showcase Mode"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently, we discussed the potential matches that could feature in a CM Punk-centric Showcase Mode in the upcoming WWE 2K26<\/span><\/a>. Specifically, these were some of Punk\u2019s best and favourite matches, as per the three expected categories listed in <\/span>Mike Straw\u2019s report<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here, we\u2019re going to take a look at the second of those categories: some \u201cWhat If\u201d matches that could\u2019ve taken place, if the \u201cVoice of the Voiceless\u201d hadn\u2019t left WWE back in 2014.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

CM Punk vs. Triple H<\/span><\/h2>\n

On the subject of Punk\u2019s departure from the company, it\u2019s fitting to discuss the man that he seemingly had most of his issues with: Triple H.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before his dismissal from WWE, Punk had taken issue with \u201cThe Game\u201d on numerous occasions. The pair had feuded in 2011, with Punk\u2019s vocal barbs often blurring the line between kayfabe and reality.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fast-forward a few years to 2014, and the pair were set to clash once again. However, the storyline wasn\u2019t one that the \u201cSecond City Saint\u201d was interested in taking part in. Despite the two not having met in the ring for three years, Punk had had enough.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI was mad that I wasn\u2019t the main event of WrestleMania, I was mad that I was wrestling Triple H.\u201d – CM Punk on the Art of Wrestling Podcast, 2014<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It would be interesting to see the match that would\u2019ve happened had the pair been able to squash their personal beef. It certainly would\u2019ve reshaped WWE WrestleMania XXX, with Triple H facing Punk instead of the eventual star, Daniel Bryan.<\/span><\/p>\n

This would scratch an itch for those who would\u2019ve liked to see the \u201cKing of Kings\u201d square off with CM Punk on the \u201cGrandest Stage of Them All\u201d and would make for an intriguing match for WWE 2K26 players.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

CM Punk vs. Bray Wyatt<\/span><\/h2>\n

Although the previous entry was a match that WWE fans had actually seen at least once, this next entry has never happened in singles competition.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bray Wyatt technically made his debut on the WWE main roster in 2010, as a member of the Nexus. He made his first appearance as the cult leader that WWE audiences are most familiar with a little later, with his WWE Raw debut coming in July 2013.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bray Wyatt and his Wyatt Family arrived during the final six months of Punk\u2019s WWE career (before his 2023 return). Wyatt and Punk shared the ring just four times in that period, with all of those matches being multi-man tag team matches in November and December 2013.<\/span><\/p>\n

CM Punk revealed in an interview with WWE that Wyatt actually hoped they would have a singles bout in the future. After the initial Nexus split, Punk shared the following:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI was upset for Bray because he was being sent back to developmental. He was in high spirits, and he said to me, \u2018Hey, don\u2019t worry man. […] someday, me and you are going to meet at WrestleMania.\u2019 And I thought that was really cool,\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Perhaps these two vastly different characters could\u2019ve come to blows at WWE WrestleMania 31, replacing Wyatt\u2019s match with The Undertaker. Ultimately, this hypothetical scenario is one deserving of the \u201cShow of Shows\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since the pair never feuded with one another, it\u2019s intriguing to consider what could\u2019ve been. Of course, due to Bray Wyatt\u2019s unfortunate passing in 2023, this one will always be a \u201cWhat If\u201d, but it\u2019s tantalising to think about.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

CM Punk vs. AJ Styles<\/span><\/h2>\n

These two have actually been in a match together since Punk returned to WWE in 2023. However, it may surprise you to know that they have never faced one another one-on-one.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite their similarities, the pair have only ever crossed paths three times. In 2003, they were on opposing tag teams for the NWA TNA pay-per-view event. 22 years later, they were in the Royal Rumble together; finally, they also competed in a Triple Threat match in order to qualify for the WWE Money in the Bank 2023 ladder match.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Punk left the company in 2014 and AJ Styles debuted in 2016, they obviously missed one another at the time. It would\u2019ve been interesting to see how the duo would\u2019ve interacted in the early stage of Styles\u2019 WWE career, especially given how fast he rose to the top.<\/span><\/p>\n

Styles came in and made himself a main eventer in his own right, while Punk was a top guy in the company for a number of years prior. Perhaps they could\u2019ve clashed around the time that the \u201cPhenomenal One\u201d was butting heads with Punk\u2019s wrestling soulmate, John Cena.<\/span><\/p>\n

This could\u2019ve been a good feud for both men heading into WWE WrestleMania 33, especially after Styles\u2019 WWE Championship loss. The pair could\u2019ve clashed in the build-up, and the resulting bout would\u2019ve likely been a high point on a disappointing night.<\/span><\/p>\n

CM Punk vs. Kevin Owens<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are countless stories about the history between these two men. Punk and Owens have had problems with one another since their days in Ring of Honor. Allegedly, CM Punk took issue with the then-Kevin Steen wearing a t-shirt during his matches.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since that day, there has been animosity between the two men. They\u2019ve made verbal jabs at one another over the past two decades, with the \u201cPrizefighter\u201d stating as recently as 2024 that the pair still had their issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe never talk. We have no reason to talk. We’re not friends. We’re not, we don’t, you know, we’re just not, I don’t know. We have no reason to talk. If we work together, we will talk, but just not a thing we do.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Given that the pair have never been in the same match, it\u2019s unlikely that it\u2019ll ever happen, but it makes for an exciting theoretical. Given Owens\u2019 meteoric rise upon his main roster debut in 2015, it\u2019s likely that the pair would\u2019ve locked horns not long after.<\/span><\/p>\n

Imagine Owens aiming for the \u201cBest in the World\u201d after his trilogy with John Cena. Perhaps this could\u2019ve taken place at WWE SummerSlam 2015, replacing KO\u2019s match with Cesaro. Wherever it could\u2019ve occurred, it would make for a fun dream match to see in WWE 2K26.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

CM Punk vs. Finn B\u00e1lor<\/span><\/h2>\n

As of writing, this match is scheduled to take place on the 19th January, 2025 edition of WWE Raw in Belfast, Northern Ireland. However, it could have looked a lot different if the two had collided during B\u00e1lor\u2019s debut run on the WWE main roster.<\/span><\/p>\n

Back in 2016, B\u00e1lor arrived on WWE Raw as the fifth overall pick in that year\u2019s WWE Draft. He made an immediate impact, earning the opportunity to compete for the newly created WWE Universal Championship.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A
Photo Credit: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ultimately, he defeated Seth Rollins and became the inaugural WWE Universal Champion, although his reign was sadly cut short due to injury. However, it\u2019s intriguing to consider the matches that could\u2019ve been.<\/span><\/p>\n

A potential match or series against CM Punk could\u2019ve been captivating for audiences, especially at the height of B\u00e1lor\u2019s first run in WWE. Perhaps Punk could\u2019ve been his opponent at WWE SummerSlam 2016, replacing Rollins in their title match.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are likely hundreds of matches that you would\u2019ve liked to see if Punk had stayed with WWE in 2014, so please share them below! Get involved and discuss the hypothetical bouts you would\u2019ve liked to have seen, if they\u2019re omitted here.<\/span><\/p>\n

More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Header photo \u2013 WWE \u2013 Stay tuned to the\u00a0<\/i><\/em>Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>for more on CM Punk, WWE 2K26, and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the significant news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n

You can check out WWE programming on\u00a0<\/i><\/em>Netflix<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a>\u00a0(Raw),\u00a0<\/i><\/em>USA Network<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a>\u00a0(SmackDown),\u00a0<\/i><\/em>The CW<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a>\u00a0(NXT),\u00a0<\/i><\/em>Tubi<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a>\u00a0(WWE Evolve),\u00a0<\/i><\/em>A&E<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a>\u00a0(WWE Superstar Sunday \u2013 Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments), and\u00a0<\/i><\/em>Peacock<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a>\u00a0(WWE Main Event, as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on\u00a0<\/i><\/em>YouTube<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a>, and catch fast-paced action on X (<\/i><\/em>WWE Speed<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a>).<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recently, we discussed the potential matches that could feature in a CM Punk-centric Showcase Mode in the upcoming WWE 2K26. Specifically, these were some of Punk\u2019s best and favourite matches, as per the three expected categories listed in Mike Straw\u2019s report. Here, we\u2019re going to take a look at the second of those categories: some […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5065,"featured_media":151114,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2192,4,3],"tags":[140,9611],"class_list":["post-151093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wrestling","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-cm-punk","tag-wwe-2k26"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5065"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151093"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151093\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":151113,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151093\/revisions\/151113"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}