Zero For Brother Nero

Pro Wrestling Illustrated voted CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy the second-best feud of the year in 2009. It should have been number one.

Punk, a babyface at the time, shocked fans when he successfully cashed in his Money In The Bank briefcase on an exhausted Hardy who minutes before had outlasted Edge to become the World Heavyweight Champion. It was an underhanded move, the first of several for the slowly turning Punk.

At The Bash pay-per-view a few weeks later, Punk and Hardy fought in a rematch, with the former “accidentally” kicking the referee in the back (due to blurred vision from a supposed eye injury), which disqualified him and allowed him to keep the title.

Punk was firmly cementing his place as a smarmy, weaseling heel—and then, he made things personal. He began deriding Hardy for his “reckless” lifestyle and inability to say “no” to drugs, which stems from Hardy’s real-life history of alcohol and substance abuse.

On a July episode of Friday Night Smackdown, Punk unleashed his most resounding verbal assault. He flashed a vial of medication, teasing Jeff that he knows “a thing or two about prescription medication.” The only difference is, that Punk obtained his (for his “injured” eye) legally.

Then, Punk dealt a deafening blow: “Jeff, you’ve got two strikes. You know how many I have? Zero. Jeff, you know how many times I’ve been suspended? Zero. You know how many times I’ve been to a rehab facility? Zero. You know what your chances are of beating me at Night of Champions? Zero.”

It was a classic example of something Punk does exceptionally well. He took a piece of reality and wove it into a storyline, all while garnering nuclear heat and hyping up the next pay-per-view. In other words, it was a chef’s kiss heel promo.