WWE: Daniel Bryan was ‘disappointed’ he didn’t get a WrestleMania match with CM Punk

CM Punk and Daniel Bryan are two of the greatest wrestlers of this generation, and while they did face each other at a WWE Pay Per View, they never had a big-ticket match at WrestleMania.

Being snubbed out of the main event of WrestleMania played a role in CM Punk leaving the machine that is WWE despite being one of their most popular wrestlers.

After “The Best in the World” left (please don’t make a Shane McMahon joke, brain!), Daniel Bryan managed to win the world title in the main event of WrestleMania, defeating Randy Orton and Batista in New Orleans at WrestleMania 30 – after defeating Triple H earlier in the show – to complete one of the greatest babyface stories ever told.

Bryan is back in a WWE ring and as good as ever after briefly retiring due to concussions, and he had a memorable title run in late 2018 and early 2019, putting over another legendary babyface in Kofi Kingston at WrestleMania.

But for all the amazing moments Bryan’s had in his career, including at WrestleMania, a dream match at the Show of Shows against CM Punk had eluded him.

In an interview with Cerrito Live, Bryan admitted he “was always disappointed” WWE never booked a WrestleMania match between the two legends of the business.

Here’s the transcription via Fightful.com’s Jeremy Lambert:

"“It’s always so enticing to comeback, as much as you don’t want to. I would hope yes [Punk returns]. In the back of my mind, even after he left, I always had this thing where it seemed to me where there should have always been a WrestleMania match between CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. Now, at this point, he may be past that. I know he’s not big on people putting his name out there and saying, ‘I want to do this.’ That’s not where I’m coming from with this, at all. But, in the back of my head, I was always disappointed we never got a CM Punk and Daniel Bryan WrestleMania match.”"

Note how careful Bryan is to not put any pressure on Punk for a dream ‘Mania match or to directly say he wants the match to happen one day. That’s the respect he has for Punk right there.

Punk and Bryan had matches at Over The Limit, Money in the Bank, and Raw in their careers, showing off their technical ability and chemistry in those bouts. But WrestleMania would be the stage most fitting for these two wrestlers. Who knows what they could have done in the show’s main event with the WWE Title on the line?

The ship has probably sailed on a Bryan vs. Punk ‘Mania match, but maybe it’s not so impossible. Punk isn’t back in a wrestling ring, but he is on WWE Backstage, which is a FOX show dedicated to taking an inside look at all things related to the company. Punk has flourished in that role, but it hasn’t stopped fans from speculating about an in-ring return, particularly after he and Seth Rollins briefly traded barbs.

Rollins vs. Punk sounds amazing, but there’s something special about the idea of seeing Bryan and Punk go to work at WrestleMania one last time. In any case, it’s best to leave things be and let the ball rest in Punk’s court.