CM Punk And Randy Orton Look Back On Their Match At WWE WrestleMania 27

Throughout his first WWE run, CM Punk had some highly memorable matches, including four singles bouts at WWE WrestleMania. In 2011, Punk faced Randy Orton directly in the middle of WWE WrestleMania 27 in a match that many remember fondly. With both men now having made their respective returns last year, the company had the two sit down for "WWE Playback" to watch their WrestleMania performance together.

Both Punk and Orton agreed that there was tension between the two during that time, but feel that it led to a strong match. After about 15 minutes, Orton landed an RKO for the victory, delivering Punk's second WrestleMania loss.

"I remember Bret [Hart] texting me right after this, ... saying that he loved our stuff," Punk said. "He's like, 'You guys had the best match on the show.'"

Orton then stated that getting a reaction from the crowd is important, but it's also incredibly gratifying to get respect from one's peers following a good performance. Around the time of WrestleMania 27, Punk said that he was still working hard to earn respect in the company, and he felt the match against Orton would be incredibly important in his career.

"This match is like my coming out party — like look, I can do this," Punk said. "I can be a professional. I can work a top guy, not hurt him, get over. Everybody comes out looking good. To me, this match is one guy goes over, one guy gets over. ... I just needed to prove I could hang at that level, and I think I did it."

Another reason why the match worked, in Punk's opinion, is the level of cooperation between the two men despite their mutual dislike. Over 10 years later, with the wrestlers on better terms, another match could be on the table.