I think Summer of Punk was huge and an amazing segment but what happened after meant that long-term it really had no effect on the business.

I respectfully disagree: For starters, it turned Punk into a solid Orton-level main event star for the next two years and brought us the 434 title reign... You can argue that that in itself didn't necessarily have a major effect on the business/ratings/etc. and I can totally agree with that but it did change the landscape of the day-to-day storylines and main event scene for that time and injected some much-needed freshness to the TV product that was keeping fans like myself still roped in during times when I would've otherwise given up on WWE.

More significantly, I would argue that the Summer of Punk directly paved the way and set the template for the Yes Movement and the indie star renaissance we currently are in. I'd say the rise of Punk himself broke the mold for the viability of indie stars to rise to main event heights in the modern era. Sure, there were always your Jerichos and Benoits and RVDs who occasionally broke through but I think Punk really opened the WWE's minds to indie stars in the modern era. Keep in mind, at the start of this decade and before, developmental was a lot more musclebound meatheads exported from outside the industry compared to the much more eclectic selection of unique and pre-established indie stars and newbies who actually have dreams of being in wrestling and didn't just fall back on it after flunking out of sports or modeling or what have you. I mean, we have so many more Owenses and Ambroses and Rollinses and Balors on the roster now than we do Rybacks and Otungas and I feel like the Summer of Punk really opened the door for those guys and a lot more experimentation with them in general (such as the Owens mega-push from last summer).