About CM Punk

It’s not surprising that CM Punk cites the radical “Rowdy” Roddy Piper as a childhood influence. After all, Punk is the embodiment of the anti-establishment, whose skill at igniting verbal “pipe bombs” is rivaled only by “Hot Rod” himself.

Punk even looks the part of rebel with his too-numerous-to-count tattoos and body piercings. Yet, he waxes way more philosophical than his exterior might suggest, and has shown a diverse set of interests that include ghost hunting, G.I. Joe and the “Straight Edge” movement, a subculture that rejects the use of drugs, alcohol and a dependency lifestyle.

His in-ring repertoire is an assimilation of fighting styles, all of which were put on full display during his debut in The Land of the Extreme in 2006. Since then, Punk has added many accomplishments to his considerable résumé, including the ECW, WWE, World Heavyweight, World Tag Team and Intercontinental Championships.

Today, Punk is headlining pay-per-views — and he’s doing so in spite of the events of 2011, when he assailed Mr. McMahon with his blunt opinions about the business and made a bold promise not to renew his contract with the company. Punk’s criticism struck a nerve with The Chairman who, against his better judgment, granted The Second City Saint a WWE Championship Match at WWE Money in the Bank in the Superstar’s native city, Chicago. Punk not only beat John Cena to win that match, but he also absconded with the WWE Championship as the seconds on his WWE contract ticked down.

Fortunately for WWE fans everywhere, Punk agreed to re-sign with WWE weeks later, compelled to return to the ring to prove that he’s the undisputed “Best in the World.” The Voice of the Voiceless advocated on behalf of disenchanted WWE fans who felt the WWE product was in need of a good (roundhouse) kick in the teeth. He became two-time WWE Champion, proving his mettle by defeating the likes of Chris Jericho, Alberto Del Rio, Daniel Bryan and other elite Superstars.

As Punk’s WWE Title reign continued to climb, so did his contempt for the WWE Universe and the Superstars in the locker room who failed to show him the proper level of “respect.” Proclaiming himself a “Paul Heyman Guy,” Punk aligned with the innovator of the original ECW and one of his early mentors as his WWE Title reign grew to become the longest of the modern era.

But all things would come to an end, and at the 434-day mark, Punk’s title reign was terminated by The Rock at Royal Rumble. After failing to regain the championship the following month at Elimination Chamber, the Windy City warrior set his sights on The Undertaker’s Show of Shows winning streak at WrestleMania 29. In a hellacious bout that saw The Second City Savior deliver an astounding elbow from the top rope to the announce table, The Deadman buried his opponent to remain undefeated on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

In July, Heyman turned on his longtime friend, costing Punk a guaranteed WWE Championship opportunity in a Money in the Bank All-Stars Ladder Match. This stunning betrayal set the stage for an absolutely brutal No Disqualification showdown billed as “The Best vs. The Beast.” Unsatisfied after falling to Lesnar in a hard-fought battle, Punk pursued retribution against his former mentor, resulting in a series of clashes with Heyman’s new associates, Curtis Axel and, ultimately, Ryback.

Shortly after taming the beast inside Hell in a Cell and beating some retribution out of Heyman (2013’s Extreme Moment of the Year) Punk found himself three new enemies in The Wyatt Family, a bizarre group that has targeted both Punk and Daniel Bryan in recent weeks. The Straight Edge Superstar and the bearded wonder clashed with Erick Rowan & Luke Harper at Survivor Series, where they were able to vanquish the “swamp monsters” in Boston. Their celebration, however, was short-lived. The following night on Raw, Punk & Bryan’s clash with all three members of The Wyatt Family ended in chaos as Wyatt, Rowan & Harper incapacitated and abducted Bryan, leaving Punk vulnerable to a 3-on-1 assault by The Shield.

Punk eked out some retribution against The Shield at WWE TLC, overcoming insurmountable odds and defeating The Hounds of Justice in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match. Having already defeated Dean Ambrose in two one-on-one encounters, Punk continued to test the mettle of The Shield in singles action, defeating Seth Rollins on the final Raw of 2013. On a special “Old School” Raw one week later, Punk fell to the hulking Roman Reigns in a hard-fought battle despite having two equalizers in the form of The New Age Outlaws at ringside. Despite the loss, Punk and his D-Generation X allies got the better of The Shield in a post-match skirmish, then bore witness as a returning Jake “The Snake” Roberts dumped a slithering serpent onto a prone Dean Ambrose. 

After unsuccessfully teaming with Road Dogg & Billy Gunn against The Shield just days later on SmackDown, Punk joined The New Age Outlaws in a six-man clash with The Hounds of Justice yet again on the Jan. 13 Raw, but it was a jaw-dropping betrayal by the Attitude Era icons that left The Straight Edge Superstar vulnerable to a 3-on-1 assault and triple powerbomb by The Shield. 

Punk called out both The New Age Outlaws and The Shield on SmackDown, a brazen act that brought The Straight Edge Superstar face to face with WWE Director of Operations Kane. When Punk dismissed the DOO as a “sellout,” Kane retaliated with a vicious chokeslam. Kane attempted to apologize for his heinous attack on the Jan. 20 Raw, but the resulting melee between the executive and the rebel earned Punk a one-on-one match with Billy Gunn. Punk put away one half of The New Age Outlaws with a GTS, picking up some key momentum before heading into the Royal Rumble Match. However, per Kane, Punk competed in the bout as the No. 1 entrant. And even though The Voice of the Voiceless nearly outlasted 29 Superstars to earn a WWE World Heavyweight Title opportunity at WrestleMania, Kane himself ended Punk's attempt, ironically enough after Punk eliminated Kane himself earlier in the bout.

Taking on even the most unfathomable of challenges, Punk continues to rank himself high among WWE’s most iconic Superstars. And based on his track record, it remains nearly impossible to disagree with him.