CM Punk

Overview

CM Punk, real name Phil Brooks, is a one-time Ring of Honor World Champion and a five-time WWE World Champion (3 time World Heavyweight Champion and 2 time WWE Champion). He became the center of the biggest WWE storyline in 2011, beating John Cena (for his first reign as WWE Champion), at Money in the Bank 2011 in his home town of Chicago. He left the company with the belt, to later return and take on the WWE's top officials including "Mr. Mcmahon" and his replacement Triple H.

Punk was the WWE Champion from November 2011 to January 2013, a title reign lasting 434 days, eventually losing to The Rock at the 2013 Royal Rumble.

Differences in character have ranged from good guy and bad guy versions of his real life straight edge following (which lead to the creation of the nefarious militant straight edge group, the Straight Edge Society), to more recent good guy and bad guy versions of a disgruntled WWE employee aligned with ECW creator and professional wrestling personality Paul Heyman (whom Punk credits with seeing his best traits when no-one else could, and with being the person most helpful in helping Punk reach his current position behind-the-scenes).

Punk abruptly left the WWE on January 27, 2014, and has described himself as retired in interviews. He became a writer for Marvel Comics and signed with UFC as a MMA fighter in December 2014, with an announcement that he would start competing in 2015.

In Professional Wrestling

Finishers

• Go 2 Sleep (GTS) - Fireman's carry dropped into a knee lift.
• Anaconda Vice - Arm-trap triangle choke, mostly from a supine position.
• Pepsi Plunge - Diving double underhook facebuster (has since retired this move due to knee problems)

Signature Moves

• Pepsi Twist
• Devil Lock
• Devil Lock DDT
• Welcome to Chicago (Mother Fucker): Double Underhook Backbreaker
• Enzugiri
• Shining Wizard to an opponent at the turnbuckle, followed by a bulldog
• Shining Wizard to a kneeling opponent
• "Macho Man" Elbow Drop

Championships Held

World Wrestling Entertainment

1. ECW Championship - 1 time

• Sept. 1, 2007. ECW. Defeated John Morrison.

1. World Heavyweight Championship - 3 times
2. Mr. Money in the Bank - 2 times
3. World Tag Team Championship - 1 time w/ Kofi Kingston
4. Intercontinental Championship - 1 time
5. WWE Championship - 2 times

• July 17, 2011. Money In The Bank. Defeated John Cena.
• Nov. 20, 2011. Survivor Series. Defeated Albert Del Rio.

Ohio Valley Wresting

1. OVW Heavyweight Championship - 1 time
2. OVW Southern Tag Team Champion - 1 time
3. OVW Television Championship - 1 time

Ring Of Honor

1. ROH Tag Team Championships - 2 times with Colt Cabana

• April 24, 2004. Reborn: Stage Two. Defeated the Briscoe Brothers.
• May 15, 2005. Roung Robin Challenge III. Defeated the Briscoe Brothers.

1. ROH World Championship - 1 time

• June 18, 2005. Death Before Dishonor III. Defeated Austin Aries.

Nicknames:

• The Best In The World
• The Second City Saint/Savoir
• The Straight-Edge Savoir/Superstar

Entrance Theme

Independent circuit:

• L7 -Shitlist
• Slayer - South Of Heaven
• Hatebreed - A Call For Blood
• The Bouncing Souls - Night Train
• The Bouncing Souls - ¡Olé!
• AFI - Miseria Cantare (The Beginning) (ROH)
• Living Colour - Cult Of Personality (ROH)

WWE

• Killswitch Engage - This Fire Burns (August 1, 2006 – July 17, 2011)
• Living Colour - Cult of Personality (July 25, 2011 - January 26, 2014)

Video Game Appearances

Punk has made several appearances in THQ's WWE series and WWE games new owners Take Two (following THQ's publicized bankruptcy and following sales of properties). His most notable role, just prior to his rise as one of WWE's biggest on-screen superstars, was in WWE All Stars. A game which featured many what if story-lines based on current superstars against inactive legends. Punk's match was against Stone Cold Steve Austin, with a video package by WWE's production team which cut and mixed previous live-action promos of the Straight Edge Society version of CM Punk against the beer drinking Steve Austin.

This would lead to a lot of talk on social networking website Twitter about a potential rivalry (Punk and Austin have since had on-screen non-wrestling confrontations) and Austin saying that if he ever came back for one more match, he would want it against CM Punk.