Happy birthday CM Punk: A tribute to the 'Best in the World'

CM Punk celebrates his birthday on October 26

Growing up in New Delhi, professional wrestling and WWE would be one of the most discussed topics on pen fight tables.

Monday would be characterised by the detailed discussion of the WWE pay-per-views, which were aired on Sundays and the drama which ensued afterwards in the classroom, had kids willing to go to war with each other in order to show their loyalty to their favourite wrestler.

I used to find myself clueless during these discussions as I was never a fan of WWE, but all of that changed when one of my friends sent me a link to a wrestling video. I have no idea what happened in the rest of the video as I was too starstruck after watching CM Punk's entry.

With the song ‘Cult of Personality’ playing in the background, CM Punk emerged oozing of self-confidence with both arms stretched out and a cold expression on his face. Long story short, CM Punk provided me with a reason to watch the WWE.

My obsession with him borders on insanity!

Everything about the man seems to be so appealing, be it the awesome storylines, the ‘BEST IN THE WORLD’ gimmick, the funky tattoos (especially the Pepsi logo) and above all, the amazing wrestling skills that Phillip Jack Brooks a.k.a CM Punk possesses.

Although it's extremely difficult to sum up the vast and illustrious career of CM Punk in just one article, what we can do is highlight the most important moments.

CM Punk first started wrestling in the mid-late 1990's with a stint in backyard wrestling called the Lunatic Wrestling Federation along with his brother Mike Brooks. Punk left the same after he found out that his brother had embezzled thousands of dollars from the profits of their small company. The brothers are estranged now.

Unlike his friends, Punk always wanted to become a professional wrestler and soon got enrolled in the Steel Dominion Wrestling School in Chicago where he was trained by Ace Steel, Danny Dominion and Kevin Quinn.

The following years were marked by Punk's rapid rise in the ranks of professional wrestling while wrestling first in IWA Mid-South and then Pro Wrestling Zero-One. His appearances were marked by high profile feuds and storylines.

Later on Punk also wrestled in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and Ring of Honour before being assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), a WWE Development territory.

CM Punk's time in WWE has undoubtedly been the highlight of his career where his most notable storylines have featured him as the leader of the Straight Edge society and the New Nexus, but according to me he was at his best when he took the form of a villainous character and embraced the heel role he plays so well.

Although he was equally spectacular when he played the persona of a fan-favourite. At Money in the Bank, CM Punk defeated John Cena to become the WWE champion on his final night under the contract. See for yourself Punk leaving the premises like a Boss, he is undoubtedly the epitome of swagger!

And behold! CM Punk version 2.0 returns to WWE, moments after John Cena became the new WWE champion. The new entry song he adopted was the amazing - 'Cult Of Personality' by Living Colour.

Gimmicks

Throughout his wrestling career Punk has used a variety of gimmicks to enhance his persona and wrestling character while in the ring. And he makes sure that the gimmicks match with the kind of character he is at the time, whether he is a good guy, a so-called fan-favourite or if he's a villainous character.

He has adopted his real-life straight-edge persona to his wide variety of gimmicks. Interestingly the straight edge lifestyle choice that Punk has made has a more personal reason.

Punk has revealed that his father was an alcoholic and his violent nature prompted Punk to stay away from alcohol and drugs. A significant part of his wrestling gimmicks are the numerous tattoos that adorn Punk's body and every tattoo has some meaning attached to it.

• Punk has a Pepsi globe tattoo on his left shoulder. When asked about the tattoo, Punk simply replies, 'I like Pepsi'.
• The words 'straight edge' are spelt out on Punk's stomach and over a period of time have become part of his identity.
• A tattoo on his left arm that reads ' luck is for losers' along with a number of good luck symbols like a 'rabbit's foot', 'four leaf clover', and a 'horseshoe'. He also has a tattoo of four ace playing cards which functions as a tribute to his trainer Ace steel.
• A tattoo on the back of his left hand which says 'No Gimmicks needed', a tribute to late wrestler Chris Candido
• ‘Drug-free' etched on his knuckles
• While trying to bond with his family away from home, Punk got a tattoo made of his little sister's jersey number - 31 behind his left ear surrounded by stars each of which represents his siblings.
• A tattoo of the Cobra command logo, G.I. JOE'S enemy. Punk is an avid reader of comic books and collects them in his spare time.

Departure from WWE

Punk did not appear on the following episodes of Raw and Smackdown after the 2014 Royal Rumble despite being advertised for the programme.

It was reported that Punk had walked out on Vince McMahon and Triple H saying he was going home, after which Vince McMahon reported that Punk was on a sabbatical. Punk's absence from Raw and Smackdown continued.

On July 15, WWE.com removed Punk from the active roster to the alumni page without an official statement. In late July, Punk claimed that he was done with wrestling and that he would never return to the WWE.

Punk revealed in an interview that he was suspended for 2 months after walking out, but after the suspension ended nobody from the WWE contacted him and finally when he approached the company in order to settle the unpaid royalties, which is when the company officials mistreated him and made him run around.

Punk's termination paper was issued to him on his wedding day which was the last straw for him and he declared that he would never return to WWE.

In another interview, he revealed how the WWE made him fight even when he was injured as a result of which he could never fully recover. Punk stated that he was suffering from a life-threatening MRSA infection, broken ribs, injured knees and frequent concussions.

He had reportedly lost his appetite and the ability to sleep. Other reasons for Punk's departure were also explained by him stating clearly and fearlessly that WWE made him lose his passion for wrestling.

He divulged as to how the company had no long-term plans for any superstar other than John Cena, smaller paychecks and his inability to main event a WrestleMania because of which he considers his entire career to be a failure.

On a brighter note, Punk revealed at the time of the interview that he was the happiest person he had been in many years.

Titles held

Throughout his 15-year wrestling career, Punk has been the recipient of numerous titles. Most notably he has been the longest reigning WWE champion in the modern era having held the reputed title for 434 days from 20th November 2011 to 27th January 2013.

Other titles include the ROH Championship and the ECW Championship once, WWE World Heavyweight Championship thrice and the WWE Championship twice. He has also won the World Tag Team Championship with Kofi Kingston and the Intercontinental Championship too.

Marriage

On 13 June 2014 Punk tied the know with fellow WWE superstar and former WWE divas champion A.J. Lee. I guess he really does dig crazy chicks!

UFC

At UFC 181 on 6th December 2014, Punk announced that he was now under contract with the UFC and will be fighting as a mixed martial artist in the middleweight or welterweight division.

Punk is a self-professed expert in Brazilian jiu-jitsu which he claims will help him in his newfound career. His colleagues at the UFC have already spoken fondly of Punk and his dedication and hard work towards his training.

As I write this article, Punk is probably training under Duke Roufus at the Roufusport MMA academy based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

I guess this is really good news for me and the other Punksters (that's a name CM Punk can use for his many fans around the world) that once again we will get to see Phillip Jack Brooks a.k.a CM Punk in action.