There is only one CM Punk. There will never be another like him and today we celebrate his birthday.
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Born Phillip Brooks in Chicago (CM does stand for Chicago Made after all), he started his career with a backyard wrestling promotion and moved his way up in the major independent promotions in the early 2000’s. Eventually finding his way to Ring of Honor, where he would capture their world championship once…which he would sign his WWE contract on.
Punk’s rise in WWE would be slow, but a steady one, winning the ECW Championship in 2007 and Money In The Bank, subsequently cashing in on Edge, in 2008. He also won the WWE Championship, Intercontinental Championship, and Tag Team Championship, making him a Triple Crown Champion, and the fastest superstar to do so.
His legacy in the WWE will probably be defined by his outspoken nature, which helped give birth to the Austin 3:16 speech of this generation, which has been dubbed the “Pipebomb”.
After leaving the company in 2014 on not the best of terms, he announced his interest in MMA and in December of that year confirmed that he had signed a multi-fight deal with UFC, the biggest name in the MMA world. Punk has also transcended the combat sports world and has dabbled in comics, writing a Thor story, a story for Vertigo’s Strange Sports Stories, and is co-writing a Drax series with Cullen Bunn.
While his MMA future is in doubt, there’s no denying Punk’s colossal level of determination to do what he sets out to do win, lose, or draw. It’s also very doubtful we’ll see him in the WWE again in the near future, but you can never really be too sure with that kind of return story.
Happy birthday, CM Punk! You’re truly one for the generations.
