Who is CM Punk?

CM Punk, who has returned to wrestling after a 6-year halt on Saturday, is a professional American wrestler. He is also an actor and former martial artist. The pro wrestler’s real name is Phillip Jack Brooks. Punk is the former WWE champion, who returned to pro-wrestling for the first time since leaving the wrestling ring in January 2014.

During his run with WWE, Punk became the world wrestling champion 5 times and made headlines with his commendable deliveries. He then went on to win many other championships, which include ECW, WWE, World Heavyweight, World Tag Team, and Intercontinental Championships.

Punk’s wrestling career began in 1999 with the independent circuit, primarily with Ring of Honor (ROH), and when on to win the ROH World Championship once. He then signed with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2005 and won the WWE Championship twice.

Among other feats, Punk won the World Heavyweight Championship thrice, and the Intercontinental Championship and the ECW World Heavyweight Championship once each.

Apart from that Punk also won the World Tag Team Championship, becoming WWE’s 19th Triple Crown Champion; the fastest wrestler to achieve the milestone, in 203 days.

Punk is also the only consecutive ‘Money in the Bank’ winner and a recipient of the Superstar of the Year at the 2011 Slammy Awards. The wrestler was voted Wrestler of the Year in 2011 and 2012 by readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated.

About Punk’s infamous exit from the WWE, the five-time champion had left the company after creative frustrations and sour relations with Chairman Vince McMahon after Royal Rumble 2014.

According to the WWE website, “Punk assailed Mr. McMahon with his blunt opinions about the business and made a bold promise not to renew his contract with the company.”

Following the exit, Punk received a lot of flak from fans and colleagues from the arena. However, the WWE chairperson was not happy with the star wrestler’s mass criticism.

After the WWE fiasco, Punk earned the nickname of ‘Voice of the Voiceless’, for vocalising his frustrations with WWE’s management.

The entertainment network in the wrestler’s bio said, “Punk’s in-ring repertoire was an assimilation of fighting styles, all of which were put on full display during his debut on WWE’s relaunched ECW in 2006. Punk then added many accomplishments to his considerable résumé, including the ECW, WWE, World Heavyweight, World Tag Team, and Intercontinental Championships.

After breaking association with WWE, Brooks retired from professional wrestling in 2014, but he made his return to national televised wrestling with AEW in 2021.