Been a while but I am back with the second edition of which version u like!!!! In this edition, we look at which version of Phillip Brooks (aka CM Punk) you preferred to watch. Let's get into it!!
ROH Punk: I won't lie. I did not watch ROH when Punk was there, but I heard stories about him and when I heard about how he was leaving ROH to go to WWE in 2005, I was intrigued at how he would leave ROH. He had classic 60 minute matches with the likes of Samoa Joe and when he wont their world title, he threatened to take the belt with him to WWE. Say what? He even signed his WWE contract on the championship!! Yes he did!!
Straight Edge Punk (2006-2009ish): Punk made his main roster debut in WWECW in the summer of 2006. In WWE type fashion, writers had him do promos as if he was reading a PSA:
Yea it sounded waaaay to forced, but his rise could not be denied. He was undefeated for most of his run in 2006, including being part of the Survivor Series team headlined with DX and the Hardys. He even got a nice rub from Triple H (who admitted he wasn't fond of Punk, we'll get to more of that later). He was the first guy eliminated in ECWs first and only elimination chamber match in December 2006, which was a pretty forgettable PPV. How enamored was ECW Head Paul Heyman with Punk? They began a friendship when they were both in OVW and it was rumored that Paul wanted punk to win the chamber match by eliminating almost everyone in that match. Of course Vince McMahon wasn't gonna let that happen! Anyways, Punk finally did win the ECW title in 2007. In 2008, he won the MITB match at Wrestlemania 24 and successfully cashed in and won the World Heavyweight title vs Edge on Raw:
Unfortunately, WWE creative bit Punk in the ass by having him not even lose the title in the ring!!!! He wasn't able to defend the title because Randy Orton of all people punted Punk in the head before he was scheduled to defend the title. Punk did win other titles such as the IC title and the tag titles (with Kofi Kingston). He also became the first man to win MITB multiple times when won the match at WrestleMania 25, then cashed in and defeated Jeff Hardy at Extreme Rules in June.
Heel Punk with Straight Edge Society & The New Nexus (2009-2011ish): Punk officially tuned heel in his feud with Jeff Hardy and even dressed up like him at one point. I mean he looked just like him:
What could be Punk's greatest run in WWE is when he created the straight edge society. As one of Smackdowns more entertaining groups, he would "convert" people from the audient to join him but shaving their head, male or female. Think of what Seth Rollins is doing now but far more sinister like. He turned the former Festus into a normal person. Just look how Serena Debb made her WWE debut!!
Joey Mercury also joined the group as Punk would try to win back the big gold belt but was unsuccessful and eventually the group disbanded after Punk was traded back to Raw. He would be the head of another group: the New Nexus. Guess you can call this a do over since WWE did a horrible job with the original Nexus after they had one of the most memorable debuts in wrestling history. Remember this?
Yea so throw Punk in to try to make the group more relevant, right?? Wrong.
BITW/Paul Heyman Guy Punk (2011-2014): Summer 2011 was a very exciting time in WWE. Punk was the number 1 contender to John Cena's WWE title, but he also reminded us that his contract was set to expire at the MITB PPV in July. Then on an episode of Raw from Las Vegas in June, the infamous "pipe bomb" was unleashed:
Punk did end up beating Cena to win the WWE title in a classic match, the last time Dave Metzler ever gave a non NXT WWE match 5 stars. Punk would associated himself with Heyman and feud wit the likes of Triple H, Kevin Nash (yes sadly), Alberto del Rio, Chris Jericho, Edge etc. He would be the last person to lose to the Undertaker at WrestleMania before suffering his first loss at the event. Punk also had a history reign as WWE champion that was 434 days long, before losing to the Rock in February 2013. Injuries and questionable creative decisions ended Punks in ring WWE career when he walked off the job after Royal Rumble 2014 and revealed later that year of the pain his body felt and how he didn't like how he was being used.
Punk had quite the run but which version of Phillip Brooks did you prefer?
ROH Punk: I won't lie. I did not watch ROH when Punk was there, but I heard stories about him and when I heard about how he was leaving ROH to go to WWE in 2005, I was intrigued at how he would leave ROH. He had classic 60 minute matches with the likes of Samoa Joe and when he wont their world title, he threatened to take the belt with him to WWE. Say what? He even signed his WWE contract on the championship!! Yes he did!!
Straight Edge Punk (2006-2009ish): Punk made his main roster debut in WWECW in the summer of 2006. In WWE type fashion, writers had him do promos as if he was reading a PSA:
Yea it sounded waaaay to forced, but his rise could not be denied. He was undefeated for most of his run in 2006, including being part of the Survivor Series team headlined with DX and the Hardys. He even got a nice rub from Triple H (who admitted he wasn't fond of Punk, we'll get to more of that later). He was the first guy eliminated in ECWs first and only elimination chamber match in December 2006, which was a pretty forgettable PPV. How enamored was ECW Head Paul Heyman with Punk? They began a friendship when they were both in OVW and it was rumored that Paul wanted punk to win the chamber match by eliminating almost everyone in that match. Of course Vince McMahon wasn't gonna let that happen! Anyways, Punk finally did win the ECW title in 2007. In 2008, he won the MITB match at Wrestlemania 24 and successfully cashed in and won the World Heavyweight title vs Edge on Raw:
Unfortunately, WWE creative bit Punk in the ass by having him not even lose the title in the ring!!!! He wasn't able to defend the title because Randy Orton of all people punted Punk in the head before he was scheduled to defend the title. Punk did win other titles such as the IC title and the tag titles (with Kofi Kingston). He also became the first man to win MITB multiple times when won the match at WrestleMania 25, then cashed in and defeated Jeff Hardy at Extreme Rules in June.
Heel Punk with Straight Edge Society & The New Nexus (2009-2011ish): Punk officially tuned heel in his feud with Jeff Hardy and even dressed up like him at one point. I mean he looked just like him:
What could be Punk's greatest run in WWE is when he created the straight edge society. As one of Smackdowns more entertaining groups, he would "convert" people from the audient to join him but shaving their head, male or female. Think of what Seth Rollins is doing now but far more sinister like. He turned the former Festus into a normal person. Just look how Serena Debb made her WWE debut!!
Joey Mercury also joined the group as Punk would try to win back the big gold belt but was unsuccessful and eventually the group disbanded after Punk was traded back to Raw. He would be the head of another group: the New Nexus. Guess you can call this a do over since WWE did a horrible job with the original Nexus after they had one of the most memorable debuts in wrestling history. Remember this?
Yea so throw Punk in to try to make the group more relevant, right?? Wrong.
BITW/Paul Heyman Guy Punk (2011-2014): Summer 2011 was a very exciting time in WWE. Punk was the number 1 contender to John Cena's WWE title, but he also reminded us that his contract was set to expire at the MITB PPV in July. Then on an episode of Raw from Las Vegas in June, the infamous "pipe bomb" was unleashed:
Punk did end up beating Cena to win the WWE title in a classic match, the last time Dave Metzler ever gave a non NXT WWE match 5 stars. Punk would associated himself with Heyman and feud wit the likes of Triple H, Kevin Nash (yes sadly), Alberto del Rio, Chris Jericho, Edge etc. He would be the last person to lose to the Undertaker at WrestleMania before suffering his first loss at the event. Punk also had a history reign as WWE champion that was 434 days long, before losing to the Rock in February 2013. Injuries and questionable creative decisions ended Punks in ring WWE career when he walked off the job after Royal Rumble 2014 and revealed later that year of the pain his body felt and how he didn't like how he was being used.
Punk had quite the run but which version of Phillip Brooks did you prefer?
