Full Career Retrospective and Greatest Moments for CM Punk

It is probably too early to consider CM Punk's career inside the squared circle over, but with the Straight Edge star focusing his attention on MMA and what he hopes will be a successful career in the UFC's Octagon, it appears his days as a sports entertainer are over. 

At least for the time being.

If he has wrestled his final match, the Chicago native leaves behind a legacy that is rivaled by few. Successful at every level he competed at during his days between the ropes, he was one of the biggest stars of his generation.

A wrestler who paid his dues, traveling the country and working every significant independent promotion in the United States before earning a job in WWE, he earned the reputation as one of the best talkers in the industry and one of the most popular indy attractions in the business.

Officials in WWE questioned the decision to hire him, especially given the fact his look was not one they felt appealed to the masses.

But he proved them wrong, becoming the alternative to the clean-cut babyface who stood atop the pro wrestling mountain. And in the process, he made a connection with the audience that would help him become one of the most popular and critically acclaimed stars in the industry.

Matches with John Cena, Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar helped establish him as a giant in the business.

Whether he was wrestling Chris Hero in front of 150 people in a barn or Undertaker in front of 80,000 fans in East Rutherford, New Jersey, fans will never forget him or the edginess and attitude he brought to the wrestling world.

In honor of his many accomplishments and countless classic matches, enjoy this stroll down memory lane with a career retrospective of the man affectionately known as the Best in the World.

Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor may not have been the first place CM Punk began making his name, but it is the house that he helped build, an independent promotion that was much better off after he left than before he arrived.

Having built a reputation for himself in IWA: Mid-South by working with Chris Hero in a series of influential matches, he arrived in ROH determined to continue making a name for himself.

He had learned the industry on the fly, developing and starring in a backyard wrestling promotion that he and friends had grown into a huge success. Working with Hero, then legendary stars such as Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio, helped Punk grow and develop as a wrestler.

Having perfected his Straight Edge character, he was ready to take the next step, and the upstart ROH promotion based out of Philadelphia was the perfect place to do so.

Punk's feud with Raven increased his exposure and added to his reputation as one of the brightest young stars in the industry. The promo work alone was outstanding, and the in-ring action supported the idea that Punk was more than just some Indie guy.

His resume was only bolstered by a series of matches with Samoa Joe. Two ROH Championship bouts ended in hour-long draws before the third saw Joe successfully retain his title, beating the one man who proved to be a bigger thorn in his side than any other.

In 2005, Punk finally captured the ROH title, pulling the wool over the eyes of the fans. After all, the smart marks in the crowd were absolutely convinced he was one his way out following reports of an offer from WWE. But it happened—Punk won the title and cut a glorious promo shortly thereafter in which he signed his WWE contract on Ring of Honor's most coveted prize.

His title reign was short-lived, but it did a great deal to bring attention to both the champion and the company.

Dubbed "The Summer of Punk," it remains one of the best and most popular storylines ever produced by ROH.

ECW

After spending months in WWE's Ohio Valley Wrestling developmental promotion, CM Punk made his debut on the new ECW brand as one of its cornerstone talents. Having spent months working with Paul Heyman in OVW, Punk had the support of one of the smartest men in the industry. The idea, as Heyman has suggested in both the CM Punk: Best in the World and Ladies and Gentlemen, My Name is Paul Heyman DVD releases, was to build Punk into the face of the brand.

But WWE officials had other plans. Bobby Lashley leapfrogged Punk and became "the guy" in ECW. It was surely frustrating, as was the uneven booking of the Chicago native, but he soldiered on. Then, on September 4, 2007, after months of feuding with John Morrison over the title, Punk finally captured the ECW Championship.

He would reign as title holder for the remainder of the year before dropping the title to Chavo Guerrero. Punk would remain a member of the ECW roster, but it was clear he was ready for bigger and better things.

Two-Time Money in the Bank Winner

WrestleMania XXIV saw Punk win the first of two consecutive Money in the Bank briefcases.

After carrying the guaranteed title opportunity for months, Punk cashed in on Raw, live from Oklahoma, and defeated a prone Edge to capture his first World Heavyweight Championship. What should have been the start of the greatest period of his career instead became a major disappointment in short order.

Despite carrying the top prize on Raw, he was clearly fifth or sixth on the proverbial totem pole. Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels were in the midst of a huge rivalry, John Cena and Batista were immensely popular babyfaces and Rey Mysterio was the perpetually over underdog.

Punk did not have time to grow into the title, and by September, he lost it without ever being pinned or made to submit, the victim of a Randy Orton punt that put him out of action for the Unforgiven pay-per-view.

As heartbreaking as his first run had been, Punk would have the opportunity to make up for it one year later when he again won Money in the Bank and, again, cashed in to win the title. This time, he took the same championship from Jeff Hardy, jump-starting a rivalry between the two in which the Chicago native introduced his Straight Edge heel character to the WWE Universe.

He denounced Hardy's history with substance abuse and became a hated villain in the process. For the first time, fans really got the opportunity to experience Punk's personality.

At SummerSlam 2009, in the night's main event, Punk defeated Hardy in a TLC match to win his third World title. Unfortunately, a program with The Undertaker started that same evening, and Punk's run with the championship would end just two months later.

Frustration and backstage politics were beginning to take their toll on Punk, but he would channel that frustration with WWE's Creative staff into another critically acclaimed act.

The Straight Edge Society

Punk continued to preach clean living following his program with Hardy, and in order to bolster his cause, he recruited apostles.

The first was Luke Gallows, formerly known as Festus. Punk credited himself with getting Festus off drugs and cleaned up, resulting in the drastic makeover that Gallows went through. From there, he shaved the head of Serena Deeb in the center of the ring and adopted her into his cult-like faction. Joey Mercury was the final ingredient.

Punk would preach to audiences around the country, inciting near riotous conditions in arenas as he criticized the WWE Universe for the way the fans lived their lives. It was brilliant, and Punk was motivated. The promo work was fantastic. The faction was a success.

Like the majority of Punk's career with the company, though, Creative undercut his creation. The writers booked a 3-on-1 Handicap match for SummerSlam 2010 between the Straight Edge Society and Big Show.

Take a guess who won.

In short order, what was so fresh and entertaining was completely undone by those in power who did not understand why it worked as well as it did.

Punk's frustration reached its boiling point, and it appeared he was ready to leave the company he worked so hard to get to.

The Pipe Bomb

June 2011.

CM Punk was on his way out the door, ready to leave all the frustration and heartbreak he had experienced in WWE behind. He could work elsewhere, as one of the top attractions in indy wrestling, and not have to put up with the political B.S. he had to endue in WWE.

Then something happened.

On a memorable episode of Raw from Las Vegas, he was given the opportunity to cut a promo in which he detailed his frustrations on live television.

And he did, targeting fans, John Laurinaitis, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Vince McMahon himself.

The buzz from the promo was deafening. Overnight, Punk became the hottest star in the industry. So much so that he crossed over into mainstream media. The tattooed, pierced Chicagoan was everywhere, and wrestling was suddenly cool again.

The Best in the World and 434 Days

Riding the wave of momentum that came along with the Pipe Bomb promo, Punk defeated John Cena to capture the WWE Championship in a classic match at the July 2011 Money in the Bank pay-per-view.

Punk became the first star to elevate himself to the point where he was seen as Cena's equal in terms of popularity and star power. Sure, there were bumps in the road, including a feud with Triple H and Kevin Nash that threatened to undo everything Punk had done to garner main event recognition, but he weathered the storm. And at Survivor Series in November, he beat Alberto Del Rio to win his second WWE title.

This time, he would not be so quick to hand it over.

For 434 days, Punk reigned over the company, defeating the likes of Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Big Show, Dolph Ziggler and Kane. All the while, he proved that he could play the role of a heel and a babyface. By the time Paul Heyman returned to the fold and aligned himself with Punk, WWE had the hottest heel act it had experienced in years.

Even after Punk lost the title to The Rock at the 2013 Royal Rumble, he maintained his momentum as a main event star.

At WrestleMania XXIX, he worked with Undertaker in one of the night's marquee bouts. He lost but also stole the show on the biggest stage imaginable.

From there, he feuded with Brock Lesnar and The Wyatt Family leading into what should have been a monumental 2014.

But it was not to be.

A backstage blowup, burnout and frustrations with Creative formed a lethal cocktail that led to Punk walking out on the company. He had fulfilled his contractual obligations, and injury concerns had led him to make the decision that he did, something he told friend Colt Cabana on an episode of the Art of Wrestling podcast.

The relationship between talent and promotion was over, and Punk began setting his sights elsewhere, including the world of MMA.

Today, he trains inside the Octagon for a career in the UFC.