CM Punk: The 7 Moments That Led Him to WWE Stardom and to UFC 203

CM Punk achieved some of the greatest feats in professional wrestling, working his way from Illinois bingo halls to tightly packed football stadiums and putting on some of the best matches in history.

He has amassed a huge following over the years to the point he was given a contract to fight in the UFC on his name value alone. With that in mind, it's worth taking a look at Punk's career and picking out the moments that turned the Second City Saint into the star he is today. 

To tackle this tall task, the Bleacher Report MMA and WWE teams have come together to highlight the seven moments that define Punk's career to this point.

CM Punk Shows He Is the Full Package in Feud with Raven

There was a hole in every hardcore wrestling fan's heart as the 1990s gave way to the 2000s. Our beloved World Championship Wrestling, the last hold out in a wrestling war with Vince McMahon and his then-World Wrestling Federation that had lasted decades, had finally, heroically, fought its final battle.

McMahon was wrestling and wrestling was McMahon. Sports entertainment was the new name on the marquee, and there was much despair in the Internet Wrestling Community.

The death of WCW left a void. Rob Feinstein, a former ECW flunky, filled it, forming Ring of Honor as an antidote to McMahon-ism in 2002. It was a work-rate fan's dream, a collection of top indy talents abusing their bodies and flying as close to the sun as they dared. But like every new star on the rise, these young stalwarts needed old hands, both to guide them and provide credibility in the eyes of the audience.

Enter Raven.

Raven had never been a huge star in WWE or WCW. But he was a respected player during his runs in both promotions and a beloved foundational pillar in ECW, still the epitome of indy cool a decade after its stars first began tossing themselves through tables and jumping from balconies and generally creating mayhem at every turn.

He'd had memorable feuds with Tommy Dreamer and a host of others. But his perfect foil, it turns out, was waiting for him in Ring of Honor, the yin to his yang, a counter to the drug-fueled, '90s-style excess he embodied: Straight-Edge Superstar CM Punk.

Punk was a rising star on the independent circuit, but it was this feud that launched him to a new level of notoriety in the wrestling business. It started simply enough, a proclamation by Punk that Raven couldn't last 10 minutes in the ring with him lighting a fire. By the end, months later, the two were bleeding profusely, talking about daddy issues and generally engaging in the kind of mayhem (dog collars, steel cages and so much more) you weren't likely to see on WWE television.

It was the type of wrestling feud that worked for everyone involved. Ring of Honor got the hot feud it needed to drive business. Raven proved he could compete with the hottest talent on the independent scene. And CM Punk? He showed the world that he could do more than put on a great match—he could run his mouth with the best of them.

It was revelatory—not just for fans but for WWE as well. By becoming the antidote wrestling fans needed in a world dominated by McMahon, Punk ironically all but punched his ticket to the big time.

—Jonathan Snowden

CM Punk and Samoa Joe Save Ring of Honor

ROH was still in its early days in 2004, and the future of the company was quickly in question following the Feinstein controversy that saw him resign from the promotion at the beginning of March that year.

NWA: Total Nonstop Action (TNA) pulled ROH regulars they had allowed to compete on both brands such as AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels. ROH had to quickly fill the gaps and assure their customers the future was still bright. A difficult task with a dark cloud hovering overhead.

A new slate of matches had to be constructed for future events. Five shows were held before the night of June 12, 2004, in Dayton, Ohio. Each had memorable contests, but a bell cow was still being awaited. ROH world champion Samoa Joe, already over a year into his 645-day reign, was put against CM Punk in the penultimate match of the event.

No one knew what to expect other than a quality wrestling contest. Joe and Punk were two of the darlings of the independent scene. They had previously met in a non-title affair in August of 2003.

Joe and Punk put on a thrilling, exhausting 60-minute show. The crowd stood nearly the entire time in the non-air conditioned building at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. The venue had a tiny fan above the ring that was moving slow enough you could follow the blades. Yet the contest between Joe and Punk meant the compact crowd had bated breath for each second.

The match became an instant success. Those in attendance took to the message boards to laud the bout. It quickly became professional wrestling's must-see match. ROH named the event World Title Classic because of how it was received. It was exactly what the promotion needed.

That single match created a fervor around the ROH product. It forced them to book another bout between Joe and Punk for October of 2004, which became the first North American match noted-wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer gave a five-star rating in over seven years (via the Internet Wrestling Database). But that contest would not have been made, or what it was, without that fateful night in Dayton.

ROH may not have folded without this match, but it surely would not have had the turnaround year it did without it. From the brink of being radioactive to having a remarkable year on the backs of one bout.

Punk was already an internet sensation. It’s how he got to ROH in the first place. Punk vs. Joe helped elevate his status even more and put him on a platform as a surefire star who could do it all. And ROH owes both men a debt of gratitude for changing its course.

—Nathan McCarter

Mr. Money in the Bank Runs Lay the Groundwork for Early Frustration

For some, frustration fuels the flame.

CM Punk had long been one of the most underutilized performers on the WWE roster prior to WrestleMania 24, a Superstar vastly superior to many of the less talented men who had enjoyed pushes that were rightfully his. On the grandest stage of them all, though, he would get the last laugh, winning his first Money in the Bank briefcase.

What should have been the greatest moment of his professional career and the genesis of great things to come would instead result in the frustration that would define Punk’s career under McMahon’s rule. This, even after capturing the World Heavyweight Championship in grand fashion in the summer of 2008.

“The championship doesn’t make the man; the man makes the championship,” he was told by the likes of Triple H and McMahon, both of whom used that one sentence as the premise for their treatment of Punk as champion. Hellbent to prove that the former indy darling could not and would not make a credible champion, they were instrumental in the screwy creative decisions that ultimately doomed the reign to failure.

Fast-forward a year to WrestleMania 25, and Punk again won Money in the Bank. He again successfully cashed in to become world champion. This time, he underwent a heel turn that gave fans a new look at the Straight-Edge Superstar. He earned critical acclaim for his role as the villainous titleholder who talked down to Jeff Hardy and criticized fans for their reliance on booze and drugs.

As he revealed in the 2012 WWE Home Video release Best in the World, though, he wrote his own material, took it into McMahon and told him what he would be doing for the next few months. Fed up with the laziness of WWE Creative, he took the initiative. Unfortunately, one man in WWE has the right to veto anything he does not care for, and that is what happened, leading to Punk’s exasperation boiling over.

He checked out, ready to exit the company as soon as his contract came up. Having made the most of every opportunity given to him, only to be railroaded by his employer, he was set to go back to Ring of Honor or any of the other independent promotions he had previously worked for.

As history tells us, that did not happen.

Still, the frustration Punk experienced during his first two botched main event runs is proof positive that he never got along with and was unappreciated by the management he relied on to best utilize his talents. When taking that into consideration, it is no surprise the split that came in 2014 was neither amicable nor friendly.

—Erik Beaston

The Pipe Bomb

CM Punk was a man on the way out of WWE. Tired of the status quo and frustrated with his lack of direction, Punk was ready to call it a day and head back to his home in Chicago. But when he sat cross-legged on the Monday Night Raw stage and cut the most famous promo of his life, everything changed.

The pipe bomb not only saved Punk’s career, but it revitalized him as a performer. He had a new lease on life and was seen in a much different light than he had been before. He became the talk of the wrestling world overnight—and became a top guy just as quickly.

He did everything he believed he had always been capable of doing, but he finally had the support of the company as validation.

The pipe bomb did much more than recreate Punk as a star. It also shed a much-needed light on the plight of WWE’s midcard roster. For far too long, WWE had leaned on those talents in order to bulk up the shows, with John Cena or Randy Orton typically ending the night in the main event.

The biggest problem with this was no one was moving forward. Guys stayed where they were, unable to break through to the next level. Fans appreciated their hard work, but that’s where it ended. WWE apparently had no desire to elevate anyone else despite the effort they made to get better.

Punk used his own situation to draw attention to the problem, thus giving a voice to every fan who had always shared their views of the company. For the first time since Dusty Rhodes, a pro wrestler was looking past the promotion and straight at the fans as if to say “we’re in this together.”

The Summer of Punk that followed his pipe bomb remains one of the most talked-about eras in WWE history and was a precursor of what was to come. Had it not been for Punk, Daniel Bryan would likely not have been given a second look.

The same can arguably be said of Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Cesaro, and Samoa Joe. Punk was the forerunner of The New Era, and he opened doors that had been closed for a long time. Regardless of whether fans loved or hated him, no one could deny he did it his way. CM Punk was a rebel who stayed a rebel to the very end, and the pipe bomb was the defining moment of his revolution.

—Tom Clark

CM Punk Defeats John Cena at Money in the Bank 2011

The rebel felled the golden boy; the tattooed, loudmouth anti-hero dethroned the man who represented the establishment. And the story couldn't have been told any better.

CM Punk's WWE Championship victory over John Cena at Money in the Bank 2011 was wrestling theater at its best.

Punk has long clamored for a spot higher on the card. WWE hesitated to oblige him, preferring bodybuilders and giants to the indy darling. The Money in the Bank main event provided him with a shot at proving himself worthy of a marquee spot moving forward.

He did just that.

The pre-match story centered on Punk's expiring contract. He had been openly unhappy with WWE and its owner, McMahon. He promised that if he beat Cena for the WWE title in his hometown of Chicago, he would leave the company with the gold in hand.

It was Cena's duty to keep the championship where it belonged.

Punk's infamous pipe bomb laid the foundation for this climax. He and Cena then built a classic atop it.

The match was a thriller. There were no chair shots or broken tables—just two guys with stellar chemistry tearing it up between the ropes.

Punk made it clear he belonged among the elite with his performance.

Even within the often-divided wrestling fanbase, Punk vs. Cena was universally praised. Pro Wrestling Illustrated named it 2011's Match of the Year. It remains the only WWE bout Meltzer has rated five stars this century (via the Internet Wrestling Database).

After Punk pinned Cena, he leaped into the stands, the glittery WWE title tucked to his side as he blew McMahon a kiss. The Second-City Saint had outdone his previous work and looked poised to take over as the new company cornerstone.

Never mind that WWE flubbed what followed; this chapter was perfect.

—Ryan Dilbert

Feuds with John Cena, Triple H Lay the Framework for WWE's Reality Era

Wrestling was simple back in the day. There were no national broadcasts. There was no internet. There was no TMZ.

McMahon didn't have to worry about naked pictures of Bob Backlund leaking onto Instagram. He didn't have to worry about the FCC getting mad about Van Vader roughing up Gorilla Monsoon. He didn't have to worry about news leaking that the WWF was in negotiations with AWA standout Hulk Hogan.

Promotions had almost complete control over what information was available to fans on any given wrestler at any given show. As the 1990s gave way to the 2000s and print gave way to the internet, however, that grip softened, and the WWE had no clue how to handle it. 

The proverbial curtain was becoming more and more transparent, and the WWE was frantically trying to figure out how to keep everything under wraps. CM Punk, though? He made a habit of pulling the realities of wrestling into the spotlight.

Fans first got a glimpse of it during the pipe bomb when he accused Cena, Hogan and The Rock of being McMahon "ass-kissers" and said he would take the WWE championship with him to New Japan Pro Wrestling after his victory at Money in the Bank. As time went on, though, those line-straddling promos became a go-to for Punk, consistently adding an extra layer of intrigue to his rivalries and further developing his rivals' characters as a result.

He challenged the John Cena: Jorts-Wearing Superman character when he openly brought up his off-screen cockiness. He shone a light on Triple H's backstage politicking and made him out as an even more dastardly heel. The list goes on, from authority figures  such as John Laurinaitis and opponents such as Kane to the fans in the crowd. 

Nothing was off-limits with Punk, and whether or not WWE liked it, it made everything better. It blurred lines. It provoked discussion. 

It took a while, but WWE seems to finally appreciate that incorporating shoot angles into stories instantly makes them more engaging. Whether it's a single line such as Big Cass telling Seth Rollins that size matters or a downright tough-to-watch interview between The Miz and Daniel Bryan, fans and talent alike can thank Punk for making the unreal sport of pro wrestling realer than ever.

—Steven Rondina

CM Punk Leaves After 2014 Royal Rumble, Burns Bridges, Signs with UFC

Pro wrestlers getting frustrated with their promotions and unceremoniously walking away is pretty normal. For the most part, however, it's a move reserved for wheel-spinning midcarders, such as recent WWE defectors Alberto Del Rio and Cody Rhodes. 

The wrestlers guaranteed a spot on each and every pay-per-view tend to stick around. And the wrestlers who are sniffing around the main event picture? Well, they're usually in it for the long haul.

That made CM Punk's sudden disappearance from WWE programming extremly odd. Fresh off a 49-minute run in the 2014 Royal Rumble match, Punk was noticeably absent from Raw the next night. Then from SmackDown. Then from the next RAW.

The days turned to weeks. The weeks turned to months. Time dragged on, and though WWE fans have notoriously short memories, the questions about where the five-time champion had gone lingered.

Answers didn't come until November 26, 2014, when Punk dropped a two-hour-long pipe bomb on the entire pro wrestling industry on Colt Cabana's podcast, The Art of Wrestling (warning: NSFW language).

Some of it was just discussing his frustration with WWE Creative, griping about monotonous feuds and his role in the company. Some of it was controversial, calling out Ryback as a dangerous worker and questioning his pay as the company transitioned from pay-per-views to the WWE Network. Some of it was downright inflammatory, stating that WWE doctors leaned on him to continue wrestling while concussed and refused to treat a staph infection because it could've caused him to miss shows.

How much of it was Punk speaking out of his anger with the company? How much of it was true? It was tough to tell at the time and remains open to discussion. 

What was crystal clear, however, was there was no turning back. That bridge was burned to ashes, and any questions about whether he was going to be lured back were silenced 10 days later, when he appeared at UFC 181 to announce he was signing with the UFC to compete in the Octagon.

Punk was already popular, which was the sole reason he was signed by the UFC. But that very bitter, very public divorce from the world's largest pro wrestling promotion made him bigger than ever.

CM Punk's path to the Octagon has been long and bumpy, and a lot of the buzz surrounding him has calmed since his shocking revelation to Joe Rogan. But at UFC 203, he steps into the cage for the realest fight of his life. And whether he wins or loses, it's hard not to be excited about what comes next.

—Steven Rondina