CM Punk

It’s not surprising that CM Punk cites the radical “Rowdy” Roddy Piper as a childhood influence. After all, Punk is the embodiment of the anti-establishment, whose skill at igniting verbal “pipe bombs” is rivaled only by “Hot Rod” himself.

Punk even looks the part of rebel with his too-numerous-to-count tattoos and body piercings. Yet, he waxes way more philosophical than his exterior might suggest, and has shown a diverse set of interests that include ghost hunting, G.I. Joe and the “Straight Edge” movement, a subculture that rejects the use of drugs, alcohol and a dependency lifestyle.

His in-ring repertoire is an assimilation of fighting styles, all of which were put on full display during his debut in The Land of the Extreme in 2006. Since then, Punk has added many accomplishments to his considerable résumé, including the ECW, WWE, World Heavyweight, World Tag Team and Intercontinental Championships.

Today, Punk is headlining pay-per-views — and he’s doing so in spite of the events of 2011, when he assailed Mr. McMahon with his blunt opinions about the business and made a bold promise not to renew his contract with the company. Punk’s criticism struck a nerve with The Chairman who, against his better judgment, granted The Second City Saint a WWE Championship Match at WWE Money in the Bank in the Superstar’s native city, Chicago. Punk not only beat John Cena to win that match, but he also absconded with the WWE Championship as the seconds on his WWE contract ticked down.

Fortunately for WWE fans everywhere, Punk agreed to re-sign with WWE weeks later, compelled to return to the ring to prove that he’s the undisputed “Best in the World.” The Voice of the Voiceless advocated on behalf of disenchanted WWE fans who felt the WWE product was in need of a good (roundhouse) kick in the teeth. He became two-time WWE Champion, proving his mettle by defeating the likes of Chris Jericho, Alberto Del Rio, Daniel Bryan and other elite Superstars.

As Punk’s WWE Title reign continued to climb, so did his contempt for the WWE Universe and the Superstars in the locker room who failed to show him the proper level of “respect.” Proclaiming himself a “Paul Heyman guy,” Punk aligned with the founder of the original ECW and one of his early mentors as his WWE Title reign grew to become the longest of the modern era. Despite his impressive accomplishments since winning his second WWE Title at Survivor Series 2011, Punk remains unsatisfied, lashing out at the WWE Universe for favoring Superstars like Cena and Ryback, both of whom unsuccessfully vied for Punk’s WWE Championship as 2012 drew to a close.

Ultimately, Punk’s 434-day WWE Title reign would come to an end at the hands of one of the most celebrated Superstars of all time, The Rock, at Royal Rumble. There, in front of a sold-out crowd in Phoenix’s US Airways Arena, The Great One drove the People’s Elbow into Punk’s heart and scored both the pinfall and the WWE Championship. In a rematch at Elimination Chamber, despite attempting every trick in the book, Punk was once again pinned by The Brahma Bull.

His lengthy reign concluded, Punk next set his sights on The Undertaker’s WrestleMania winning streak, taking possession of The Deadman’s mysterious urn to get inside the head of his Show of Shows opponent. After a hellacious matchup that saw The Second City Savior deliver an astounding elbow from the top rope to the announce table, The Deadman buried his opponent to remain undefeated on The Grandest Stage of Them All. One night after failing to topple The Streak, a preoccupied Punk walked out on a live Raw broadcast — a rare moment of speechlessness for the silver-tongued Superstar. He has not been seen in WWE since.

Regardless of what ultimately lies ahead, Punk ranks himself high among WWE’s most iconic Superstars. And despite his recent losses, it remains nearly impossible to disagree with him.