Spotlight On: C.M. Punk in the WWE
The ECW brand of the WWE has become the place where young superstars cut their teeth.
The most successful superstar to get his start in ECW so far has been C.M. Punk.
He quickly became the biggest star on the brand before moving on to bigger and better things. Here is a look at C.M. Punk’s WWE career so far.
Early Days
C.M. Punk in the Land of Extreme
Although C.M. Punk had shown his face at WrestleMania XXII as one of John Cena’s ‘Gangsters’, he officially débuted in WWE in late 2006.
He had made a name for himself on the indy circuit, most notably in the Ring Of Honor promotion.
He began his WWE career with a victory over Justin Credible via the Anaconda Vice, a submission that he was using as his finisher at the time and has since revived for his feud with The Undertaker. His forte though, was a martial arts type style which featured his quick strike ability combined with his fast hands, elbows, knees, and feet.
His unique wrestling style, personality, and lifestyle quickly made him a big fan favourite on ECW. He went on a lengthy undefeated streak until a surprising loss to veteran Bob ‘Hardcore’ Holly. At the 2006 Survivor Series he made his pay per view début teaming with HHH, Shawn Michaels, and the Hardy’s, proving that he belonged on the big stage.
In December he main-evented his first pay-per-view, appearing in the Elimination Chamber match. As 2006 ended, he appeared poised to do big things in WWE.
Punk Takes Gold in 2007
In 2007, with some of ECW’s top stars having left the company, C.M. Punk quickly became the biggest draw on the brand and the reason to watch ECW.
His solid work earned him a spot in the Money in the Bank Ladder match at WrestleMania that year. Shortly before ‘Mania, he scored his biggest victory to date, defeating King Booker on Smackdown.
He put on a great performance at WrestleMania but came up just short, losing out to Mr. Kennedy in what many consider as the stand out match of the night.
Meanwhile on ECW he teamed with the ECW Originals in their feud with the “New Breed,” and defeated every single member of the group, which earned him a program with the Champion, John Morrison.
These two put on some very good matches in their lengthy feud and after coming up short several times, Punk finally defeated Morrison for the title in September of 2007.
He would take on all comers and put on many memorable matches before losing the title in January of 2008 to Chavo Guerrero.
By this time, though, he was ready to move on to bigger and better things.
Moving to Primetime
2008: A Breakthrough Year for Punk
When WrestleMania came around, Punk once again found himself in the Money in the Bank Ladder match.
He didn’t go in as the favourite, but he came out on top in a very memorable match, edging out Chris Jericho in the end to claim the coveted briefcase.
This was a huge breakthrough for Punk and, if history was any indication, it was only a matter of time before he would become World Champion.
Punk bided his time and waited for the right moment which came in June of ’08.
On Raw, Batista absolutely destroyed then Champion Edge and left him laying. Punk seized the opportunity, nailed the GTS and became World Champion.
Punk had arrived in a big way.
Unfortunately, he was booked as a weak Champion. First, he feuded with Batista who seemed to be ‘protected’ and treated like the bigger star. They faced each other at The Bash and the match ended via outside interference. Punk never did score a victory over Batista.
Then, he would go on to a feud with JBL leading to a match at Summer Slam. It was a solid match and Punk came out on top, but a victory over a past-his-prime JBL wasn’t going to do much for the Straight Edge Superstar.
Then things got worse for Punk; He was set to defend the title at Unforgiven in a Scramble match but was attacked by Legacy beforehand and punted in the head by Orton. He was unable to defend the title and Chris Jericho took his place, winning the match and the strap.
A true Champion would have gone through with the match, concussion or no concussion. This didn’t do him any favours but the fact that he didn’t get any sort of revenge against Orton made him look even weaker.
In late ’08, Punk won the Intercontinental title and the tag titles alongside Kofi Kingston, but going from being a World Champion just a few months previous to holding those titles almost seems like a slap in the face.
C.M Punk in 2009
C.M. Punk Does it Again
Punk didn’t do much of note in early 2009, but he did qualify for the Money in the Bank Ladder match for a third time.
Just went it looked like Punk was out of the main-event scene, he grabbed the briefcase at WrestleMania and became not only the first Superstar to win two Money in the Bank matches back to back, but the first Superstar to win two of them; Period.
It appeared the company was determined to give him another chance to run with the ball and after several teases, Punk finally cashed in at Extreme Rules after Jeff Hardy had defeated Edge in a gruelling Ladder match.
Punk once again took advantage of a golden opportunity to become the World Champion but unfortunately for him, was initially booked as a weak Champion.
At the Bash against Jeff Hardy, he got himself disqualified to keep the title. It was one of four matches that he lost in a span of eight days, which is unheard of for a World Champion.
At Night of Champions he dropped the belt back to Hardy, then lost to him again on Smackdown. He didn’t win a single televised match during this title reign.
Punk Turns Heel
Throughout the initial stages of his feud with Jeff Hardy, Punk began showing signs of a heel turn.
Cheating to retain his title, hitting cheap shots, making reference to Jeff’s less than angelic past etc.
By the time Punk and Hardy met at SummerSlam, the Straight Edge Superstar had firmly cemented himself as a heel, attacking the crowd week in-week out and preaching to anyone that would listen about his superior way of life.
At SummerSlam Punk defeated Hardy in a TLC match which topped a very good card nicely. Upon claiming the title Punk was attacked by The Undertaker who returned after a 5 month hiatus from the ring.
The following week on Smackdown Punk once again took on Jeff Hardy inside a Steel Cage, with the stipulation being that the loser left the WWE.
Punk picked up the win which left the path clear for a feud with the returning Undertaker, who he would go on to defeat in rather suspicious circumstances at Breaking Point, then drop the title to at Hell in a Cell.
What Does The Future Hold?
Punk’s heel turn has freshened up his character and given him the chance to broaden his horizons as a performer.
While his previous two title runs saw him booked as a week fan favourite, the latest run saw him pushed as a cheating, underhanded but ultimately successful heel champion.
With the top tier of Smackdown looking decidedly weak going into the 4th quarter of 2009, Punk had to step up to the mark and become the blue brand’s main heel, which he did exceptionally well.
Provided Punk can keep turning in the same high level of match that he has since he appeared in the WWE and the brilliantly condescending promo’s he’s been cutting since turning heel, the future looks pretty bright for the Straight Edge Superstar.
Frank Leal
