WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.379 Welcome back to The Deep Dive. Today, we are 00:00:02.379 --> 00:00:05.120 really getting into it. We're looking at a career 00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:08.199 just full of incredible highs, record -breaking 00:00:08.199 --> 00:00:12.119 moments, and, well, some pretty seismic departures. 00:00:12.199 --> 00:00:14.099 We are. We're talking about Philip Jack Brooks. 00:00:14.419 --> 00:00:16.920 Better known, much better known, as CM Punk. 00:00:17.179 --> 00:00:20.339 Yeah. And CM Punk, I mean, you could argue he's 00:00:20.339 --> 00:00:21.980 one of the most influential figures in modern 00:00:21.980 --> 00:00:23.760 wrestling. Definitely one of the most controversial. 00:00:24.120 --> 00:00:26.019 For sure. And for you listening, the thing to 00:00:26.019 --> 00:00:30.730 really get is how his huge... Success is like 00:00:30.730 --> 00:00:34.369 six -time WWE world champion, that incredible 00:00:34.369 --> 00:00:38.189 434 -day run. It's all tied up with that very 00:00:38.189 --> 00:00:40.509 authentic, very confrontational personality he 00:00:40.509 --> 00:00:42.509 has. It's like the thing that drove the success 00:00:42.509 --> 00:00:45.770 also drove the big blow -ups and exits from everywhere 00:00:45.770 --> 00:00:48.009 he's been, really. Okay, so let's establish the 00:00:48.009 --> 00:00:50.109 baseline. Why is he even in the conversation 00:00:50.109 --> 00:00:52.490 for the greats? We have to start with WrestleMania, 00:00:52.689 --> 00:00:54.909 don't we? Money in the bank. Absolutely. He's 00:00:54.909 --> 00:00:58.119 the only person. Ever. To win the Money in the 00:00:58.119 --> 00:01:00.960 Bank ladder match two years in a row. 2008, 2009. 00:01:01.479 --> 00:01:04.439 Yeah. And that's not just trivia, you know. Winning 00:01:04.439 --> 00:01:07.560 that match basically guarantees you a world title 00:01:07.560 --> 00:01:10.000 shot, a run with the belt. It's a massive vote 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:12.640 of confidence. Exactly. So doing it back to back, 00:01:12.879 --> 00:01:14.939 that's the company saying this guy's a future 00:01:14.939 --> 00:01:17.659 main event star, period. They saw huge potential. 00:01:17.700 --> 00:01:22.120 And speaking of huge. That title reign, 434 days 00:01:22.120 --> 00:01:24.680 as WWE champion. You can't just ignore that. 00:01:24.859 --> 00:01:28.099 No way. It's the 10th longest world title reign 00:01:28.099 --> 00:01:31.459 in WWE history. Think about that duration. Especially 00:01:31.459 --> 00:01:34.180 then during what they called the PG era. Right. 00:01:34.239 --> 00:01:37.560 It forced them to put this like non -traditional 00:01:37.560 --> 00:01:40.159 anti -authority figure, the voice of the voiceless, 00:01:40.319 --> 00:01:43.400 right at the top for over a year and the engine 00:01:43.400 --> 00:01:46.400 behind all of it. love him or hate him, was always 00:01:46.400 --> 00:01:48.459 that straight edge identity. Which wasn't just 00:01:48.459 --> 00:01:50.359 a gimmick, was it? It came from somewhere very 00:01:50.359 --> 00:01:53.219 real. Deeply real. Rooted in his actual life 00:01:53.219 --> 00:01:55.480 experiences. Yeah, to really get the intensity, 00:01:55.560 --> 00:01:59.140 that almost militant vibe he sometimes had with 00:01:59.140 --> 00:02:00.299 the straight edge thing, you have to go back 00:02:00.299 --> 00:02:02.200 to his childhood. Philip Jack Brooks, born Chicago, 00:02:02.439 --> 00:02:06.140 1978. And adopting that lifestyle, straight edge, 00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:10.120 no drugs, no alcohol, it wasn't about being cool 00:02:10.120 --> 00:02:12.960 for him. The sources point to a really difficult 00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:15.879 upbringing. Right. An alcoholic father, a mother 00:02:15.879 --> 00:02:18.939 dealing with bipolar disorder. So seeing that 00:02:18.939 --> 00:02:22.960 chaos, that instability firsthand. Yeah. It makes 00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:26.840 his commitment to being straight edge feel less 00:02:26.840 --> 00:02:29.080 like a choice and more like, well, survival. 00:02:29.139 --> 00:02:31.139 Self -preservation. Yeah. It wasn't something 00:02:31.139 --> 00:02:33.900 cooked up in a writer's room. It was him. His 00:02:33.900 --> 00:02:36.620 shield, maybe. And around this time, he's deciding 00:02:36.620 --> 00:02:40.400 wrestling is his path. And the inspiration. Rowdy 00:02:40.400 --> 00:02:42.860 Roddy Piper. Of course, the ultimate rebel, the 00:02:42.860 --> 00:02:45.120 original anti -establishment guy. It makes total 00:02:45.120 --> 00:02:47.460 sense. It really does track. Piper was all about 00:02:47.460 --> 00:02:50.620 that raw, chaotic energy. So Brooks starts wrestling 00:02:50.620 --> 00:02:53.860 in 97, just a teenager, in this backyard group, 00:02:54.020 --> 00:02:56.460 the Lunatic Wrestling Federation. And the name, 00:02:56.500 --> 00:02:59.810 CM Punk. It wasn't some grand design initially. 00:03:00.009 --> 00:03:01.610 Not at all. It was almost an accident. He was 00:03:01.610 --> 00:03:03.509 in a tag team, the Chick Magnets. Yeah, really? 00:03:03.789 --> 00:03:06.270 Yeah. And his partner apparently just no -showed. 00:03:06.310 --> 00:03:08.710 So he needed a name fast, threw CM Punk out. 00:03:08.750 --> 00:03:10.770 And that just kind of stuck with it. He leaned 00:03:10.770 --> 00:03:12.669 into it, made it this pseudo -acronym, right? 00:03:12.689 --> 00:03:15.210 Let people guess what the CM stood for. Charles 00:03:15.210 --> 00:03:18.110 Manson. Cookie Monster. Kept the mystery alive. 00:03:18.430 --> 00:03:21.189 It worked. But even that early on, success came 00:03:21.189 --> 00:03:24.680 with... personal costs. Yeah. The sources mentioned 00:03:24.680 --> 00:03:26.699 a really tough situation with his older brother, 00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:29.080 Mahal. Became totally estranged. Apparently, 00:03:29.219 --> 00:03:32.560 Mahal embezzled money, thousands from that little 00:03:32.560 --> 00:03:35.120 LWF promotion they were involved in. Wow. So 00:03:35.120 --> 00:03:37.759 that pattern of professional success mixed with 00:03:37.759 --> 00:03:41.120 really damaging personal conflict. It started 00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:43.639 early. Sadly, yeah. A recurring theme, it seems. 00:03:43.819 --> 00:03:46.419 So fast forward to the early 2000s. He's honing 00:03:46.419 --> 00:03:48.500 his craft on the independent scene, places like 00:03:48.500 --> 00:03:51.360 IWA Mid -South. Highly respected territory. And 00:03:51.360 --> 00:03:53.240 he wasn't just winning. He was a five -time heavyweight 00:03:53.240 --> 00:03:55.500 champion there, beating guys who became huge 00:03:55.500 --> 00:03:58.939 names later, like AJ Styles, Eddie Guerrero. 00:03:58.979 --> 00:04:02.270 But that feud with Chris Hero? That sounds legendary. 00:04:02.330 --> 00:04:04.710 Not just matches, but epic. Oh, absolutely. It 00:04:04.710 --> 00:04:07.389 showed his commitment. We're talking insane match 00:04:07.389 --> 00:04:10.750 lengths, a 55 -minute TLC match. Crazy. And get 00:04:10.750 --> 00:04:13.469 this, a 93 -minute two -out -of -three falls 00:04:13.469 --> 00:04:16.490 match. 93 minutes? Good grief. In the context 00:04:16.490 --> 00:04:19.569 of the business, doing that tells promoters you 00:04:19.569 --> 00:04:21.750 have the stamina, the conditioning, the psychology, 00:04:21.970 --> 00:04:24.600 everything you need to be a top guy. And that 00:04:24.600 --> 00:04:26.680 reputation gets him to Ring of Honor in 2002, 00:04:27.060 --> 00:04:29.740 which was the place then, right? For pure wrestling 00:04:29.740 --> 00:04:31.839 talent in North America. Definitely the proving 00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:34.040 ground. He forms the Second City Saints there 00:04:34.040 --> 00:04:36.600 with Colt Cabana, his longtime friend, and Ace 00:04:36.600 --> 00:04:39.019 Steel. And this is where that real -life backstory 00:04:39.019 --> 00:04:42.899 really gets woven in. The feud with Raven. Masterful 00:04:42.899 --> 00:04:45.600 stuff. Punk, the straight -edge guy, calling 00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:48.160 out Raven for his, you know, substance issues. 00:04:48.360 --> 00:04:51.600 And Punk explicitly compared Raven to his own 00:04:51.600 --> 00:04:54.899 alcoholic father. Whoa. That's blurring lines 00:04:54.899 --> 00:04:58.300 in a big way. Intense. But it created unbelievable 00:04:58.300 --> 00:05:01.699 heat because it felt so raw, so personal. But 00:05:01.699 --> 00:05:03.480 the thing that really put him on the map, maybe 00:05:03.480 --> 00:05:05.660 internationally, was the trilogy with Samoa Joe 00:05:05.660 --> 00:05:08.439 for the ROH world title. A legendary series. 00:05:08.500 --> 00:05:10.839 The first two matches both went to 60 -minute 00:05:10.839 --> 00:05:12.920 time limit draws. An hour couldn't separate them. 00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:15.959 Nope. And the second match, October 2004. Dave 00:05:15.959 --> 00:05:18.199 Meltzer gave it five stars. Which was a massive 00:05:18.199 --> 00:05:21.459 deal back then. Huge. It was the first five star 00:05:21.459 --> 00:05:25.620 match in North America in like seven years. It 00:05:25.620 --> 00:05:28.240 didn't just elevate Punk and Joe. It gave the 00:05:28.240 --> 00:05:30.879 whole independent scene this huge boost of credibility. 00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:34.040 OK, so all this indie buzz leads to the summer 00:05:34.040 --> 00:05:38.379 of Punk in 2005. This is wild. He accepts a WWE 00:05:38.379 --> 00:05:41.430 deal. But before he leaves ROH. He wins their 00:05:41.430 --> 00:05:44.829 world championship. Immediately turns heel. Signs 00:05:44.829 --> 00:05:47.870 his WWE contract literally on the ROH title belt. 00:05:47.990 --> 00:05:50.350 Threatens to take their championship to the competition. 00:05:50.790 --> 00:05:53.310 It was brilliant meta storytelling. He was the 00:05:53.310 --> 00:05:55.370 guy abandoning the indies for the big corporation. 00:05:55.750 --> 00:05:58.329 The drama felt real because, well, he was really 00:05:58.329 --> 00:06:00.449 leaving. Genius. He wrestled matches, teasing, 00:06:00.670 --> 00:06:03.170 taking the belt, milking the drama before finally 00:06:03.170 --> 00:06:05.350 losing it to James Gibson. And then his very 00:06:05.350 --> 00:06:08.250 last match there. Against his friend Colt Cabana. 00:06:08.370 --> 00:06:10.709 A really emotional send -off. Lost to his best 00:06:10.709 --> 00:06:12.870 friend. It was the perfect way to launch himself 00:06:12.870 --> 00:06:14.850 onto the bigger stage, leaving the indies behind, 00:06:15.129 --> 00:06:17.670 but with maximum impact. So he lands in the machine. 00:06:18.149 --> 00:06:20.949 WWE starts off in developmental Ohio Valley Wrestling, 00:06:21.110 --> 00:06:23.930 OVW. And right away, they knew he was something 00:06:23.930 --> 00:06:26.149 different. He got paired with Paul Heyman as 00:06:26.149 --> 00:06:28.769 a mentor, which was probably the best possible 00:06:28.769 --> 00:06:31.470 fit. Heyman gets those anti -establishment types. 00:06:31.769 --> 00:06:34.350 But it wasn't smooth sailing physically right 00:06:34.350 --> 00:06:37.129 from the jump. Nope. Broken nose, ruptured eardrum 00:06:37.129 --> 00:06:41.149 in his very first OVW TV match. Ouch. Welcome 00:06:41.149 --> 00:06:44.370 to the big leagues. Rough start. But he fought 00:06:44.370 --> 00:06:46.990 through it, won the OVW title, and got called 00:06:46.990 --> 00:06:49.470 up pretty quick to the main roster's ECW brand 00:06:49.470 --> 00:06:52.430 in 2006. And they gave him a distinct look and 00:06:52.430 --> 00:06:55.329 style there. Muay Thai inspired, still emphasizing 00:06:55.329 --> 00:06:57.449 the straight edge. Yeah, a focused presentation. 00:06:57.930 --> 00:07:00.149 And it clicked. He went on this long, undefeated 00:07:00.149 --> 00:07:02.410 streak like six months. Until Hardcore Holly 00:07:02.410 --> 00:07:05.199 beat him, Jan 07. Right. But later that year, 00:07:05.220 --> 00:07:08.060 he grabs his first major title in WWE, the ECW 00:07:08.060 --> 00:07:10.579 World Championship. Held it for a decent stretch, 00:07:10.639 --> 00:07:13.319 about 143 days. He was climbing fast. And then 00:07:13.319 --> 00:07:15.100 came those Money in the Bank wins, WrestleMania 00:07:15.100 --> 00:07:18.040 24 in 2008. And then again at WrestleMania 25 00:07:18.040 --> 00:07:21.740 in 2009, like we said, the only guy ever that 00:07:21.740 --> 00:07:23.959 was the rocket being strapped to his back. Uses 00:07:23.959 --> 00:07:26.980 that first briefcase perfectly. Cashes in on 00:07:26.980 --> 00:07:29.759 Batista after Edge beat him down. Wins his first 00:07:29.759 --> 00:07:32.500 World Heavyweight Championship in 2008. Huge 00:07:32.500 --> 00:07:35.370 moment. And around this time, he hits a major 00:07:35.370 --> 00:07:39.649 milestone, becomes the 19th WWE Triple Crown 00:07:39.649 --> 00:07:41.970 Champion. Let's just clarify that for people 00:07:41.970 --> 00:07:43.829 listening. Triple Crown means winning the main 00:07:43.829 --> 00:07:46.269 world title, the intercontinental title, the 00:07:46.269 --> 00:07:49.069 secondary one, and the tag team titles. Correct. 00:07:49.170 --> 00:07:51.350 And Punk didn't just do it. He did it faster 00:07:51.350 --> 00:07:53.819 than anyone in history up to that point. beat 00:07:53.819 --> 00:07:56.819 Kevin Nash's old record. Took him just 203 days. 00:07:57.000 --> 00:07:58.920 That's incredibly fast. Shows how much they were 00:07:58.920 --> 00:08:01.399 pushing him. Aggressively pushing a new kind 00:08:01.399 --> 00:08:04.839 of star. But the feud that really defined this 00:08:04.839 --> 00:08:07.180 period and shifted his character, Jeff Hardy, 00:08:07.339 --> 00:08:09.860 2009. This is where he goes from the kind of 00:08:09.860 --> 00:08:12.540 principled good guy to something darker. Yeah, 00:08:12.579 --> 00:08:15.519 he turns full heel and he uses his real life 00:08:15.519 --> 00:08:17.939 straight edge stance as a weapon against Hardy, 00:08:18.079 --> 00:08:20.660 who had very public, very real struggles with 00:08:20.660 --> 00:08:22.810 addiction. It got uncomfortable. He was... Claiming 00:08:22.810 --> 00:08:25.509 moral superiority. Deeply uncomfortable. But 00:08:25.509 --> 00:08:27.850 it was ratings gold because it felt so personal, 00:08:27.949 --> 00:08:31.509 so taboo. It ended with Punk basically kicking 00:08:31.509 --> 00:08:34.090 Hardy out of the company in a steel cage match. 00:08:34.850 --> 00:08:37.889 Cemented him as this super self -righteous villain. 00:08:38.049 --> 00:08:40.970 And that persona evolves into the straight edge 00:08:40.970 --> 00:08:43.769 society. Right. This wasn't just, I don't drink. 00:08:43.809 --> 00:08:46.049 This was militant, almost like a cult leader. 00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:48.440 I'm better than you because I'm straight edge. 00:08:48.580 --> 00:08:50.980 He recruited followers, Luke Gallows, Serena, 00:08:51.039 --> 00:08:53.059 Joey Mercury. And made them shave their heads 00:08:53.059 --> 00:08:56.620 as a sign of like devotion or purification. It 00:08:56.620 --> 00:08:58.460 was creepy and compelling. He even committed 00:08:58.460 --> 00:09:00.360 to it himself, right? When he lost a match to 00:09:00.360 --> 00:09:02.600 Rey Mysterio and got his head shaved. He wore 00:09:02.600 --> 00:09:05.340 a mask for months, apparently genuinely embarrassed 00:09:05.340 --> 00:09:07.799 by how he looked without hair. It added this 00:09:07.799 --> 00:09:10.419 weird layer of vulnerability to the evil cult 00:09:10.419 --> 00:09:12.899 leader thing. He was exposed. Wild. And then 00:09:12.899 --> 00:09:15.039 just before the next massive chapter, he takes 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:17.720 over the new Nexus faction. Uses that power immediately 00:09:17.720 --> 00:09:20.700 to settle a score. Costs Randy Orton the WWE 00:09:20.700 --> 00:09:24.480 title. Why Orton? Revenge. Punk claimed Orton 00:09:24.480 --> 00:09:26.759 was responsible for prematurely ending his first 00:09:26.759 --> 00:09:29.460 World Heavyweight title reign back in 2008 with 00:09:29.460 --> 00:09:32.850 an attack. Ah. So, holding grudges, settling 00:09:32.850 --> 00:09:36.269 scores, another defining trait. Never forgets, 00:09:36.269 --> 00:09:39.490 never forgives. It's core to the CM Punk character, 00:09:39.769 --> 00:09:42.549 and maybe the man too. Hashtag tag tag over. 00:09:42.750 --> 00:09:45.470 The pipe bomb, the rain, and the acrimonious 00:09:45.470 --> 00:09:48.409 exit to wind on the 2014. Which brings us to, 00:09:48.570 --> 00:09:52.090 well, maybe the single most defining moment of 00:09:52.090 --> 00:09:56.600 his career. June 2011. The pipe bomb. Okay, set 00:09:56.600 --> 00:09:59.419 the scene. His WWE contract was legitimately 00:09:59.419 --> 00:10:02.279 about to expire. The upcoming Money in the Bank 00:10:02.279 --> 00:10:04.179 pay -per -view was potentially his last night. 00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:06.600 He promised he was going to win the WWE Championship 00:10:06.600 --> 00:10:08.899 from John Cena and walk out of the company with 00:10:08.899 --> 00:10:11.539 it. But the promo itself... That's what blew 00:10:11.539 --> 00:10:13.320 the doors off everything. This wasn't your typical 00:10:13.320 --> 00:10:15.399 wrestling promo. Not even close. It was what 00:10:15.399 --> 00:10:18.100 wrestlers call a shoot going off script, speaking 00:10:18.100 --> 00:10:20.600 harsh truths. Punk just sat down on the stage 00:10:20.600 --> 00:10:22.580 and unloaded years of frustration. About how 00:10:22.580 --> 00:10:25.220 WWE was run, about management. He went after 00:10:25.220 --> 00:10:27.600 Vince McMahon directly. Called John Cena the 00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:30.480 corporate... A poster boy took shots at The Rock, 00:10:30.539 --> 00:10:32.480 calling him Dwayne to emphasize he was a Hollywood 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:34.620 star and not a wrestler anymore. He attacked 00:10:34.620 --> 00:10:37.379 John Laurinaitis, an executive, even criticized 00:10:37.379 --> 00:10:39.840 the McMahon family potentially taking over. And 00:10:39.840 --> 00:10:42.100 he broke all the rules, mentioned rival companies, 00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:45.100 Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro Wrestling, proudly 00:10:45.100 --> 00:10:47.820 called himself a Paul Heyman guy, setting himself 00:10:47.820 --> 00:10:50.559 apart from the WWE system. And that microphone 00:10:50.559 --> 00:10:53.539 cut off. Just as he was about to tell some personal 00:10:53.539 --> 00:10:56.139 story about Vince. Perfect. Made it feel like 00:10:56.139 --> 00:10:58.480 the company panicked. Absolutely cemented the 00:10:58.480 --> 00:11:01.259 idea that he was a genuine rebel speaking forbidden 00:11:01.259 --> 00:11:05.340 truths. The impact was insane. Instantly transformed 00:11:05.340 --> 00:11:07.960 him into this anti -corporate hero. The voice 00:11:07.960 --> 00:11:10.360 of the voiceless. Exactly. It created a buzz 00:11:10.360 --> 00:11:13.120 wrestling hadn't had in years. It felt like a 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:15.659 real alternative to the, you know, safer, more 00:11:15.659 --> 00:11:18.649 corporate PG era product. And, crucially, he 00:11:18.649 --> 00:11:21.350 backed it up. He beat Cena at Money in the Bank, 00:11:21.470 --> 00:11:24.070 won the title. There was a little detour. Alberto 00:11:24.070 --> 00:11:26.669 Del Rio cashed in his own Money in the Bank after 00:11:26.669 --> 00:11:29.269 Kevin Nash randomly attacked Punk. Right. Typical 00:11:29.269 --> 00:11:31.190 wrestling chaos. But Punk won the title back 00:11:31.190 --> 00:11:33.669 pretty quickly at Survivor Series in November 00:11:33.669 --> 00:11:36.409 2011. And that's when the big one started, the 00:11:36.409 --> 00:11:39.149 434 -day reign. To hold it that long, you need 00:11:39.149 --> 00:11:42.259 great opponents. And he had them. Amazing feud 00:11:42.259 --> 00:11:45.120 with Chris Jericho, who played mind games, breaking 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:47.720 up Punk's family history with alcohol, trying 00:11:47.720 --> 00:11:50.419 to break his straight -edge resolve. Really personal 00:11:50.419 --> 00:11:53.360 stuff again. Always. He also had classic matches 00:11:53.360 --> 00:11:56.080 with Daniel Bryan, and fought off Ryback multiple 00:11:56.080 --> 00:11:58.620 times, often needing help from this new group, 00:11:58.879 --> 00:12:02.100 The Shield. Ah, their debut was tied into his 00:12:02.100 --> 00:12:05.320 reign. Yep, clandestine and help. But all reigns 00:12:05.320 --> 00:12:08.279 end. And fittingly... Punks ended in controversy. 00:12:08.500 --> 00:12:11.740 Yeah, Rock. Royal Rumble 2013. The Rock wins, 00:12:11.960 --> 00:12:14.799 but only after the shield interferes and Vince 00:12:14.799 --> 00:12:17.299 McMahon restarts the match. Just feeding Punk's 00:12:17.299 --> 00:12:19.399 narrative that the system was always rigged against 00:12:19.399 --> 00:12:21.360 him. Perfectly. And that simmering frustration. 00:12:21.820 --> 00:12:24.340 It finally just boiled over about a year later, 00:12:24.460 --> 00:12:27.820 January 27, 2014. He just walked out, told Vince 00:12:27.820 --> 00:12:30.000 and Triple H, I'm going home. Not a storyline. 00:12:30.200 --> 00:12:33.200 He was done. Right. Burnt out, injured, creatively, 00:12:33.220 --> 00:12:35.440 completely fed up. And the reasons he gave later. 00:12:35.840 --> 00:12:38.220 particularly the health stuff, were really alarming. 00:12:38.399 --> 00:12:40.519 Shocking. He claimed he'd been working hurt for 00:12:40.519 --> 00:12:44.039 ages, broken ribs, bad knees, concussions. But 00:12:44.039 --> 00:12:46.080 the big one was an untreated MRSA infection, 00:12:46.320 --> 00:12:48.460 a staph infection. That, he said, was potentially 00:12:48.460 --> 00:12:52.120 fatal and that the WW medical staff downplayed 00:12:52.120 --> 00:12:55.179 or misdiagnosed. He even recounted a doctor telling 00:12:55.179 --> 00:12:57.360 him later, based on the severity, you should 00:12:57.360 --> 00:13:00.200 be dead. That changes the whole narrative, doesn't 00:13:00.200 --> 00:13:04.139 it? From just being unhappy creatively to a serious 00:13:04.139 --> 00:13:06.279 health crisis and a potential failure of pair. 00:13:06.879 --> 00:13:09.740 Absolutely. And then the way WWE handled his 00:13:09.740 --> 00:13:12.440 departure. The final insult, as he tells it. 00:13:12.519 --> 00:13:15.179 He walks out, says he gets suspended. Months 00:13:15.179 --> 00:13:17.519 later, he contacts them about unpaid royalties. 00:13:17.799 --> 00:13:20.500 And they fire him. Send him his termination papers 00:13:20.500 --> 00:13:24.100 on his wedding day, June 13th, 2014. Wow. If 00:13:24.100 --> 00:13:26.059 true, that's just deliberately cruel. You don't 00:13:26.059 --> 00:13:28.720 forget something like that. So beyond the health 00:13:28.720 --> 00:13:30.879 issues and the firing, it was also about creative, 00:13:31.080 --> 00:13:33.139 right? Yeah. Never getting that WrestleMania 00:13:33.139 --> 00:13:35.259 main event spot. It was a huge sticking point 00:13:35.259 --> 00:13:37.679 for him. Feeling creatively stifled, feeling 00:13:37.679 --> 00:13:39.580 like the company only really cared about planning 00:13:39.580 --> 00:13:42.299 for John Cena and maybe a few others. No long 00:13:42.299 --> 00:13:44.240 -term vision for him at the very top, despite 00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:46.539 the long reign. And this whole mess leads to 00:13:46.539 --> 00:13:50.139 court. The lawsuit from WWE's Dr. Chris Amann. 00:13:50.519 --> 00:13:53.820 A defamation suit seeking millions based on what 00:13:53.820 --> 00:13:56.740 Punk said about the MRSA treatment on Colt Cabana's 00:13:56.740 --> 00:13:59.279 podcast. That went to trial and the jury sided 00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:02.259 with Punk and Cabana found in their favor. Which 00:14:02.259 --> 00:14:04.759 seemed like a huge vindication for Punk's medical 00:14:04.759 --> 00:14:08.340 claims. But almost immediately after that victory. 00:14:09.179 --> 00:14:11.679 Another lawsuit. This one was devastating, personally. 00:14:11.899 --> 00:14:14.860 His former best friend, Colt Cabana, sued him. 00:14:15.059 --> 00:14:17.639 Yeah. Cabana claimed Punk had promised to cover 00:14:17.639 --> 00:14:20.179 his legal fees for the Ammon suit, which were 00:14:20.179 --> 00:14:22.940 massive and then backed out. Alleged breach of 00:14:22.940 --> 00:14:25.700 contract. Fraud. Just awful. Two guys who came 00:14:25.700 --> 00:14:28.539 up together, went through so much, now suing 00:14:28.539 --> 00:14:31.100 each other. It got really ugly. Very public. 00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:33.320 Eventually he settled out of court, but the friendship 00:14:33.320 --> 00:14:35.419 was completely destroyed. It just highlighted 00:14:35.419 --> 00:14:37.960 how Pump's professional turmoil always seemed 00:14:37.960 --> 00:14:40.399 to bleed into his personal life. So after burning 00:14:40.399 --> 00:14:42.620 every bridge with WWE, he does something completely 00:14:42.620 --> 00:14:46.000 unexpected, pivots to MMA. Signs of the UFC in 00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:49.340 late 2014, a multi -fight deal, shocked pretty 00:14:49.340 --> 00:14:51.019 much everyone. Enters the welterweight division, 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:53.960 trains seriously with a respected camp, Duke 00:14:53.960 --> 00:14:56.620 Rufus at Rufusport. No doubt he was committed 00:14:56.620 --> 00:14:59.299 to the training, but the results in the octagon. 00:15:00.139 --> 00:15:02.240 They weren't great. Yeah, it's fair to say his 00:15:02.240 --> 00:15:05.220 pro MMA career didn't pan out. Officially, zero 00:15:05.220 --> 00:15:08.200 wins, one loss, and one no contest. His debut 00:15:08.200 --> 00:15:11.700 at UFC 203 in 2016, he lost quickly via submission 00:15:11.700 --> 00:15:14.879 to Mickey Gall. And the second fight, UFC 225 00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:17.480 in 2018, he lost the decision to Mike Jackson, 00:15:17.620 --> 00:15:20.220 but that got overturned to a no contest later. 00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:22.279 Because Jackson tested positive for marijuana, 00:15:22.539 --> 00:15:25.470 yeah. So competitively, not a success. It was 00:15:25.470 --> 00:15:27.789 pretty widely criticized by MMA fans and experts. 00:15:28.029 --> 00:15:30.389 But he stayed involved in combat sports, doing 00:15:30.389 --> 00:15:32.669 commentary for Cage Fury Fighting Championships. 00:15:33.049 --> 00:15:35.409 And then, interestingly, he dipped his toe back 00:15:35.409 --> 00:15:39.649 into the WWE world. Sort of. Right. The WWE backstage 00:15:39.649 --> 00:15:43.049 show on Fox Sports in 2019 -2020. Crucially, 00:15:43.190 --> 00:15:46.840 he was contracted to Fox. Not WWE. So he could 00:15:46.840 --> 00:15:49.039 talk about the product, be adjacent to it, without 00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:51.059 actually working for Vince McMahon again. A clever 00:15:51.059 --> 00:15:53.139 arrangement. Felt like maybe a first step towards 00:15:53.139 --> 00:15:55.700 something. And then, August 2021, the return 00:15:55.700 --> 00:15:57.740 nobody thought possible. All Elite Wrestling. 00:15:58.120 --> 00:16:00.759 AEW. His debut at the first dance event in Chicago. 00:16:01.019 --> 00:16:03.440 A reaction was just unbelievable. Often described 00:16:03.440 --> 00:16:05.919 as one of the loudest crowd reactions ever. Pure 00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:09.980 emotion. Seven years away, and he was back. And 00:16:09.980 --> 00:16:11.360 initially, it seemed like the perfect comeback 00:16:11.360 --> 00:16:14.909 story. He looked happy, motivated. Yeah. Wins 00:16:14.909 --> 00:16:18.309 the AEW world title from Adam Page in May 2022. 00:16:18.730 --> 00:16:20.909 Gets injured, unfortunately. Breaks his foot. 00:16:21.049 --> 00:16:23.070 Has to take time off, but comes back relatively 00:16:23.070 --> 00:16:25.769 quickly and wins the title again at the All Out 00:16:25.769 --> 00:16:28.509 pay -per -view in September 2022. Redemption 00:16:28.509 --> 00:16:31.289 complete. Second world title in the new company. 00:16:31.570 --> 00:16:34.929 And then came the post -show media scrum. Oh, 00:16:34.929 --> 00:16:37.730 boy. This is where it all went sideways. Again. 00:16:37.870 --> 00:16:39.809 He didn't just go sideways. He went nuclear. 00:16:40.250 --> 00:16:43.250 Sat there next to AEW owner Tony Khan and just 00:16:43.250 --> 00:16:45.789 unloaded. Started with Colt Cabana again, right? 00:16:46.009 --> 00:16:48.750 Airing personal grievances, talking about lawsuits 00:16:48.750 --> 00:16:50.889 and bank accounts. Yeah, used that huge platform 00:16:50.889 --> 00:16:52.990 to relitigate their entire personal history. 00:16:53.149 --> 00:16:55.590 It was uncomfortable. But then he turned his 00:16:55.590 --> 00:16:59.269 fire onto AEW management, specifically the EVPs 00:16:59.269 --> 00:17:02.149 Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks. Accused them 00:17:02.149 --> 00:17:04.930 flat out of leaking negative stories about him. 00:17:04.990 --> 00:17:07.579 Called them a**holes. unprofessional implied 00:17:07.579 --> 00:17:10.039 they were incompetent and remember these aren't 00:17:10.039 --> 00:17:13.319 just suits they're his colleagues top stars in 00:17:13.319 --> 00:17:15.799 the company the political implications were massive 00:17:15.799 --> 00:17:18.160 he basically declared war on the company's founding 00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:20.599 figures while sitting next to the owner and that 00:17:20.599 --> 00:17:23.940 verbal assault reportedly led directly to a physical 00:17:23.940 --> 00:17:27.599 altercation backstage a legitimate fight between 00:17:27.599 --> 00:17:31.559 punk omega and the bucks the fallout was immediate 00:17:31.559 --> 00:17:35.390 and messy suspensions for everyone involved Punk, 00:17:35.490 --> 00:17:38.029 the newly crowned champion, was out again, needed 00:17:38.029 --> 00:17:40.529 surgery for a torn triceps he apparently suffered 00:17:40.529 --> 00:17:42.430 in the main event before the scrum and fight. 00:17:42.650 --> 00:17:45.369 Just catastrophic for AEW. Their biggest star 00:17:45.369 --> 00:17:47.930 embroiled in scandal and injured moments after 00:17:47.930 --> 00:17:49.690 winning the title. When he eventually came back 00:17:49.690 --> 00:17:52.190 in 2023, he didn't shy away from the controversy. 00:17:52.470 --> 00:17:54.589 Not at all. He leaned right into it, declared 00:17:54.589 --> 00:17:56.930 himself the real world champion, brought out 00:17:56.930 --> 00:17:59.529 the title belt he never lost, spray painted his 00:17:59.529 --> 00:18:02.230 X symbol over it. Still the rebel, even in the 00:18:02.230 --> 00:18:05.420 company built by rebels. It's his brand. But 00:18:05.420 --> 00:18:08.319 the AEW tenure ended just as explosively as it 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:13.839 began. All in London, August 2023. Another backstage 00:18:13.839 --> 00:18:16.019 incident. This time with Jungle Boy, Jack Perry. 00:18:16.569 --> 00:18:18.849 Reportedly over Perry wanting to use real glass 00:18:18.849 --> 00:18:21.329 in a spot, which Punk objected to on safety grounds. 00:18:21.690 --> 00:18:24.670 Accounts differ on who started what, but there 00:18:24.670 --> 00:18:26.670 was definitely a physical confrontation backstage 00:18:26.670 --> 00:18:28.789 right before Punk's match. And the consequence 00:18:28.789 --> 00:18:31.769 was final this time. AEW terminated his contract 00:18:31.769 --> 00:18:34.990 for cause just days later. Yeah. Tony Khan released 00:18:34.990 --> 00:18:36.869 a statement saying Punk's actions endangered 00:18:36.869 --> 00:18:39.529 people backstage and that he personally felt 00:18:39.529 --> 00:18:43.000 his safety my life was in danger. Pretty damning 00:18:43.000 --> 00:18:45.299 words from the CEO. Honk naturally had a very 00:18:45.299 --> 00:18:47.500 different version of events. Claimed he actually 00:18:47.500 --> 00:18:50.000 quit first. Told Khan, you're a fucking clown. 00:18:50.099 --> 00:18:53.339 I quit. Criticized AEW heavily. Called it not 00:18:53.339 --> 00:18:55.539 a real business. Claimed they didn't contact 00:18:55.539 --> 00:18:58.079 him for months after the all -out brawl. Left 00:18:58.079 --> 00:19:00.079 him to handle his own surgery costs. So another 00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:02.859 incredibly bitter public divorce from a major 00:19:02.859 --> 00:19:05.480 wrestling promotion. Deja vu. Textbook. Almost. 00:19:05.779 --> 00:19:08.720 Okay, so after the AEW implosion, you'd think... 00:19:09.099 --> 00:19:11.579 That's it, right? He's burned bridges with WWE 00:19:11.579 --> 00:19:13.839 and AEW. Where else is there to go at that level? 00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:16.319 You would absolutely think that. Given the firing 00:19:16.319 --> 00:19:18.640 on his wedding day, the lawsuits, the years of 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:22.279 public bad -mouthing, a WWE return seemed impossible. 00:19:22.700 --> 00:19:25.000 The amount of ego -swallowing required on both 00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:28.240 sides must have been immense. Astronomical. But. 00:19:29.019 --> 00:19:34.779 November 2023 Survivor Series. War Games. In 00:19:34.779 --> 00:19:38.220 Chicago. The show ends. And his music hits. The 00:19:38.220 --> 00:19:40.680 building just erupted. Reports called it one 00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:42.680 of the loudest reactions, maybe the loudest ever. 00:19:42.819 --> 00:19:45.299 It was a genuine shock, a massive moment. WWE 00:19:45.299 --> 00:19:47.460 basically admitted his star power was too big 00:19:47.460 --> 00:19:50.160 to leave on the table. He's back. But true form, 00:19:50.279 --> 00:19:52.119 controversy, and setbacks follow immediately. 00:19:52.440 --> 00:19:55.640 Enters the 2024 Royal Rumble, looks great, and 00:19:55.640 --> 00:19:57.660 tears his right triceps during the match. Just 00:19:57.660 --> 00:20:00.019 brutal luck. Requires surgery, means he's out 00:20:00.019 --> 00:20:02.599 for WrestleMania XL. Cancels the planned big 00:20:02.599 --> 00:20:05.339 match with Seth Rollins. For WWE, to their credit, 00:20:05.380 --> 00:20:07.720 spun it into gold. They turned the real -life 00:20:07.720 --> 00:20:10.299 injury into a major storyline. Drew McIntyre 00:20:10.299 --> 00:20:13.299 steps up, starts relentlessly mocking Punk, calling 00:20:13.299 --> 00:20:15.859 him fragile, made of glass, rubbing salt in the 00:20:15.859 --> 00:20:18.920 wound. Gave Punk the perfect antagonist and motivation 00:20:18.920 --> 00:20:21.720 while he was recovering. He didn't need to wrestle 00:20:21.720 --> 00:20:24.019 to be involved. And Punk played his part perfectly. 00:20:24.220 --> 00:20:27.380 Kept showing up, interfering, costing McIntyre 00:20:27.380 --> 00:20:30.559 huge opportunities. At WrestleMania XL, cost 00:20:30.559 --> 00:20:32.480 him the world title just moments after he won 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:35.019 it. At Clash at the Castle and McIntyre's home 00:20:35.019 --> 00:20:38.200 country of Scotland, cost him again. Then stop 00:20:38.200 --> 00:20:41.559 McIntyre's Money in the Bank cash -in. Pure torment. 00:20:41.799 --> 00:20:44.400 It was a fantastic feud. Got rivalry of the year 00:20:44.400 --> 00:20:47.299 nods from pretty much everyone. ESPN, Pro Wrestling 00:20:47.299 --> 00:20:49.539 Illustrated, Sports Illustrated. Culminated in 00:20:49.539 --> 00:20:51.599 a series of great matches once Punk was cleared. 00:20:52.000 --> 00:20:54.700 Punk lost the first at SummerSlam with Rollins 00:20:54.700 --> 00:20:57.640 as ref. Won the second a strap match in Berlin. 00:20:57.859 --> 00:20:59.880 And then won the blow -off inside Hell in a Cell 00:20:59.880 --> 00:21:02.619 at Bad Blood. That Hell in a Cell match even 00:21:02.619 --> 00:21:05.900 got five stars from Meltzer. Proved that, even 00:21:05.900 --> 00:21:07.700 after everything, he could still deliver at the 00:21:07.700 --> 00:21:10.460 absolute highest level in the ring. So McIntyre 00:21:10.460 --> 00:21:12.819 feud settled. He pivots back to the guy he was 00:21:12.819 --> 00:21:15.380 supposed to face, Seth Rollins. After a weird 00:21:15.380 --> 00:21:17.680 brief alliance with Roman Reigns for war games. 00:21:18.079 --> 00:21:21.279 Yeah, the Rollins feud reignited. Punk beat Rollins 00:21:21.279 --> 00:21:24.519 on the big debut episode of Raw on Netflix. Big 00:21:24.519 --> 00:21:27.200 statement win. Then came SummerSlam, night one. 00:21:27.480 --> 00:21:29.619 Punk challenges Gunther for the World Heavyweight 00:21:29.619 --> 00:21:32.220 Championship. And he wins. Climbs the mountain 00:21:32.220 --> 00:21:35.160 again. Wins the world title in WWE after almost 00:21:35.160 --> 00:21:37.519 a decade away. Incredible moment. For about five 00:21:37.519 --> 00:21:41.089 minutes. Yeah. Enter Seth Rollins, who had won 00:21:41.089 --> 00:21:43.170 Money in the Bank earlier, cashes in immediately, 00:21:43.509 --> 00:21:46.529 pins Punk. Punk's reign ends at 5 minutes and 00:21:46.529 --> 00:21:48.869 9 seconds, the shortest World Heavyweight Championship 00:21:48.869 --> 00:21:52.059 reign ever. Just perfect. Beautiful wrestling 00:21:52.059 --> 00:21:54.920 chaos. He gets the ultimate triumph and it's 00:21:54.920 --> 00:21:57.839 snatched away instantly. It feeds his whole narrative, 00:21:57.900 --> 00:22:00.660 the system, the circumstances always conspire 00:22:00.660 --> 00:22:02.799 against him. And they keep blurring lines. The 00:22:02.799 --> 00:22:05.460 feud involves their wives now. Yeah. Most recently, 00:22:05.539 --> 00:22:08.059 Punk teamed with his actual wife, AJ Lee, who 00:22:08.059 --> 00:22:10.039 returned for the match. Against Rollins and his 00:22:10.039 --> 00:22:12.720 wife, Becky Lynch, at a big show called Wrestlepalooza. 00:22:12.940 --> 00:22:15.660 Punk and AJ got the win there. Bringing family 00:22:15.660 --> 00:22:18.619 into it. Keeping those deeply personal rivalries 00:22:18.619 --> 00:22:21.970 front and center. It's what he does best. Hashtag 00:22:21.970 --> 00:22:25.609 tag seven, legacy, persona, and outside ventures. 00:22:25.869 --> 00:22:27.609 Let's talk a bit more about that straight edge 00:22:27.609 --> 00:22:29.650 persona itself, because it really shifts depending 00:22:29.650 --> 00:22:31.430 on whether he's a good guy or a bad guy, right? 00:22:31.430 --> 00:22:34.869 Totally. When he's a face, a hero, it's about 00:22:34.869 --> 00:22:37.849 discipline, personal choice, being clean, kind 00:22:37.849 --> 00:22:40.210 of a moral foundation. But when he turns heel, 00:22:40.490 --> 00:22:43.690 villain. In it comes militant, hardline, elitist. 00:22:43.890 --> 00:22:45.650 I'm better than you because I don't have your 00:22:45.650 --> 00:22:48.369 weaknesses. That's the core message. And the 00:22:48.369 --> 00:22:51.450 visuals, the crossed arms X, the straight edge 00:22:51.450 --> 00:22:54.410 tattoo on his stomach, they're always there, 00:22:54.490 --> 00:22:56.730 anchoring the identity. His tattoos in general 00:22:56.730 --> 00:22:58.809 are such a huge part of his look, his brand. 00:22:59.130 --> 00:23:00.869 Absolutely. They're not just random ink. They 00:23:00.869 --> 00:23:03.650 tell stories, like the Pepsi logo on his shoulder. 00:23:03.809 --> 00:23:06.009 Which seems counterintuitive for straight edge, 00:23:06.029 --> 00:23:08.250 maybe. Right. But it's a nod to guitarist Brian 00:23:08.250 --> 00:23:10.250 Baker from the straight edge band Minor Threat, 00:23:10.309 --> 00:23:13.289 who famously said, I like Pepsi. Kind of ironically 00:23:13.289 --> 00:23:16.630 pushing back against rigid dogma. And Punk even 00:23:16.630 --> 00:23:19.490 named moves after it, like the Pepsi plunge. 00:23:19.609 --> 00:23:21.569 What other tattoos stand out? Well, the luck 00:23:21.569 --> 00:23:25.250 is for losers. Sleeve has four aces, a tribute 00:23:25.250 --> 00:23:27.950 to Ace Steel, one of his trainers. He's got Drug 00:23:27.950 --> 00:23:30.769 Free tattooed across his knuckles. Very direct. 00:23:31.049 --> 00:23:34.339 And the Cobra Command logo from G .I. Joe. Yeah, 00:23:34.420 --> 00:23:36.319 replaces well -known love for comic books and 00:23:36.319 --> 00:23:38.539 pop culture. Yeah. His body is literally like 00:23:38.539 --> 00:23:41.619 a map of his influences and beliefs. And he's 00:23:41.619 --> 00:23:43.920 used that fame outside wrestling, too. He's done 00:23:43.920 --> 00:23:45.740 some acting. Yeah, starred in horror movie Girl 00:23:45.740 --> 00:23:48.299 on the Third Floor back in 2019. Got decent reviews, 00:23:48.500 --> 00:23:50.700 actually. Critics said he carried the film well. 00:23:50.819 --> 00:23:53.299 And he was in that wrestling drama series, Heels. 00:23:53.539 --> 00:23:55.400 Played a character named Ricky Rabies for a couple 00:23:55.400 --> 00:23:58.380 of seasons. And maybe less surprisingly, given 00:23:58.380 --> 00:24:00.680 his promo skills, he's written comic books. For 00:24:00.680 --> 00:24:03.400 Marvel. Yep. Wrote an intro for an Avengers vs. 00:24:03.460 --> 00:24:06.380 X -Men collection. Contributed to a Thor annual. 00:24:06.700 --> 00:24:09.640 Wrote for the Drax series. Living the geek dream, 00:24:09.839 --> 00:24:12.660 as he put it. So, when you step back and look 00:24:12.660 --> 00:24:15.099 at the whole picture, what's his lasting impact, 00:24:15.319 --> 00:24:18.160 his legacy? He's undeniably one of the most influential 00:24:18.160 --> 00:24:20.759 guys of his generation. Probably because he was 00:24:20.759 --> 00:24:22.519 kind of the trailblazer. He was one of the very 00:24:22.519 --> 00:24:25.319 first wrestlers who got over huge on the independent 00:24:25.319 --> 00:24:27.839 scene with a non -traditional look and style, 00:24:27.980 --> 00:24:30.359 who then broke through and became a main eventer, 00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:33.339 a world champion. In WWE. He proved it could 00:24:33.339 --> 00:24:35.559 be done. Exactly. He kicked the door down for 00:24:35.559 --> 00:24:37.940 so many others who came after him with similar 00:24:37.940 --> 00:24:40.500 backgrounds, guys like Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, 00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:43.900 Sami Zayn, Daniel Bryan. The list goes on. He 00:24:43.900 --> 00:24:46.460 changed WWE's hiring philosophy, really. And 00:24:46.460 --> 00:24:49.099 then there are the promos. Oh, absolutely. He's 00:24:49.099 --> 00:24:51.099 genuinely considered one of the best talkers 00:24:51.099 --> 00:24:54.819 ever in the business. That pipe bomb promo, people 00:24:54.819 --> 00:24:57.660 will still be analyzing that decades from now. 00:24:57.759 --> 00:24:59.099 It felt like it offered something different, 00:24:59.220 --> 00:25:01.480 right? pushed back against the corporate feel 00:25:01.480 --> 00:25:04.099 of the PG era. It gave a voice to a frustration 00:25:04.099 --> 00:25:07.220 that a lot of fans felt. It made wrestling feel 00:25:07.220 --> 00:25:10.160 dangerous and unpredictable again, at least for 00:25:10.160 --> 00:25:12.279 a moment. And just quickly, his personal life, 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:15.440 married to AJ Lee since 2014. April Mendez, yeah? 00:25:15.579 --> 00:25:17.819 Yeah. Also identifies as an atheist, speaks out 00:25:17.819 --> 00:25:21.240 on social issues, pro -choice feminist. Voice 00:25:21.240 --> 00:25:23.680 of the voiceless thing seems to extend beyond 00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:26.180 wrestling for him. Big Chicago sports fan, too, 00:25:26.279 --> 00:25:29.660 obviously. So we've traced this absolutely wild 00:25:29.660 --> 00:25:32.940 career, unbelievable highs, the championships, 00:25:33.279 --> 00:25:36.240 the critical praise, the influence. But always, 00:25:36.400 --> 00:25:39.160 always shadowed or interrupted by controversy, 00:25:39.420 --> 00:25:42.319 conflict and combustion. It's like his defining 00:25:42.319 --> 00:25:45.160 trait. He seems driven by this relentless need 00:25:45.160 --> 00:25:47.940 for respect, for legitimacy. But his method for 00:25:47.940 --> 00:25:50.339 achieving it often involves attacking the very 00:25:50.339 --> 00:25:53.180 systems or people he needs validation from. It's 00:25:53.180 --> 00:25:55.720 a paradox. And his ability to just weave everything 00:25:55.720 --> 00:25:58.380 together, the real injuries, the real grudges, 00:25:58.380 --> 00:26:01.460 the politics, his beliefs into the character 00:26:01.460 --> 00:26:04.339 we see on screen. It's kind of unmatched. That's 00:26:04.339 --> 00:26:06.460 what makes him so captivating. Right. But also 00:26:06.460 --> 00:26:09.319 so incredibly volatile. You never know when the 00:26:09.319 --> 00:26:11.579 next explosion is coming. Keeps everyone, fans, 00:26:11.599 --> 00:26:14.119 management, opponents, constantly on edge. I 00:26:14.119 --> 00:26:16.599 mean, he came back to WWE, the place he swore 00:26:16.599 --> 00:26:19.279 he'd never return to, swallowed the pride, endured 00:26:19.279 --> 00:26:21.039 whatever politics were involved. And immediately 00:26:21.039 --> 00:26:23.799 jumped back into the main event, created arguably 00:26:23.799 --> 00:26:27.059 the feud of the year, won a world title. Even 00:26:27.059 --> 00:26:29.519 while battling serious injury, he seems to thrive 00:26:29.519 --> 00:26:31.859 on disruption. Maybe disruption is his natural 00:26:31.859 --> 00:26:34.069 state. Which leads us to the final thought for 00:26:34.069 --> 00:26:36.390 you, listening to all this. We've seen him come 00:26:36.390 --> 00:26:39.750 back, achieve huge success again. But given his 00:26:39.750 --> 00:26:42.890 entire history, decades of it now, of confrontation, 00:26:43.230 --> 00:26:46.250 of burning bridges, of that constant push -pull 00:26:46.250 --> 00:26:49.150 between wanting establishment success and needing 00:26:49.150 --> 00:26:51.650 to be the anti -establishment rebel. What does 00:26:51.650 --> 00:26:54.750 the future really hold? Is stability even possible 00:26:54.750 --> 00:26:57.869 for someone like CM Punk? Or is the next blow 00:26:57.869 --> 00:27:00.839 -up, the next acrimonious exit? Always just around 00:27:00.839 --> 00:27:03.400 the corner. Which company might be next to experience 00:27:03.400 --> 00:27:05.779 the CM Punk roller coaster? That, I guess, is 00:27:05.779 --> 00:27:07.799 the drama we'll continue to watch unfold. Never 00:27:07.799 --> 00:27:08.519 a dull moment.