June 27, 2011: The Day CM Punk Became My Favorite Wrestler

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It is no secret that I have been a pro wrestling fan for a long time. I’ve seen the best, the worst, the weirdest, the gruesome, and the brutal. I have never seen a wrestler that has great microphone skills along with technical skills and a high flyer quite like Phillip Jack Brooks (better known as CM Punk by wrestling fans young and young at heart alike). The wrestler is a cross between Macho Man Randy Savage, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Chris Benoit rolled into one man. He’s got one thing that neither wrestler had done, doing it all without drugs and alcohol. He is known as the Straight Edged Savior which has been his calling card since his independent wrestling days in the early 2000s. While he may not have the body of your typical pro wrestler, he can do a lot with what appeared to be very little. He stands at 6’2 and weighs nearly 220 pounds which makes him look like an average male to a lot of people. He proved the skeptics wrong with his in-ring ability and microphone skills. Born in the Second City known as Chicago, IL, he has the no-nonsense and a take no prisoners’ attitude like the city itself. He is not shy about standing up for himself and for his peers that don’t have the body or the look to become a successful professional wrestler. Nor does he have the family legacy to become figure to succeed and surpass the family members that came before him. He had his own Backyard Wrestling Federation and soon after became an Independent wrestling favorite for several years. There is more to the man than just his wrestling persona. He is a comic book, punk rock, and movie enthusiast. Here is my experience about one of my favorite pro wrestlers that had ever laced a pair of boots in the squared circle.

My experience with Punk started with my return to watching pro wrestling in early 2010 when he led the heel stable not unlike the nWo (New World Order) called the Straight Edged Society in the WWE SmackDown show. I thought it was one of the best heel stables in the World Wrestling Entertainment since Evolution (Triple H, Ric Flair, Randy Orton, and Batista). Brooks got a lot of heat for playing the cult leader of the infamous group. I knew right when I saw him that he was going to be a huge star in the WWE the way the crowd reacted to him. When he was transferred to RAW, he was stuck in mid-card hell as he is now the leader of the Nexus led by rookies like Husky Harris (Bray Wyatt), Mike McGullcutty (Curtis Axel), and David Otunga from the show NXT which replaced ECW that same year. Despite the setback, he had some great matches with Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton, and the Big Show. It wasn’t until the summer of 2011 in Las Vegas, NV on the Raw Roulette episode that became the ultimate game changer for not only Brooks, but for the WWE as we know it.

Here are the exact words from Phillip Jack Brooks on that fateful night:

John Cena, while you lay there, hopefully as uncomfortable as you possibly can be, I want you to listen to me.
I want you to digest this because before I leave in 3 weeks with your WWE Championship, I have a lot of things I want to get off my chest.

I don’t hate you, John. I don’t even dislike you. I do like you. I like you a hell of a lot more than I like most people in the back.

I hate this idea that you’re the best. Because you’re not. I’m the best. I’m the best in the world. There’s one thing you’re better at than I am and that’s kissing Vince McMahon’s ass.

You’re as good as kissing Vince McMahon’s ass as Hulk Hogan was. I don’t know if you’re as good as Dwayne though. He’s a pretty good ass kisser. Always was and still is.

Whoops! I’m breaking the fourth wall! (Punk waves to the camera)

I am the best wrestler in the world.

I’ve been the best since day one when I walked into this company. And I’ve been vilified and hated since that day because Paul Heyman saw something in me that nobody else wanted to admit. That’s right, I’m a Paul Heyman guy. You know who else was a Paul Heyman guy? Brock Lesnar. And he split just like I’m splitting. But the biggest difference between me and Brock is I’m going to leave with the WWE Championship.

I’ve grabbed so many of Vincent K. McMahon’s brass rings that it’s finally dawned on me that there just that, they’re completely imaginary. The only thing that’s real is me and the fact that day in and day out, for almost six years, I have proved to everybody in the world that I am the best on this microphone, in that ring, even in commentary! Nobody can touch me!

And yet no matter how many times I prove it, I’m not on your lovely little collector cups. I’m not on the cover of the program. I’m barely promoted. I don't get to be in movies. I’m certainly not on any crappy show on the USA Network. I’m not on the poster of WrestleMania. I’m not on the signature that’s produced at the start of the show. I’m not on Conan O’Brian. I’m not on Jimmy Fallon. But the fact of the matter is, I should be.

This isn’t sour grapes. But the fact that Dwayne is in the main event at WrestleMania next year and I’m not makes me sick!

Oh hey, let me get something straight. Those of you who are cheering me right now, you are just as big a part of me leaving as anything else. Because you’re the ones who are sipping on those collector cups right now. You’re the ones that buy those programs that my face isn’t on the cover of. And then at five in the morning at the airport, you try to shove it in my face and get an autograph and try to sell it on Ebay because you’re too lazy to go get a real job.

I’m leaving with the WWE Championship on July 17th. And hell, who knows, maybe I’ll go defend it in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Maybe…I’ll go back to Ring of Honor.

(Punk looks at the camera and waves)

Hey, Colt Cabana, how you doing?

The reason I’m leaving is you people. Because after I’m gone, you’re still going to pour money into this company. I’m just a spoke on the wheel. The wheel is going to keep turning and I understand that. Vince McMahon is going to make money despite himself. He’s a millionaire who should be a billionaire. You know why he’s not a billionaire? Because he surrounds himself with glad-handed, non-sensical, douchebag (censored) yes men, like John Laurinaitis, who’s going to tell him everything he wants to hear, and I’d like to think that maybe this company will better after Vince McMahon is dead. But the fact is, it’s going to be taken over by his idiotic daughter and his doofus son-in-law and the rest of his stupid family.

Let me tell you a personal story about Vince McMahon alright. We do this whole (anti) bully campaign

Mic cut off.

From that moment on, Punk went from being the wrestler I personally liked but no one really cared for to my favorite wrestler on the WWE roster. I personally thought he was going to change the company forever since they had John Cena as the #1 company man since 2006. After weeks of great promos from Brooks, he backed up his words by winning the WWE title at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view against WWE Champion, John Cena. Before he won the belt, he shortly signed the new contract with Vince McMahon’s company so he can remain with the company. At the Survivor Series four months later, Punk defeated Alberto Del Rio for the same WWE Championship that he won against Punk’s chief nemesis Cena only this time to have the longest title reign since his idol Randy Savage had the title from WrestleMania IV through V. He eventually lost the belt to the Rock at Royal Rumble 2013 as the Great One had the longest time away from the title belt from his last reign in 2002. Punk also came close to being the first wrestler to beat Undertaker at WrestleMania XXIX at MetLife Center in East Rutherford, NJ since the streak went to twenty straight wins at the Grand Spectacle. Although Punk lost to the Phenom, he gained the respect he once had with the fans for giving a five star classic at the biggest pay-per-view event of all-time.

In January 2014 (shortly after the Royal Rumble), he has since been in missing in action due to the creative difference between himself and the WWE. A lot of people like myself have been wondering if he is using that as another work promo like his infamous “pipe bomb” of 6-27-11 or if he is really frustrated that he walked out of the company because of the company going to a different direction not unlike Steve Austin did twelve years ago when he did the same thing. He is still making public appearances in “The Talking Dead” (The after show of the highly popular AMC television show, “The Walking Dead”) and an NHL event in Los Angeles, CA. He is also currently dating the WWE reigning Divas champion, April Jeannette Mendez (a.k.a. AJ Lee), whom is still in the active WWE roster. Although it’s a rough time for Punk and the rest of the wrestling fans, he gave us three unforgettable years of great wrestling, tremendous excitement, and unforgettable moments as he WAS the man during those years whether as a baby face or a heel. Even if he is gone from the WWE, he will never ever be forgotten as far as I’m concerned! All hail to Phillip Jack Brooks and the memories he gave to all of us wrestling fans!