A straight edge tattoo.

Straight edge is a subculture and subgenre of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs. It was a direct reaction to the sexual revolution, hedonism, and excess associated with punk rock.^[1][2] For some, this extends to not engaging in promiscuous sex, following a vegetarian or vegan diet, and not using caffeine or prescription drugs.^[1] The term was coined by the 1980s hardcore punk band Minor Threat in their song "Straight Edge".^[3]

Straight edge emerged amid the mid-'80s hardcore punk scene, in part as a reaction against the perceived "jock" element of the developing scene. Since then a wide variety of beliefs and ideas have been incorporated into the movement, including vegetarianism,^[4] animal rights,^[4] communism^[5] and Hare Krishna beliefs.^[6] In many parts of the United States and UK, straight edge is treated as a gang by law enforcement officials.^[7] A 2006 study suggested that the vast majority of people who identify as straight edge are nonviolent.^[8]

History[link]

In 1999, William Tsitsos wrote that straight edge had gone through three eras since its founding in the early 1980s.^[9] Later analysts have identified another era that has taken place since Tsitsos's writing.^[10]

1970s and early 1980s[link]

Minor Threat, the coiners of the term straight edge

Straight edge grew out of hardcore punk in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and was partly characterized by shouted rather than sung vocals.^[11] Straight edge individuals of this early era often associated with the original punk ideals such as individualism, disdain for work and school, and live-for-the-moment attitudes.^[9]

Straight edge sentiments can be found in songs by the early 1980s band Minor Threat, most explicitly within their song "Straight Edge",^[12] first wave English punk band The Vibrators song "Keep It Clean" and Jonathan Richman's early band The Modern Lovers 1970s song "I'm Straight", which rejected drug use.^[13] As one of the few prominent 1970s hard rock icons to explicitly eschew alcohol and drug use, singer/guitarist Ted Nugent was also a key influence on the straight edge ideology.^[14]

Straight edge started on the East Coast of the United States in Washington D.C., and quickly spread throughout the US and Canada.^[15] By the 1980s, bands on the West Coast of the United States, such as America's Hardcore (A.H.C.), Stalag 13, Justice League and Uniform Choice, were gaining popularity. In the early stages of this subculture's history, concerts often consisted of non-straight-edge punk bands along with straight edge bands. Circumstances soon changed and the early 1980s would eventually be viewed as the time "before the two scenes separated".^[11] Early straight edge bands included: the Washington D.C. bands Minor Threat, State of Alert (S.O.A.), Government Issue and Teen Idles; Reno's 7 Seconds; Boston's SSD, DYS and Negative FX; California bands as mentioned above; and New York City bands such as Cause for Alarm and The Abused.^[3][16]

Bent edge[link]

Bent edge began as a countermovement to straight edge by members of the Washington, D.C. hardcore scene who were frustrated by the rigidity and intolerance in the scene.^[17] This idea spread and on Minor Threat's first tour in 1982, people would come up to the band identifying as bent or curved edge.^[18] The countermovement was short lived and faded away by the end of the 1980s.

Youth crew (mid 1980s)[link]

Youth of Today, the pioneers of Youth Crew.

During the youth crew era, which started in the mid 1980s, the influence of music on the straight edge scene seemed to be at an all-time high. The new branches of straight edge that came about during this era seemed to originate from ideas presented in songs. Many youth crew bands had a strong heavy metal influence.^[19] Notable youth crew bands included: Youth of Today,^[19] Gorilla Biscuits,^[19] Judge, Bold, Chain of Strength, Uniform Choice, and Slapshot.^[20]

Starting in the mid 1980s, the band Youth of Today became associated with the straight edge movement, and their song "Youth Crew" expressed a desire to unite the scene into a movement.^[21] Vegetarianism became an important theme in straight edge during this era,^[22] starting with Youth of Today's 1988 song "No More", which contained the lyrics: "Meat-eating, flesh-eating, think about it. So callous this crime we commit".^[23] This catalyzed a trend towards animal rights and veganism within the straight edge movement that would reach its peak in the 1990s.^[22]

1990s[link]

By the early 1990s, militant straight edge was a well-known part of the wider punk and DIY scene. However, militant straight edge punks were not known for being tolerant. They displayed outward pride, outspokenness, and showed a willingness to resort to violence in order to promote their sub-culture.^[24] In addition, the militant straight edge individual was characterized by being more conservative and less tolerant of homosexuality and abortion.^[25]

In the mid 1990s, a number of bands advocating social justice, animal liberation, veganism, and straight edge practices leaned towards metal. During the 1990s, the straight edge scene split into factions:^[26] hardline^[6] and Krishna Consciousness.^[27]

Outside the United States[link]

In the early to mid 1990s, straight edge spread from the United States to Northern Europe,^[28] Eastern Europe,^[29] the Middle East,^[30] and South America.^[31] Straight edge spread around the world due to the relentless touring of youth crew bands and the ease of ordering record from American record labels via the mail.^[32]

2000s[link]

By the beginning of the 2000s, only small groups of militant straight edge individuals remained.^[33] The decline in militant behavior has been linked to the lack of a well known straight edge band leading the movement. Contrary to news reports that portrayed straight edge as a gang,^[34][35] several studies have shown that straight edge individuals as a whole are mostly peaceful people.^[36] In the 2000s, there was a growing amount of tolerance of people who do not follow the straight edge lifestyle by straight edge individuals.^[37] In this incarnation of straight edge, the musical styles of the bands involved are more varied, ranging from a youth crew revival style to metalcore to posicore.^[33] Straight edge bands from the 2000s include Champion, Down to Nothing, Stick to Your Guns, Embrace Today, and Throwdown.^[38]

[edit] X symbol

Italian straight edge band To Kill performing live

The letter X is the most known symbol of straight edge, and is sometimes worn as a marking on the back of both hands, though it can be displayed on other body parts as well. Some followers of straight edge have also incorporated the symbol into clothing and pins. According to a series of interviews by journalist Michael Azerrad, the straight edge X can be traced to the Teen Idles' brief U.S. West Coast tour in 1980.^[39] The Teen Idles were scheduled to play at San Francisco's Mabuhay Gardens, but when the band arrived, club management discovered that the entire band was under the legal drinking age and therefore would be denied entry to the club. As a compromise, management marked each of the Idles' hands with a large black X as a warning to the club's staff not to serve alcohol to the band. Upon returning to Washington, D.C., the band suggested this same system to local clubs as a means to allow teenagers in to see musical performances without being served alcohol.^[39] The Teen Idles released a record in 1980 called Minor Disturbance with the cover shot being two hands with black X's on the back.^[3][40] The mark soon became associated with the Straight Edge lifestyle.^[3]

Later bands have used the X symbol on album covers and other paraphernalia in a variety of ways. The cover of No Apologies by Judge shows two crossed gavels in the X symbol.^[41] Other objects that have been used include shovels, baseball bats, and hockey sticks.^[41]

A variation involving a trio of Xs, XXX, is often used in show flyers and tattoos. This can be used to show that an adherent is extremely straight edge.^[3] Also, it can be ironic based on the fact that three X's are a cartoon way to signify alcohol or poison.^[42] The term is sometimes abbreviated by including an X with the abbreviation of the term "straight edge" to give sXe.^[43] By analogy, hardcore punk is sometimes abbreviated to hXc.^[44] The X symbol can be used as a way to signify a band or person is straight edge, by adding an x to the front and back, for example, the band xDEATHSTARx.^{[citation needed]}

See also[link]

• National Edge Day
• Teetotalism
• Temperance movement

Portals Access related topics	Punk rock portal
Find out more on Wikipedia's Sister projects	Images and media from Commons

Notes[link]

References and bibliography[link]

Further reading[link]

• Haenfler, Ross (2004). "Rethinking Subcultural Resistance." Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, Vol. 33, Issue 4, pp. 406–436.
• McPheeters, Sam; Dave Stein, Jason O'Toole, and Brian Baker (1987). "The Straight Edge Movement". Buzz. 
• Irwin, Darrell D. (Spring 1999). "The Straight Edge Subculture: Examining the Youths' Drug Free Way". Journal of Drug Issues 29 (2): 365–380. 
• Jones, Raymond McCrea (2007). Out of Step: Faces of Straight Edge. Philadelphia: Empire Press. ISBN 978-0-615-15884-6. 
• Smith, Gabriel (June 2011). "White Mutants of Straight Edge: The Avant-Garde of Abstinence". Journal of Popular Culture 44 (3): 633–646. DOI:10.1111/j.1540-5931.2011.00852.x. 

External links[link]

• A Straight Edge FAQ
• The Antifa Straight Edge
• A Straight Edge News Website

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Ian MacKaye
MacKaye in 2008
Background information
Birth name	Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye
Born	(1962-04-16) April 16, 1962 (age 50) Washington, D.C., USA
Genres	Hardcore punk, punk rock, indie rock, post-hardcore, alternative rock
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, musician, producer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass, baritone guitar, piano, keyboards
Years active	1979–present
Labels	Dischord
Associated acts	Fugazi, Minor Threat, Teen Idles, The Evens, Embrace, Egg Hunt, Skewbald/Grand Union, Pailhead
Notable instruments
Gibson SG

Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye ( /məˈkaɪ/;^[1] born April 16, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, musician, label owner, and producer. Active since 1979, MacKaye is best known for being the frontman of the influential hardcore punk bands Minor Threat and The Teen Idles, the post-hardcore bands Embrace and Fugazi, as well as The Evens.^[2]

He is a co-founder and owner of Dischord Records, a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label.

A key figure in the development of hardcore punk and alternative rock and an enthusiastic promoter of an independent-minded, do it yourself punk ethic, MacKaye also works as a producer, and has produced releases by Q and Not U, John Frusciante, 7 Seconds, Nation of Ulysses, Bikini Kill, Rites of Spring, Dag Nasty, and Rollins Band among others. Along with his seminal band Minor Threat, he is credited with coining the term "straight edge"^[2] to describe a personal ideology that promotes independence by countering the popular notion of drug and alcohol abuse, though MacKaye has stated many times that he did not intend to turn it into a movement.

Biography[link]

Youth[link]

Ian MacKaye was born in Washington D.C. on April 16, 1962, and grew up in the affluent Glover Park neighborhood of Washington D.C. His father was a writer for the Washington Post, first as a White House reporter, then as a religion specialist; the senior MacKaye remains active with the socially progressive St. Stephen's Episcopal Church.^[3] According to MacKaye's longtime friend, singer Henry Rollins, MacKaye's parents "raised their kids in a tolerant, super-intellectual, open-minded atmosphere."^[4]

MacKaye listened to many types of music, but was especially fond of mainstream hard rock like Ted Nugent and Queen before discovering punk music in 1979^[5] when he saw The Cramps perform at nearby Georgetown University. He was particularly influenced by the California hardcore scene. MacKaye looked up to hardcore bands like Bad Brains and Black Flag and was childhood friends with Henry Garfield (who later changed his name to Henry Rollins).

Early bands[link]

Ian MacKaye's first band consisted of one performance as The Slinkees in the summer of 1979, performing a song titled "I Drink Milk."^[6] The band also recorded two demo tapes of covers as well as songs that would later be recorded by the Teen Idles.

In MacKaye's next project, The Teen Idles, he played bass guitar and sang back up vocals in from 1979–1980, and the short-lived Skewbald/Grand Union (1981–1982).

His brother Alec MacKaye has also been active in several notable^{[citation needed]} bands.

Minor Threat[link]

After feeling creatively limited in the Teen Idles, MacKaye was determined to be the frontman and primary lyricist for Minor Threat (1980–1983). MacKaye cited the dynamic performance of singer Joe Cocker in Woodstock as a major influence on his own animated stage persona.^[4] The Teen Idles and Minor Threat were modestly successful in and around Washington D.C., but would later be cited as two of the earliest and most influential hardcore punk groups, and as pioneers of the straight edge philosophy that rejects use of drugs (including alcohol), as well as promiscuous sex. In his early teens, MacKaye saw the negative effects of drug abuse on several close friends and one immediate family member, and he vowed to never use tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs.

After Minor Threat broke up, MacKaye was active with several relatively short-lived groups, including Embrace (1985–1986) and Egg Hunt (1986). Pailhead (1987–1988), a collaboration between MacKaye and the industrial metal band Ministry, then consisting of Al Jourgensen, Paul Barker, and William Rieflin, featured MacKaye on lead vocals.

Fugazi[link]

In 1987, MacKaye founded Fugazi. Cited as one of the most important post-hardcore groups,^[2] Fugazi were active until 2003 and have since been on an indefinite hiatus.

The Evens[link]

The Evens, featuring MacKaye and Amy Farina

MacKaye currently sings and plays baritone guitar in The Evens with drummer and vocalist Amy Farina of the Warmers. The band pride themselves on playing in non-standard locations, such as community centres, bookshops, or other atypical spaces.^[7] The Evens released their self-titled album in early 2005, breaking a three-year silence by MacKaye. Their second album, "Get Evens", was released in November 2006.

Other projects[link]

In 1982, MacKaye sang lead vocals on one version of a Government Issue song titled "Asshole". The previously unreleased track was featured on the 20 Years of Dischord collection released in 2002. Backing vocals and collaborations—as, for example, with brother Alec MacKaye's former band Ignition—are numerous.

Ian MacKaye in 2007.

MacKaye contributed an extra guitar track to "Youth Against Fascism", the second single from Sonic Youth's 1992 album Dirty.^[8]

In 1988, he recorded vocals with Ministry's Al Jourgensen, Paul Barker, and Bill Rieflin for the band Pailhead's EP titled "Trait." He also co-wrote the song "I Will Refuse" which was also released by the Wax Trax! record label.

In February 2004, MacKaye produced the recording sessions for John Frusciante's solo album titled DC EP. After working with MacKaye, Frusciante states "Ian is one of the only living people who I really respect and look up to, so it was an honor and a pleasure as well as a great learning experience to hear his perspective."^[9]

MacKaye has also contributed guitar and backing vocals to Joe Lally's solo albums There to Here, released in October 2006, and Nothing Is Underrated, released in November 2007.^[10]

Throughout his music career MacKaye has engineered and produced releases by a number of bands primarily on his Dischord label including 7 Seconds, Antelope, Bikini Kill, Black Eyes, Lungfish, Nation of Ulysses, One Last Wish, Q and Not U, Rites of Spring, Rollins Band, and others.

Dischord Records[link]

MacKaye co-founded Dischord Records with Jeff Nelson in 1980. The label was originally meant only as a means for distributing the Teen Idles 7 inch EP, but over the years it became a very well-established independent record label, as well as a source for a variety of different Washington, D.C. area artists. Today more than 150 titles have been released by Dischord.

Campaigning, business and activism[link]

Throughout his career, MacKaye has opted to advertise in independent and underground media and perform in unconventional venues. Such practices keep admission prices low (in the $5–$15 range) and allow fans of all ages to attend performances. Maintaining a low overhead and protecting one's monetary assets are also important ideals for MacKaye, who in the summer of 1990 formed the corporation Lunar Atrocities Ltd^[11] in order to shield his own and his band mates personal assets from the threat of lawsuits. As Seth Martin, MacKaye's financial advisor explained to the Washington Post in a 1993 interview: "protection from liability is the main reason to form a corporation, and for these guys it makes sense. If someone got hurt stage-diving and decided to sue, it would be a little harder to go after their personal assets."^[12]

MacKaye has also been known to rebuke concert violence and to confront crowd surfers and other unruly concert attendees who start fights. This is especially true of his days with Fugazi. When audience members became belligerent or violent at a Fugazi show, the band would cease to play (sometimes right in the middle of a song) and MacKaye would tell them to stop. If those people continued their deviant behavior, he would refund their admission price and eject them from the concert facility.^[13]

In 2007 MacKaye provided technical audio assistance to Alan Canfora, a former Kent State University student who, in 1970, was injured by a gunshot while protesting the U.S. invasion of Cambodia. MacKaye cleaned up a field recording of the incident made by another student named Terry Strubbe. According to Canfora, a voice can be heard on the tape yelling, "Right here! Get set! Point! Fire!" before a 13-second volley of gunfire commences.^[14]

Straight edge philosophy[link]

The song "Straight Edge" was written by MacKaye for his band, Minor Threat and was released in 1981 on Minor Threat's self-titled EP. It was a song that described his personal life free of the "drugs" and the self-destructive idea of "sex as a conquest" which served as a part of the "sex, drugs and rock'n roll" banner originating as a rebellion in the 1960s—smoking, drinking, and drug use. It began to influence youth culture as Minor Threat gained popularity through numerous live shows and through sales of the song on their EP. Although to MacKaye the song did not represent a philosophy or a movement, over time people adopted the philosophy of the song and many bands began to label themselves straight edge, founding the straight edge movement. Although straight edge is not explicitly supportive of vegetarianism, MacKaye has stated that he is a vegetarian because he regards it as a logical progression of his straight edge views.^[15] He follows a strict vegetarian or vegan diet.^[16][17]

Although "Straight Edge" gets the most attention, MacKaye wrote other songs with Minor Threat describing his clean lifestyle as well, most notably "Out of Step (With the World)," in which he said "I don't smoke. I don't drink. I don't fuck. At least I can fucking think." "In My Eyes" is also at least partially about his philosophies, with lines such as "You tell me it calms your nerves; you just think it looks cool."

Equipment[link]

Guitars[link]

• Gibson SG – MacKaye's main guitar with Fugazi was a white 1970 Gibson SG. He also frequently used another 1970s brown SG, both fitted with DiMarzio Super Distortion humbuckers in the bridge position.^[18]
• Creston Electric Instruments Baritone – MacKaye uses a Danelectro baritone guitar with The Evens.^[19]

Amplification[link]

• Marshall JCM 800 100 watt 2203 [Horizontal Input]
• Marshall JCM 800 4x12 cabinets fitted with 65 watt celestion speakers.
• Note: Guitars were plugged directly into the high gain input in his JCM 800's, his presence and treble were set very low and the bass and mids cranked on the amp.
• Fender Tweed Deluxe, used when performing with The Evens.

Effects[link]

Contrary to popular belief, he had never used any effects.^[18]

Personal life[link]

On May 24, 2008, Ian MacKaye and Amy Farina had their first child together, a son named Carmine Francis Farina MacKaye.^[20]

He has been close friends with Henry Rollins since childhood^[21] and was the first person to take the stage at Rollins' 50th birthday performance at the National Geographic Explorers' Hall in Washington DC, Feb. 13, 2011.

Works outside of music[link]

Filmography[link]

MacKaye was interviewed in the documentary films Roll Up Your Sleeves, DIY America, American Hardcore, 930 F, Another State of Mind, Instrument, Dogtown and Z-Boys, D.I.Y. or Die: How to Survive as an Independent Artist, Don't Need You: The Herstory of Riot Grrrl, Punk's Not Dead, We Jam Econo, I Need That Record, EDGE: Perspectives on Drug Free Culture, and the K Records documentary, The Shield Around the K.

MacKaye was also featured in professional skateboarder Mike Vallely's film Drive.

Books[link]

MacKaye has contributed to several books, including The Idealist by Glen E. Friedman (Burning Flags Press, 1998, updated 2004, ISBN 0-9641916-5-2), a foreword to indie-punk band photographer Pat Graham's photobook Silent Pictures, an introduction to Susie Horgan's photobook Punk Love, Interrobang?! Anthology on Music and Family, edited by Sharon Cheslow and is interviewed in American Heretics: Rebel Voices In Music by Ben Myers (Codex Books, 2002). MacKaye is also featured in the Friedman book Keep Your Eyes Open (ISBN 0-9641916-8-7), a collection of Fugazi photos taken by Friedman over the course of the band's career.

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (November 2011)

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ian MacKaye

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ian MacKaye

• Dischord Records
• Ian MacKaye interview about his friendship with Henry Rollins at Welcome to Flavor Country, June 2011
• Ian MacKaye interview, October 2007, Jaimeville.com
• Interview at The Land Salmon
• Interview: Ian MacKaye from Downhill Battle
• An interview with Ian MacKaye
• Ian MacKaye Interview with L.A. Weekly, October 23 2008
• The Evens official website
• Ian MacKaye interview with Crasier Frane, 14 July 2010
• Ian Mackaye interview in January 2011
• Ian Mackaye interview on PMAKid.com - Sept 23, 2011
• Ian Mackaye speaking about Fugazi archive - 12-19-2011

CM Punk
Punk at the 2011 Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards
Ring name(s)	CM Punk[1]
Billed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1]
Billed weight	218 lb (99 kg)[1]
Born	(1978-10-26) October 26, 1978 (age 33) Chicago, Illinois[2]
Resides	Lockport, Illinois
Billed from	Chicago, Illinois[1]
Trained by	Ace Steel[3] Danny Dominion[4] Kevin Quinn[4] Dave Taylor[5] Fit Finlay[5] William Regal[5] Steel Dominion Wrestling School[5]
Debut	1999[6]
Website	CMPunk.com

Phillip Jack Brooks^[7] (born October 26, 1978),^[2] better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler signed to WWE and appearing on its Raw brand as the reigning WWE Champion.

In professional wrestling, Brooks is a seven time World Champion, having held the ROH World Championship and ECW Championship once, the World Heavyweight Championship three times and the WWE Championship twice.

In addition to these championships Punk has also won the World Tag Team Championship (with Kofi Kingston), and the WWE Intercontinental Championship making him the nineteenth WWE Triple Crown Champion and the man to achieve this honor fastest at 203 days.^[8] Between WWE and Ring of Honor (where he is also a two-time World Tag Team Champion), Punk has won a total of eleven championships. He was also the winner of the 2008 and 2009 Money in the Bank ladder matches (the only wrestler to win the match twice in a row),^[9] and was the 2011 Superstar of the Year Slammy Award winner.^[10]

Punk initially came to prominence through his career on the professional wrestling independent circuit, primarily as a member of the ROH roster, where he was the first head trainer of the ROH wrestling school as well as winning both of their championships. In 2005, Punk signed a contract with WWE and was sent to its developmental promotion, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he won every championship available in the promotion. Throughout his career, Punk has consistently used the gimmick of being straight edge, a lifestyle he follows in his actual day-to-day life.^[4] Depending on Punk's alignment as a crowd favorite or villain, he emphasizes different aspects of the culture to encourage the desired audience reaction.^[4]

Professional wrestling career[link]

Early career[link]

CM Punk in a cage match against Danny Dominion at an NWA Midwest event on November 23, 2002 in Grayslake, Illinois.

Punk's first venture into wrestling was a stint in a backyard wrestling federation called the Lunatic Wrestling Federation with his friends and brother Mike Brooks in the mid-late 1990s. He first started using the ring name CM Punk when he was put into a tag team named the Chick Magnets with CM Venom after another performer skipped out on the card.^[4][11][12] Unlike his friends, Punk genuinely wanted to be a wrestler and saw it as more than simple fun.^[4] When the promotion started taking off, doing spot shows out of a warehouse in Mokena, Illinois, Punk found out that his brother Mike had embezzled thousands of dollars from the small company, causing them to become estranged. They have not spoken since.^[13]

He soon left the federation and enrolled as a student at the "Steel Dominion" wrestling school in Chicago, where he was trained by Ace Steel,^[3] Danny Dominion and Kevin Quinn to become a professional wrestler. As part of the training, he wrestled at Steel Domain Wrestling in St. Paul, Minnesota.^[4][5] It was in the Steel Domain that he met Scott Colton,^[14][15] who soon adopted the stage name Colt Cabana. Punk and Cabana became best friends and spent most of their early career together working in the same independent circuit promotions, as opponents or allies.^[14] In the independents, Punk, along with fellow Steel Domain graduates Colt Cabana, Chuckee Smooth, Adam Pearce and manager Dave Prazak, formed an alliance named the Gold Bond Mafia.^[4]

Independent Wrestling Association: Mid-South (2000–2005)[link]

Punk's home promotion for his early career is usually considered to be Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South (IWA:Mid-South).^[4] During Punk's time in IWA:Mid-South, he had high profile feuds with Colt Cabana and Chris Hero while also rising to the top of the roster winning the IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship twice and the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship on five separate occasions, beating stars like A.J. Styles, Cabana and even Eddie Guerrero for that Championship. Punk's feud with Hero included a 55-minute TLC match,^[4] a 93-minute two out of three falls match,^[5] and several 60-minute time limit draws.^[15]

Punk's matches with Cabana led him to being hired by the Ring of Honor promotion.^[5] From February 2003 until May 2004, Punk refused to wrestle for IWA:Mid-South, because he claims that this was in protest to Ian Rotten's mistreatment of Chris Hero in the company.^[4] Hero, however, has stated he believes there were other reasons, and Rotten's treatment of him was just an excuse by Punk to stop working for the company.^[16] Eventually Punk returned to IWA:Mid-South and continued to perform as a wrestler and commentator for them until 2005 when he was signed to World Wrestling Entertainment. His last appearance in IWA:Mid-South was on July 2, 2005 in which he competed in a 60-minute time limit draw against Delirious.^[17]

Ring of Honor and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling[link]

Storylines with Raven (2002–2004)[link]

Initially, Punk joined Ring of Honor (ROH) as a crowd favorite,^[4] but quickly became a villain in a feud with Raven that featured numerous variants of no disqualification matches.^[18] Their rivalry lasted most of 2003 and was considered one of ROH's top feuds of the year,^[19] and was based around Punk's straight-edge lifestyle, with him likening Raven to his alcoholic father.^[20] Their rivalry was settled at The Conclusion in November 2003, where Punk defeated Raven in a Steel Cage match.^[18] At the same time, Punk joined the wrestling promotion NWA Total Nonstop Action (TNA), in which he was paired with Julio Dinero as members of Raven's TNA alliance The Gathering.^[4]

CM Punk during a cage match against Raven at Ring of Honor's The Conclusion on November 28, 2003 in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Punk started climbing the ranks of ROH, including coming in second at the Second Anniversary Show during the tournament to crown the first ROH Pure Champion, losing to A.J. Styles in the finals^[18] and winning the ROH Tag Team Championship twice with Colt Cabana as the Second City Saints. Both times Punk and Cabana defeated the Briscoe Brothers to win the championship.^[21] Circa October 2003, Punk was hired as the first head trainer of the Ring of Honor wrestling school,^[4][22] having previously been a trainer for the Steel Domain^[4] and Primetime Wrestling.^[23]

Shortly before a TNA show on February 25, 2004, Punk had a physical scuffle with Teddy Hart outside of a restaurant that was broken up by Sabu. The scuffle reportedly stemmed from an ROH show in which Hart performed three unplanned spots putting several other wrestlers in danger of injury.^[24][25] Around the time of the scuffle, Punk and Dinero stopped appearing on TNA shows, leading to speculation he was fired for the incident.^[26] Punk, however, has stated that the scuffle had no bearing on his TNA career.^[26] He said the reason he and Dinero stopped appearing on TNA pay-per-views was that TNA officials believed that he and Dinero had not connected with the fans as villains, having turned against the popular Raven and instead formed a villainous tag team managed by James Mitchell.^[26] The officials decided that as the teams as villains was not working decided to put the storyline on hold indefinitely, and thus had no work for Punk or Dinero.^[26] Punk officially quit TNA in March 2004 during the Rob Feinstein controversy, after having a dispute with the TNA offices over his ability to compete in ROH following a TNA order that their contracted wrestlers were to no longer wrestle in ROH.^[27]

Pursuit of the World Championship (2004–2005)[link]

In ROH, Punk faced off against ROH World Champion Samoa Joe for the championship in a three match series. The first match, on June 12, 2004 at World Title Classic in Dayton, Ohio, resulted in a 60-minute time limit draw when neither Punk nor Joe could pin or cause the other to submit in the 60 minutes. The second match between Punk and Joe was planned for December 4, 2004; however, due to Steve Corino being pulled from a match with Joe by Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE, the second match was hastily rescheduled on October 11, 2004 for October 16 in Punk's hometown of Chicago.^[15] At Joe vs. Punk II on October 16, they wrestled to a second 60-minute draw.^[18] In addition to Joe vs. Punk II becoming Ring of Honor's best-selling DVD at the time, the match received a five-star rating by Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter. It was the first match in North America to receive a five-star rating in seven years—the last one being the Hell in a Cell match between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker at Badd Blood: In Your House in 1997.^[15] Joe ended the series by defeating Punk in the third and final match on December 4, 2004 at All-Star Extravaganza 2 in which there was a no time limit stipulation.^[18]

CM Punk in Ring of Honor.

In June 2005, Punk accepted a deal with World Wrestling Entertainment, after a try-out match against Val Venis on its Sunday Night Heat show. Even though he had accepted the deal, Punk went on to defeat Austin Aries with his Pepsi Plunge move, winning the ROH World Championship on June 18, 2005 at Death Before Dishonor III.^[21] Immediately after the match, Punk proceeded to become a villain and started a storyline where he threatened to bring the ROH World Championship to WWE with him. For weeks, Punk teased the ROH locker room and the ROH fans as well as mocking the championship he possessed, going so far as to sign his WWE contract on it. During the storyline, Mick Foley made several ROH appearances, attempting to convince Punk to do the right thing and defend the title on his way out. On August 12, 2005 in Dayton, Ohio, Punk lost the ROH World Championship to James Gibson in a four corner elimination match consisting of himself, Gibson, Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels, who re-debuted after a year-and-half absence.^[21] Punk's final scheduled match in Ring of Honor took place at Punk: The Final Chapter on August 13, 2005 against long-time friend Colt Cabana in a two out of three falls match, which he lost.^[18] In his last match, Punk was visibly crying and was showered with streamers when he posed in the middle of the ring.

Punk made a special appearance at the ROH show Unscripted II on February 11, 2006, when the original card had to be scrapped due to Low Ki leaving ROH the week prior.^[18] In addition, most of the ROH roster contracted to TNA were pulled from the show because of a snowstorm that TNA officials thought might prevent performers from reaching a pay-per-view scheduled the next day.^[28][29] In the main event, Punk teamed with Bryan Danielson to wrestle and ultimately defeat Jimmy Rave and Adam Pearce in a tag team match.^[29]

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE[link]

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2005–2006)[link]

In September 2005, Punk was assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), a WWE developmental territory. He made his debut on September 8, 2005, in a dark match, where he, Nigel McGuinness and Paul Burchill were defeated by Deuce Shade, Elijah Burke and Seth Skyfire.^[30] On September 26, 2005 in his OVW television debut, Punk suffered a ruptured eardrum and broken nose after Danny Inferno hit him with an overly stiff right hand. Despite the injury, Punk finished the match and quickly recovered.^[31][32]

On November 9, 2005, Punk became the OVW Television Champion after defeating Ken Doane,^[31] which immediately led to a feud between Punk and Brent Albright, who had previously been feuding with Doane for the Television Championship and had lost his chance to wrestle Doane after Punk hit him with a chair so he himself could wrestle Doane. They wrestled in series of matches, including one that ended in overtime with Albright having Punk submit to Albright's finisher, the Crowbar, but Punk was able to keep the championship, as he had not agreed to the extra time.^[31] On January 4, 2006, Punk lost the OVW Television Championship during a three way dance among himself, Albright and Doane. Doane was injured halfway through the match and was replaced by Aaron "The Idol" Stevens. Punk submitted to Albright's Crowbar and was eliminated, but he returned later in the match to distract Albright allowing Stevens to pin Albright and become the new OVW Television Champion.^[33] The feud continued after a short period in which Albright and Punk were a tag team, but they became opponents again after Albright wanted the respect of Punk, who would never give it to him, and instead proceeded to "punk out" (get the better of) Albright repeatedly. This feud continued for weeks with Punk always getting the better of Albright until a double turn occurred on February 1, 2006 when Albright became a villain during a tag match, allowing the Spirit Squad to beat Punk and, in doing so, making Punk a crowd favorite.^[33] During this time, Punk had a minor appearance at WrestleMania 22 on April 2, 2006 as one of the gangsters who rode a 1930s era car to the ring before John Cena's entrance.^[34]

After Matt Cappotelli vacated the OVW Heavyweight Championship because of a brain tumor in February 2006, a tournament was held to crown a new champion. The finals were Brent Albright vs. CM Punk with Albright defeating Punk to become the new champion.^[33] Punk and Albright continued their feud, with Albright becoming more unstable and paranoid about maintaining his championship after several close call matches against Punk, resulting in acts such as threatening Maria. On May 3, 2006, Punk finally defeated Albright in a strap match to win the OVW Heavyweight Championship.^[33] As champion, Punk retained the title in matches against opponents such as Shad Gaspard,^[33] Ken Kennedy,^[33] Johnny Jeter^[33] and Mike "The Miz" Mizanin.^[35]

On July 28, 2006, Punk and Seth Skyfire defeated Shad Gaspard and the Neighborhoodie to win the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship at a house show.^[36] They lost the Tag Team Championship on August 2, 2006 to Deuce Shade and "Domino" Cliff Compton after an injured Skyfire tagged in an already injured Punk.^[33] This altercation led to a feud between Punk and Skyfire after a rematch for the Tag Team Championship on August 7, 2006 in which a healthy Punk purposefully tagged in an injured Skyfire to be beaten by Shade and Compton.^[33] On August 30, 2006, a match was scheduled to take place between Punk and Skyfire for the OVW Heavyweight Championship. Prior to the match, however, Skyfire was attacked by Charles "The Hammer" Evans, with whom Skyfire had also been feuding, and was replaced in the match by Chet Jablonski (Chet the Jet) who pinned Punk to win the OVW Heavyweight Championship.^[33] As Punk no longer possessed the championship, OVW no longer required him. He was removed from the roster and brought up to the WWE roster full-time. He continued to make sporadic appearances for the company, such as at the 400th episode of OVW on television,^[33] up until WWE announced it was ending its developmental territory agreement with OVW on February 7, 2008.^[37]

ECW (2006–2008)[link]

CM Punk with a portrait as the ECW Champion in 2008.

On June 24, 2006, Punk made his ECW debut during a house show at the former ECW Arena, defeating Stevie Richards.^[38] He made his TV debut on the July 4 episode of ECW on Sci Fi, cutting a brief pre-taped promo about his straight edge lifestyle emphasizing the disciplinary aspects of being drug and alcohol free.^[39] Although he had retained the straight edge gimmick, he now had a Muay Thai training background. Punk made his TV wrestling debut on August 1, 2006 at the Hammerstein Ballroom, defeating Justin Credible.^[40] CM Punk established himself in ECW by going undefeated, defeating opponents such as Christopher W. Anderson,^[41] Stevie Richards^[42] and Shannon Moore.^[43]

Soon after, Punk began feuding with Mike Knox after Knox's girlfriend, Kelly Kelly, was seen to have feelings for Punk.^[43] Punk defeated Knox in their first singles match (qualifying for the Extreme Elimination Chamber at December to Dismember in the process)^[44] as well as the rematch, after which Kelly Kelly celebrated CM Punk's victory over her boyfriend.^[45] Punk then teamed with D-Generation X and the Hardy Boyz in their Survivor Series match against Rated-RKO, Knox, Johnny Nitro and Gregory Helms, a match in which all the participants on DX's side survived elimination.^[46] At December to Dismember, Punk participated in the Elimination Chamber for the ECW World Championship; however, he was the first person eliminated by Rob Van Dam.^[47]

CM Punk as ECW Champion on September 30, 2007 in Hammond, Indiana.

Following the pay-per-view, Punk entered into a feud with Hardcore Holly, who ended Punk's six-month unbeaten streak in singles competition on January 9, 2007.^[48] Punk went on to feud with Matt Striker, who gave him his second singles loss since being in ECW on January 30.^[49] Punk then qualified for the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 23 by defeating Johnny Nitro.^[50] In the final week leading up to WrestleMania 23, Punk made appearances on both Raw and Friday Night SmackDown!, defeating Kenny Dykstra^[51] and former World Heavyweight Champion King Booker,^[52] respectively. At WrestleMania 23, Punk competed in, but did not win, the Money in the Bank ladder match, being knocked off the ladder just seconds before the winner, Mr. Kennedy, claimed the briefcase.^[53]

On the April 10, 2007 episode of ECW on Sci Fi, Punk briefly became a villain by officially joining the New Breed alliance,^[54] after several weeks in which both the New Breed and the ECW Originals had attempted to recruit him.^[55][56] Two weeks later, however, Punk betrayed the New Breed during a four on four elimination match between the New Breed and ECW Originals by kicking New Breed leader Elijah Burke in the back of the head and costing them the match. After the match, Punk proceeded to deliver his finisher, the Go To Sleep, on Burke and sarcastically apologized before leaving the ring alone, becoming a fan favorite again. WWE.com later confirmed that Punk was no longer a member of the New Breed.^[57] At Judgment Day, Punk wrestled and defeated Burke in his first singles match on a pay-per-view.^[58] Punk then went on to One Night Stand and teamed up with Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman in a tables match to defeat the New Breed.^[59]

When ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley was drafted to Raw and stripped of the ECW World Championship, a mini-tournament was announced to declare a new champion among Punk, Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von and Chris Benoit. Punk defeated Marcus Cor Von on the June 19, 2007 episode of ECW on Sci Fi. By doing so, CM Punk was meant to face Chris Benoit at Vengeance: Night of Champions for the vacant ECW World Championship.^[60] Benoit, however, was hastily replaced by Johnny Nitro when Benoit no-showed the event due to what was described on-air as "personal reasons". Nitro subsequently defeated Punk at Vengeance for the vacant championship.^[61] Punk won another shot at the title at The Great American Bash against Nitro, who had changed his moniker to John Morrison by this point; however, Punk was defeated again by Morrison.^[62] The next week, Punk challenged Elijah Burke and Tommy Dreamer in a triple threat match to determine the next competitor in Morrison's 15 Minutes of Fame Challenge, in which Punk came out victorious.^[63] A week later, Punk defeated Morrison with the Go To Sleep to earn an ECW Championship title match at SummerSlam. At SummerSlam, however, Punk lost the match when Morrison used the ropes for leverage.^[64]

At the September 1, 2007 (aired September 4) ECW taping, in a "last chance" title match, Punk defeated Morrison for the ECW Championship.^[65] Punk then went on to have successful title defenses against the likes of Elijah Burke (at Unforgiven),^[66] Big Daddy V via disqualification (at No Mercy)^[67] and The Miz (at Cyber Sunday).^[68] On the November 6, 2007 episode of ECW, Punk retained the ECW Championship in a match against Morrison following The Miz's interference.^[69] At Survivor Series, Punk retained his title in a Triple Threat match, beating The Miz and John Morrison.^[70] On the January 22, 2008 episode of ECW, Chavo Guerrero defeated CM Punk in a No Disqualification match to win the ECW Championship after Edge, (acting as a guest commentator at ringside) ran in and speared Punk.^[71]

Money in the Bank and World Heavyweight Champion (2008–2009)[link]

CM Punk in April 2008 with his first of two Money in the Bank briefcases.

At WrestleMania XXIV, Punk won the Money in the Bank ladder match, after defeating Chris Jericho, Montel Vontavious Porter, Shelton Benjamin, John Morrison, Mr. Kennedy and Carlito.^[72]

On the June 23, 2008 episode of Raw, CM Punk was drafted to the Raw brand during the 2008 WWE Draft.^[73] His first night on Raw came the following week, and he made an immediate impact. After Batista beat down World Heavyweight Champion Edge and left him lying in the ring, Punk and referee Mike Chioda ran to the ring with Punk carrying his Money in the Bank contract. Moments later, as Edge was struggling to get up, Punk hit him with the Go to Sleep and pinned him to win the World Heavyweight Championship. Later that night, Punk won his first defense of the title against JBL, who challenged him shortly after his win.^[74] His win over Edge would eventually also earn Punk the Slammy Award for the "Oh my God" Moment of the Year.^[75] Punk continued to hold and defend the title until Unforgiven on September 7, 2008. Before the Championship Scramble match, Punk was attacked by an early version of The Legacy (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase with Manu). Orton finished the assault by punting Punk in the head.^[76] It was announced that Punk could not participate in the match due to the attack and, as a result, he involuntarily forfeited the title. However, Punk was replaced by Chris Jericho, who went on to win the match and the title.^[77] He received a rematch eight days later on the September 15 episode of Raw, where he failed to regain the title in a steel cage match against Jericho.^[78]

CM Punk as World Heavyweight Champion during his first reign at SummerSlam.

On the October 27, 2008 episode of Raw, Punk and Kofi Kingston defeated Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase to win the World Tag Team Championship.^[79] The duo were members of Team Batista at Survivor Series, where their team lost to Team Orton.^[80] Punk was then entered in an Intercontinental Championship Tournament, in which the winner would get to challenge for the championship in the future. He would defeat Snitsky and John Morrison in the first two rounds.^[81] Punk and Kingston lost the World Tag Team Championship to John Morrison and The Miz at a live event on December 13, 2008.^[82] The next day Punk defeated Rey Mysterio at Armageddon to win the tournament.^[81] On the January 5 episode of Raw, Punk received his title match against William Regal, which ended in a disqualification, when Regal grabbed the referee's jersey.^[83] Due to this, Stephanie McMahon awarded Punk a rematch the following week, but this time it was himself that was disqualified.^[84] McMahon awarded him another rematch, this time a No Disqualification match on January 19 episode of Raw, Punk won the match and the title.^[85] With this win, he became the nineteenth Triple Crown Champion. Also, the victory made him the man to accomplish the Triple Crown in the fastest amount of time, shattering Kevin Nash's old record.^[86] Punk lost the title on the March 9 episode of Raw to John "Bradshaw" Layfield.^[87] At WrestleMania XXV, Punk won the Money in the Bank ladder match and became the first person to win the match twice.^[88]

On April 13, 2009 during the 2009 WWE Draft, Punk was drafted from Raw to SmackDown.^[89] In the period after the draft, Punk feuded with Umaga over Umaga's repeated surprise attacks while Punk was attempting to cash in his Money in the Bank Contract. This ultimately resulted in a Samoan strap match at Extreme Rules, which was won by Punk.^[90]

At the end of the pay-per-view, Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to defeat Jeff Hardy for the World Heavyweight Championship.^[91] Punk retained his title in a Triple Threat match against both Edge and Hardy eight days later on the June 15 episode of Raw.^[92] At The Bash in Sacramento, California, Punk lost to Hardy by disqualification after kicking the referee after being afflicted with a storyline eye injury, claiming he could not see the referee, but because titles do not change hands on a disqualification, Punk retained the championship. Hardy called Punk into question about his eye injury, believing he had been feigning it, leading Punk to turn heel, claiming to be the moral superior of those who support Hardy due to his drug-free lifestyle.^[93] At Night of Champions, Punk lost the championship to Hardy.^[94] Their feud continued through SummerSlam, where Punk regained the title in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match; afterward, Punk was attacked by The Undertaker.^[95] On the August 28 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Punk concluded his program with Hardy and achieved his booked goal of excising him from the WWE, defeating Hardy in a steel cage match wherein the loser agreed to leave the company.^[96] This act would earn Punk a second Slammy that December as he was named winner for 2009's "Shocker of the Year".^[97]

At Breaking Point Punk defeated The Undertaker in a submission match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. Undertaker originally won the match with his Hell's Gate submission hold. SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long re-started the match after stating that the ban that former General Manager Vickie Guerrero had placed on the move was still in effect. Punk would win the match with his Anaconda Vise when referee Scott Armstrong called for the bell despite Undertaker never submitting (reminiscent to the Montreal Screwjob, which took place in the same venue in 1997).^[98] The feud between the two continued and at the Hell in a Cell PPV, Punk lost the World Heavyweight Championship to The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match.^[99] He lost two subsequent rematches against The Undertaker on Smackdown and in a Fatal Four Way match at Bragging Rights also involving Batista and Rey Mysterio.^[100][101]

Straight Edge Society and New Nexus (2009–2011)[link]

His character took on a more sinister demeanor on the November 27 episode of SmackDown when he revealed that he had converted Luke Gallows, who had previously been portrayed as the mentally incompetent wrestler Festus, to the straight-edge lifestyle which had rid him of his mental troubles.^[102] Continuing to espouse his straight-edge philosophy, Punk began to present himself as a cult-like savior to the crowd, growing the hair on his head, face and chest in an allusion to Jesus.^[103] Through January 2010, Punk began to convert planted members of the audience to a straight-edge lifestyle, making them take a pledge of allegiance to him and shaving their head as a sign of renewal and devotion.^{[104][105][106]} After converting many people who were not seen again, convert Serena began accompanying Punk and Gallows to form the Straight Edge Society.^[106][107] As well as leading this alliance, Punk was also the mentor of WWE NXT rookie Darren Young who flirted with the idea of becoming straight-edge before refusing just before his head was to be shaved.^[108]

Straight Edge Society: Serena, Punk and Luke Gallows.

Punk continued to show messianic traits, frequently giving sermons including during the annual Royal Rumble match as well as during an Elimination Chamber match at both of the eponymous pay-per-views.^[109][110] In the Chamber match, he was eliminated by Rey Mysterio, whom he had feuding with leading into the PPV. Tensions escalated as Mysterio prevented him from winning a Money in the Bank qualifying match, causing Punk to interrupt Mysterio's celebration of his daughter's ninth birthday.^[111] Mysterio challenged Punk to a Street Fight at WrestleMania XXVI but lost to Gallows, meaning Punk picked the stipulation that if Rey lost he would have to join the Society.^[112] At WrestleMania, Punk lost to Mysterio^[113] sparking a rematch at Extreme Rules where Punk would have to shave his head, like his disciples, if he lost. Punk won this match after interference from a fourth member of the Society who kept his face covered.^[114] At Over The Limit, a third and final match was booked with both stipulations reactivated. In the match Punk lost and was subsequently shaved bald.^[115]

Embarrassed by being shaved bald as he considered himself always pure unlike his followers, Punk appeared on the following episode of SmackDown, May 29, wearing a mask to hide his baldness.^[116] At Fatal 4 Way, Punk challenged for the World Heavyweight Championship against Mysterio, The Big Show and the champion Jack Swagger, but was unsuccessful when he was attacked by Kane, who was accusing various people of attacking The Undertaker.^[117] On July 16's SmackDown, Punk was finally unmasked by Big Show while healing from an arm injury.^[118] The following week Show also unmasked the anonymous member of the Straight Edge Society who was revealed to be Joey Mercury.^[119] This led to a handicap match at SummerSlam where Show defeated the entire Society after Punk abandoned his teammates.^[120] Show also beat Punk in a singles match at Night of Champions.^[121] Following this Serena was released from WWE^[122] while Mercury became injured,^[123] severely thinning the Society. Gallows began showing signs of dissension too, and Punk defeated him on SmackDown, airing September 24, ending the group.^[124]

Punk as leader of the New Nexus, accompanied by Otunga and McGillcutty while confronting Shawn Michaels.

Punk was traded back to the Raw brand on October 11 after being swapped with Edge. He took part in the interbrand tag team match at Bragging Rights after injuring Evan Bourne to win a place,^[125] but the team lost. It was reported later that he was suffering with a hip injury that would stop him from competing.^[126] To keep a presence on television, he began commentating on Raw from November 22,^[127] having already commentated one episode of NXT. During his commentary, he criticized John Cena for his actions against The Nexus. Sometimes he favored heel wrestlers over face wrestlers. At the end of December, Punk left the commentary team after assaulting John Cena on Raw^[128] and SmackDown^[129] with a chair. Punk later revealed that his motives for the attacks were that he had joined and assumed control of The Nexus.^[130] He would then use the group to attack Randy Orton, blaming him for prematurely ending Punk's first World Heavyweight Championship reign in 2008; this led to a WrestleMania XXVII match^[131] and a Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules both of which Punk lost.^[132]

WWE Champion (2011–present)[link]

Punk in his second reign as WWE Champion.

In June, after pinning WWE Champion John Cena on Raw,^[133] Rey Mysterio at Capitol Punishment^[134] and finally Alberto Del Rio again in a contendership match (which included Mysterio) all within one week, Punk revealed his contract would expire at Money in the Bank and vowed to leave the company with the WWE Championship; some of his speeches and mannerisms echoed his final months with Ring of Honor. After making a scathing on-air speech concerning the way in which WWE is run and its owner Vince McMahon, he was given a storyline suspension from televised WWE events^[135] but was reinstated the following week on Cena's insistence.^[136] Upon his return Punk ceased to appear with the remaining members of Nexus and the group would quietly dissolve the same month.^[137] This helped transition him from a villainous character back to being a fan-favorite. Two weeks later, at Money in the Bank, CM Punk defeated John Cena to become the WWE Champion on his final night under contract with WWE.^[136]

On July 21, CM Punk made an unannounced appearance at a joint WWE and Mattel panel at the San Diego Comic Con to mock new Chief operating officer Triple H and offer WWE Championship tournament finalist Rey Mysterio a match for Punk's own WWE Championship, as long as it was in Punk's hometown, Chicago.^[138][139] Punk appeared at July 23's All American Wrestling show, showing respect to Gregory Iron, a wrestler with cerebral palsy.^[140] Mysterio won the WWE Championship tournament on the July 25 episode of Raw, only to lose it to Cena later that night. After Cena's victory, Punk returned to Raw and upstaged the new WWE Champion's victory celebration while also entering into a title dispute. Triple H would later uphold both Punk and Cena's claims to the WWE Championship as legitimate and schedule the two to a match at SummerSlam to decide the undisputed WWE Champion.^[141] Punk prevailed but immediately lost the title to Alberto Del Rio, who had cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, after being attacked by Kevin Nash.^[142]