CM Punk credits ex-girlfriend for iconic character gimmick

CM Punk recently revealed what his 'real' AEW World Title represents and credited his ex-girlfriend in the process.

The Second City Saint returned to AEW programming on the debut episode of Collision, where he is featured as a top star. Punk brought a red bag with him that he carried around for over a month before uncovering the mystery and revealing the AEW World Championship that he never lost before going on a hiatus.

After revealing the championship, Punk quickly marked the title with a giant 'X.' Speaking with Sports Illustrated, The Best in the World revealed that the 'X' is a nod to his early career and straight-edge lifestyle.

"I was racking my brain to come up with a great idea, and I remember my girlfriend at the time, Natalie Slater, who is still to this day a great friend of mine, pointed out the pot of gold was right under my nose. She was like, ‘Why don’t you just be you? Why don’t you just be straight edge?’ All credit to her."

Punk further added:

"Looking back on it now, there’s a lot of people I currently work with who are not only wrestlers because of me–their words–they’re straight edge because of me. It’s time to go back to that. Look how powerful it is. That’s a nice itch I get to scratch now.” [H/T:SESCOOPS]

CM Punk reportedly had another falling out with former WWE star

CM Punk has become the center of attention in All Elite Wrestling ever since his return to programming, and The Second City Saint reportedly had another backstage altercation with former WWE Superstar Ryan Nemeth.

Punk is no stranger to controversies, and The Best in the World has been reportedly using his backstage power to send some talent home from the Collision tapings.

During a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer talked about the recent altercation between Ryan Nemeth and CM Punk.

"So something happened with Punk and Nemeth again, not just the first thing that happened on June 21st, but something else must have happened. And I don't know all the details of what happened. But yeah, I mean, he was the catalyst of it." (H/T WrestlingNews.co)

What are your thoughts on the backstage developments of Collision? Sound off in the comments section below.