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Over the last seven decades that WWE has been around, we have a wide array of Superstars step foot inside their ring. Throughout history, there have been a select few who have gone on to become the game-changers.
Names like Bruno Sammartino, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Steve Austin, and The Rock have been some of the biggest trailblazers of their respective eras.
When one thinks of trailblazers in modern WWE, two names that instantly pop up is that of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. Punk and Bryan's careers in WWE has mirrored each other in many ways.
For starters, they were never supposed to make it big in Vince McMahon's land of giants. They didn't have the build and the physical attributes of a prototypical WWE Superstar. Bryan and Punk got over with the fans purely on the back of their in-ring ability. They were the first to break the myth that you have to be a homegrown talent to succeed in WWE.
'The Summer of Punk' and ' The Yes Movement' will always be fondly remembered by wrestling fans for years to come. None of what we see today on the main roster and NXT would've happened without Punk and Bryan succeeding in the company.
With that being said, here are three similarities between two of the most influential figures in modern WWE:
#3 ROH Legends
Before joining WWE in 2005 and 2009 respectively, CM Punk and Daniel Bryan made a name for themselves in the Philadelphia-based promotion, Ring of Honor. Both of them go on to hold the company's top prize, the ROH World Championship, during a time when the promotion was without a doubt the hottest it's ever been.
Punk's rivalry with Samoa Joe over the ROH World Championship is what helped put ROH on the wrestling map. The duo's trilogy of matches has achieved cult status within the wrestling community. Punk's last match in ROH to this day remains one of the most emotional moments in the company's history.
While Punk helped put ROH on the wrestling map, it was Bryan who helped the company become the global force that it is today. Bryan had legendary rivalries in the promotions against the likes of Nigel McGuiness and Takeshi Morishima. His match against McGuiness at ROH Unified saw one of the bloodiest finishes in wrestling history with Bryan delivering a series of stiff elbows to an already bloodied McGuiness, who was unable to defend himself and passed out in the process.
ROH wouldn't have reached the heights that it did and become the top independent promotion in North America without the contribution of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.
#2 Not your 'typical' WWE Superstar
For the longest time, fans have been programmed to think that you have to look a certain way to succeed as a main-event talent in WWE. WWE has always had the image of being the land of giants attached to it. While Superstars like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were the first to break this myth during their heyday, it was CM Punk and Daniel Bryan who helped smash the status quo of the company preferring bigger, bulky guys over the smaller, athletic ones in the modern era.
Just a glance at Punk and Bryan would tell you that they were anything but the prototypical WWE Superstar. While Punk seems like someone pulled out from a punk rock band, Bryan looks like any common man you’d meet on the street.
One of the biggest reasons why Punk and Bryan got over the fans in a big way was because fans could relate to them. They didn’t have a natural persona like Hogan nor were they a physical specimen like John Cena – the only thing that the duo had was their ability to captivate the audience through their performance inside the squared circle.
#1 Straight Edge Lifestyle
Professional wrestling is a very demanding profession. Being away from your family for 200-250+ days and the hectic travel schedule can take a toll on one's body. Drug, alcohol and steroid abuse was a common occurrence in the business during its heyday in the '90s
We have seen superstars like Scott Hall, X-Pac, Kurt Angle, Jake 'The Snake' Roberts speak out about their addiction and how hard it was for them to overcome those and get their life back on track.
Both Punk and Bryan have managed to stay from the vices that one would generally associate with a WWE Superstar. Bryan is a self-proclaimed teetotaler who has never had a drink in his life. Bryan is a huge advocate of veganism, being a vegan himself. Bryan's eco-warrior character had lots of elements taken from his real-life which made the character feel real and entertaining in our opinion.
CM Punk's Straight Edge lifestyle has been a big part of his wrestling career. The Chi-town native has used elements of his straight-edge lifestyle throughout his career. From his legendary feud against Jeff Hardy to The Straight Edge Society storyline, Punk has never shied away from telling people that he never gave in to the vices and has remained clean his entire life.
