WWE: The Different Faces of CM Punk

It's been almost six years since CM Punk was released from WWE and left wrestling - probably forever. So much has happened in the world of the wrestling since, as it's an industry that keeps on changing and providing fans with something new to look forward to. With these changing dynamics, we have also realized how important Punk was to it and, going by his recent interview with ESPN, we might not see him in a squared circle anytime soon.

He always had the knack for bringing minor changes to his character that could always keep it fresh and relevant. No one ever complained that he dragged his gimmick for far too long and become tedious.

In the eight years that he spent in WWE, he gave us many memorable moments and matches that are still discussed among wrestling fans with the enthusiasm. From his first match in LWF, to his last match at Royal Rumble 2014, Punk was the man who would possess the whole arena and would make the people take notice. Let's take a journey through his career once again and see how a skinny rookie became the 'Best in the World'.

#1. Early Career in IWA Mid-South (1999-2005)

CM Punk started wrestling in the Lunatic Wrestling Federation with his brothe,r Mike Brooks. He used to see it as a fun activity and never took it seriously as a long-term career in his early days. But, as he kept on improving with time, his views on the matter started changing and he soon joined IWA Mid-South. He received his training at Steel Dominion wrestling school in Chicago, where he was trained by Ace Steel, Danny Dominion, and Kevin Quinn. He started grabbing the attention of the bookers there, and had memorable matches against AJ Styles, Colt Cabana and even Eddie Guerrero for the IWA Heavyweight Championship.

most memorable feud there was with Chris Hero - now known as Kassius Ohno in NXT - in which the duo worked in several hour long matches and included stipulations like TLC or two out of three falls. He continued to work there till mid-2005 as a wrestler and as a commentator.

#2. Making a Brand in ROH and TNA (2004-2006)

Punk joined Ring of Honor in 2002 and soon became one of their top stars. His most memorable rivalry there was against Raven, which took most of 2003 and led to many disqualification finishes between the two. This feud was also considered as one of ROH's top feuds of that year. Afterward, he won the ROH tag team championship with Colt Cabana twice and participated in the tournament to crown the first ROH Pure Champion.

In 2004, Punk set his eyes on the ROH World Championship. He faced the champion, Samoa Joe, in back to back 60-minute classic matches with each ending in a draw. Punk vs Joe II also received a 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Punk's first. He finally won the ROH World Championship in June 2005 by defeating Austine Aries, but since he had already accepted a deal with WWE, he soon dropped the title to James Gibson in August that year.

While working for ROH, he also joined TNA as a member of Raven's TNA alliance, The Gatherings. But his stint there was short-lived, as he left the promotion in 2004 due to a controversy involving TNA demanding that their contracted talents could not wrestle in Ring of Honor.

From his days here, it was clear that he had a special talent and was destined to be a great wrestler. ROH gave him the space to experiment with his gimmick and he showed early glimpses of his ability to switch his character on the fly, which became his unique brand later.

#3. ECW Days (2006-2008)

CM Punk was the biggest crossover star from Indies to WWE in 2006. His hour-long bouts in ROH had already made him a legend and his fans were thrilled to see him what he could do in the world's biggest wrestling promotion. He brought many eyes to WWE's relaunched ECW, which was just seen as a development brand by many. However, he couldn't live up to the hype due to management's lack of interest in making ECW compete with Raw and SmackDown.

Punk was the true MVP of the division, along with Kofi Kingston, John Morrison, and The Miz, but his feuds and matches there couldn't meet the high expectations set by Punk himself. He had some good rivalries with Morrison and Miz for the ECW championship, but his run in the brand did more harm than good to his momentum. But, there was a silver lining as he was not an unknown commodity when he finally moved to Raw in 2008, and it played a huge role in getting him his first big title in WWE.

#4. World Heavyweight Champion (2008-2009)

What is a better way to debut on Raw other than cashing your Money in the Bank briefcase to become the World Heavyweight Champion?

When CM Punk was drafted to Raw during the WWE Draft 2008, he was already the Money the Bank briefcase holder. He decided to make a huge first impression on the non-ECW audience and cashed in his contract against Edge to win the World Heavyweight Championship. It was an emotional moment for all the fans who had followed him from his indie days as, despite not being a 'WWE guy' traditionally, he was skyrocketed to the top of the company.

However, it became clearer with each passing week that the management doesn't see him as the main event material and he was forced to vacate his title after getting attacked by Randy Orton, ending his reign in just 69 days.

After that, he spent the rest of the year wandering in the mid-card and tag titles scene. His moment in the sun came again at WrestleMania 25, when he won the Money in the Bank ladder match for the second consecutive year. He cashed in his briefcase on Jeff Hardy at the Bash to win the Heavyweight Championship for the second time in his career.

He turned heel during the program with Hardy and eventually had him leave the company after Hardy lost a steel cage match on August 2009 with to the added stipulation that the loser had to leave the company.

He then entered into a feud with the Undertaker for the championship. Both had incredible chemistry between them and produced classic matches at Breaking Point and Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. Punk lost the match at the latter event and soon moved away from the title picture after losing two following matches against the Deadman after that.

Punk's second reign with the World Heavyweight Championship was the first time WWE audience got to see what he could do when he is given a character with potential and it immediately made him the biggest heel in the company.

#5. Straight Edge Society (2009-2010)

After losing his World Heavyweight Championship to Undertaker, CM Punk's character took a sharp turn in November 2009. He went on more of a disastrous direction by introducing his Straight Edge Society to the world. It was sort of a cult, where Punk would convert audience members to 'straight-edge lifestyle' by shaving their heads as a sign of devotion. He recruited Luke Gallows and Serena to form the most hated and engaging group in WWE at that time. It was Punk's most memorable gimmick as he became the best heel of the company despite not having a championship title or big win to his name.

He grew his hair and beard long to create a Jesus Christ-like aura, and it worked remarkably. He had a long feud with Rey Mysterio during this time and the duo produced remarkable matches consistently. Their trilogy of pay-per-view bouts at Wrestlemania 26, Extreme Rules and Over the Limit resulted in one of the best feuds of 2010.

Straight Edge Society eventually started going downhill after Punk's loss at Over the Limit, after which he had to shave to head.

Big Show would then bury the whole thing and destroyed Punk at Night of the Champions. Punk never got to take his cult to the main event scene, but he used his air time and resources in the best way possible. He was the reason why people used to turn to Raw every Monday in the first half of 2010.

Although Straight Edge Society will be always remembered as 'what it could have been' instead of 'what it was', it truly escalated Punk's career in the upwards direction.

#6. New Nexus (2010-2011)

Punk formed a new faction at the end of 2010 called the 'New Nexus' which had the remaining members of the original Nexus group. The group never took off as a serious threat and was instead wiped out by Punk's old rival, Randy Orton, in early 2011. But fans are glad that he did, as a pipebomb was about to be dropped on everyone.

#7. WWE champion (2011-2013)

In June 2011, Punk sat crossed-legged in the Raw's stage to deliver the best promo in modern WWE which became popular as Pipe Bomb. It ignited the fire among the fans who had stopped watching wrestling long ago.

Punk became the biggest anti-authority figure since Stone Cold Steve Austin and the whole world was at his feet. He could do nothing wrong at that point. Although his whole momentum was thrown down the drain by Kevin Nash, those few months of excitement that Punk brought with his feud against John Cena is incomparable.

Punk would defeated Cena at Money in the Bank that year in his hometown of Chicago, winning his first WWE Championship.

CM Punk won the WWE Championship for the second time in his career at Survivor Series after defeating Alberto Del Rio to kick start his long championship run. He defended the title against Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan and Mark Henry like a fighting champion, which established him as the biggest babyface of the company. But, he soon turned heel at Raw's 1000th episode by attacking The Rock. He became obsessed with getting respect from the management and fans.

He believed that despite being the WWE Champion, he was never seen as the main event material due to the presence of John Cena and The Rock. With Paul Heyman by his side, he somehow managed to get boos from the crowd, despite being the talk of the company for more than a year. He continued to build his reign of terror with good feuds and storylines for the rest of 2012. At Royal Rumble 2013, he lost the title against The Rock, ending his brilliant championship run after 434 days.

#8. Final Storylines (2013-2014)

After his Wrestlemania match against The Undertaker, CM Punk took some time off to take a breather. He returned at Payback in June 2013 to compete against Chris Jericho, where he was welcomed like a true hero. The fact that the event was happening in his hometown made it even sweeter. After defeating Jericho at the event, he then moved on to a feud with Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman after the latter turned on him at Money in the Bank 2013. Punk lost the match against Brock at SummerSlam after Heyman interfered.

He then focused his attention on Heyman and his other clients. The rivalry between the two ended at Hell in a Cell, where Punk defeated Ryback and Heyman in a handicap match by pinning the former.

He spent the rest of his time in the company feuding with the Wyatt Family, Kane and The Shield. On paper, all these match-ups sound interesting, but the execution was pretty weak. You could tell that Punk was done by that point.

His last appearance was at Royal Rumble, where he was eliminated by Kane from outside the ring. Punk decided not to come back to the company after that, due to creative differences, and instead chose to change his career path and try his hands in MMA.

His pro-wrestling career might have come to a disrupt end, but he has so many things to be proud of. We don't know if he is ever going to come back to wrestling or not, but his legacy will always remain intact as the man who could do any character with ease and could shake the whole wrestling world in just a 5-minute promo.

Even though he might not agree with this, but he was indeed the biggest star in WWE during his prime and fans used to see him at the same level as John Cena. Wrestling or not, he will always remain the Voice of the Voiceless and the true 'Best in the World'.

Share your favorite CM Punk moments in the comments below!