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CM Punk has been active in the wrestling world since 1997, and he is considered one of the biggest legends in the world of professional wrestling. He started working in WWE back in 2005, and he made his main roster debut in 2006. He was portrayed as a mid card wrestler during his early career, and he was given a proper old school build up to the main event.
CM Punk created history by winning back to back to Money in the Bank ladder matches in 2008 and 2009. He still holds the record, and even after 16 years of creating this record, nobody has beaten it. He started earning massive support from the fans after he turned heel for the first time in 2009. He cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Jeff Hardy and turned heel in the process.
Why salaried contracts are important in wrestling is explained by CM Punk
He climbed the ladder of ultimate success when he started a rivalry with John Cena in 2011. This rivalry from 2011 is still considered one of the best tribal rivalries in the history of his wrestling career. Not only does he have some amazing matches with John Cena, but he also produced the famous Pipe Bomb promo. He established himself as a huge fan favourite by this time.
CM Punk has been active in wrestling since 1997
In January 2014, he decided to leave WWE as he was not happy with the way the promotion treated him. He remained out of wrestling for a long time, and finally, in September 2021, he returned to wrestling, holding the hands of AEW. He returned to WWE in November 2023, and he is still active in the promotion. Recently, CM Punk talked about the importance of the salaried contracts in the world of wrestling. Speaking with Brandon Walker and Mark Titus on the “Mostly Sports” podcast, he explained the following;
“The business has radically changed. It was a different place when I signed then when I debuted and [it was different] when I came back. It’s such a radically different place. The thing with the title too is that it also means you made more money. That does not exist anymore.
Punk is the present World Heavyweight Champion
"It’s good and bad. We all make more money now, which is thumbs up. But, my paycheck was always predicated on how many people were in the building, so I was driven towards ticket sales and the business of it and when you’re in the main event, you got paid more money. Now, everyone is just kind of on salary.”
“So I think that’s good and bad. It’s good for the boys, but also I feel there’s not the same ambition, you know? I always wanted to be in the main event because, again, it got me more money. Now, I don’t care if I’m the opening match because I’m still gonna make the same. I can shower and watch the show now.” said CM Punk.
