5 times CM Punk has mocked Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan was a beloved babyface for the first half of his career. He became the top star in WWE in the 1980s, ushering in the 'Rock and Wrestling' era as well as the dawn of WrestleMania.
By the early 1990s, his act was starting to get stale. Despite moving to WCW, he struggled to pull off his babyface persona, which led to Eric Bischoff asking Hogan to consider a heel turn.
It certainly was a controversial move, but when Hogan was revealed to be the third member of NWO, it revitalized his career to the point that he became the top heel in the company towards the end of the 1990s.
Fast forward 20 years later, and it seems like CM Punk has reached a similar crossroads in his career. Since returning to AEW, Punk has received a polarizing reaction from the audience thus far.
While he has so far been presented as the top babyface on Collision, the Straightedge Superstar has started to acknowledge the boos more and is even playing into them during his segments.
He has even taken it a step further by channeling his inner Hogan. Here are five ways Punk has been mimicking the Hulkster.
#5. Imitating Hulk Hogan's moveset
@TheEnemiesPE3 Punk knows what works and what doesn’t. Simple body slams, big boot yesterday, leg drop.
Punk can do the simple elementary moves and get away with it bc he’s Cm Punk. pic.twitter.com/prwaJJdv5m
On the second episode of Collision, CM Punk teamed up with FTR and Ricky Starks to battle Bullet Club Gold and the Gunns. Despite being on the babyface team, Punk started receiving boos from the Canadian crowd.
Perhaps improvising on the fly, Punk decided to impersonate Hollywood Hulk Hogan by imitating his signature moves, including the Big Boot and Leg Drop. It elicited even more boos from the Canadian audience, which brought a smirk to the Chicago wrestler.
#4. Teasing heel tendencies in his promos
It's June 18th 2023, and everyone is talking about CM Punk's hairstyle, and taking off the AEW mic flag.
Just want to remind you about two reports that dropped last year. I think we're seeing the CM Punk heel turn unfold, and I think this was always part of the plans.
This… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… pic.twitter.com/tIXoyGSmJa twitter.com/AngoPW/status/…
According to a report from Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Punk is open to fully turning heel, depending on the crowd's reactions upon his return.
The Voice of the Voiceless can play an incredible heel, based on his Summer of Punk run in ROH, rivalry with Jeff Hardy in WWE, and the leader of the Straightedge Society.
Since joining AEW in 2021, Punk has been presented as a good guy during most of his run. He only showed glimpses of heelish tendencies during rivalries with the likes of Eddie Kingston and, of course, the infamous media scrum at All Out.
Punk has also seemingly embraced the chorus of boos since his return. When Hogan was a babyface, he sometimes teased turning heel during rivalries when he squared off against another popular wrestler, such as Randy Savage or Ultimate Warrior.
#3. Using Hulk Hogan's hand taunt
Very Random Shout
But I think if these two versions of Hulk Hogan and CM Punk had been able to work together, they’d have done some fantastic business. pic.twitter.com/0c1DCYFtJh" target="_blank" title="tweet-url" rel="noopener noreferrer">pic.twitter.com/0c1DCYFtJh
During the 8-man tag team match on Collision, Punk imitated 'Hollywood' Hulk Hogan's signature 'let me hear you' pose. The move was met with thunderous 'boos' as fans recall the Hulkster's NWO days as the top villain.
Not only did Punk poke fun at the WWE Hall of Famer, he was essentially doing a tribute to Hogan's entire repertoire, from his moves to his over-the-top gestures.
#2. Spray painting the AEW World Championship
#AEW #AEWCollision pic.twitter.com/rsYHVpeApa
The self-proclaimed Best in the World spray painted the AEW World Championship and wrote an "X" on it after he unveiled his world title belt during Collision last weekend.
Punk claimed that the "X" has been his symbol since the start of his career. This immediately caused wrestling fans to compare the moment to Hulk Hogan spray painting the NWO sign on the World Heavyweight Championship belt. It was an iconic moment back in the 90s, and it seemed like Punk was trying to recreate the moment for the modern era.
#1. Calling himself the real World's Champion
Cm punk being “the real world champion” and spray painting the belt boy hes channeling his inner ric flair and hollywood hogan for this next run and im here for it #AEWCollision #AEW #CMPunk pic.twitter.com/dhrqaWZR4M
CM Punk also claimed to be the "Real World Champion" during his promo segment on Collision. He revealed what was in the bag he carried during the debut episode of Collision.
Punk surprised the fans by revealing the AEW World Championship belt, which he won last year but technically never lost. It was reminiscent of Hulk Hogan taking the WCW World Heavyweight Championship hostage and rechristening it the NWO World Championship.