CM Punk's first WWE World Title win had people asking 'what the hell are you doing?' claims veteran
In June 2008, CM Punk won his first of five world titles in WWE by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Edge, a decision that was seen as controversial backstage.
After being beaten down by Batista on the June 30, 2008, edition of Raw, CM Punk took the chance to become the new top guy in WWE by dethroning Edge and becoming the World Heavyweight Champion.
During a recent edition of "Something to Wrestle," Bruce Prichard looked back on the moment that Punk won the title and recalled the move being seen as risky and controversial due to how polarizing the Straight Edge Superstar was backstage.
“Very controversial. It was controversial because I don’t think that Punk had a lot of people in the locker room that were really pro-Punk. He’s a polarizing figure. I thought, if he’s that polarizing in the locker room then, what’s the general audience feel about him? And I really felt the general audience was intrigued. He was different and there was something about Punk, especially at that time… it was a groundswell. People were getting behind him." (H/T POST Wrestling)
CM Punk cashes in his Money In The Bank contract on Edge to win his first World Heavyweight Championship. (30.06.2008) pic.twitter.com/9rrcUsjrvM
Bruce would continue by saying that there were genuinely some people backstage in WWE that wondered why Punk won the title, but given the reaction that it garnered from fans, Bruce still believes to this day that it was the right move.
“I thought then, I think now, later on when he did the whole X Division, I thought that he was a much better heel, a natural heel. The idea at the time was for him to eventually turn heel. The way that they did it, that was after I was gone, I thought was superb. I thought it was really good for him but again, in an effort to shake things up, you wanna see surprise on people’s faces?"
He continued:
"You wanna see genuine reactions? Have a camera backstage when Punk won the title. There were those that were like, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ There were those who were happy for him and again, it was a moment that no one was going to call, and I thought it was a good one.” (H/T POST Wrestling)
Is CM Punk on a losing streak in AEW?
When CM Punk returned to AEW on the debut episode of Collision, his overall record stood at 23 wins and only two losses (coming at the hands of MJF and Jon Moxley, respectively). Fast forward a few weeks, and Punk has lost more matches since Collision started than in his entire first year with All Elite Wrestling.
Since returning, Punk's record stands at three wins and three losses in all matches, with the Straight Edge Superstar suffering back-to-back losses over the past two episodes of Collision for the first time in his AEW career.
This is CM Punk's third loss since returning and it's just been one month. Interesting to see where this goes. #AEWCollision
Coincidentally, both matches involved Ricky Starks, and both of them saw Starks cheat to get the win by grabbing onto the ropes for leverage. CM Punk's role in the upcoming episode of Collision has not yet been announced, but it's safe to say he will be looking to settle his score with Ricky Starks soon enough.
Are you enjoying CM Punk's run on AEW Collision? Let us know in the comments section down below!