4 CM Punk references that continued on WWE television after he left
CM Punk established himself as one of the most popular Superstars in WWE during his nine-year association with the company between 2005 and 2014.
A five-time WWE world champion, Punk’s impressive in-ring ability and undeniable promo skills saw him work his way to the top of countless match cards, facing top Superstars including John Cena, The Rock, The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar and Triple H along the way.
In January 2014, “The Best In The World” decided to walk away from WWE due to a number of issues that he had with the company, ranging from his injury problems to the way that his character was presented, and we have not seen him on WWE television since.
While the man behind the Superstar, Phil Brooks, has moved on from WWE and tried his hand at multiple different roles over the last few years, including acting and mixed martial arts, it appears as though the WWE Universe (and even some within WWE) will never let their memories of Punk fade away.
In this article, let’s take a look at five references to Punk that continued on WWE programming after he left.
#4 CM Punk chants
After CM Punk left WWE, fans constantly chanted “CM Punk! CM Punk!” during matches involving his wife, AJ Lee, before she departed the company in April 2015.
Along with Paige and The Bella Twins, Lee was one of the most featured Divas on WWE programming in 2014-15, so it was not uncommon to hear the Punk chants on a weekly basis whenever she appeared on television.
Fans would also regularly direct the chants towards the McMahon family and Triple H, as well as Paul Heyman, throughout 2014, and Stephanie McMahon responded to the chants on one occasion by describing Punk as a “quitter”.
Even Daniel Bryan's big moment at WrestleMania 30 was filled with chants of "CM Punk! CM Punk!", with fans expecting him to return and help his former ally in his battle against The Authority.
Although WWE fans occasionally still shout Punk's name, usually when a segment or match is going badly, the chants are often drowned out by boos.