Controversies That Put CM Punk Into Hot Water

These days, WWE star CM Punk and the term "controversy" go together like spaghetti and meatballs, burger and fries, Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler. It is hard to have one without the other, and has really always been the case for Punk ever since he first became a known commodity in the wrestling business. In fact, some would argue its part of his charm; performers often don't get buy on just their performances, and Punk's ability to stir the pot, ruffle feathers, and sometimes take things a tad too far have likely only added to his mystique. Of course, it's also probably a big reason why many believe he's among the greatest pro wrestlers of the 21st century, while just as many believe he's the modern day equivalent of a Hulk Hogan, minus the racism controversy, the Donald Trump love, and the Fu-Manchu.

As noted, Punk was heading this direction all the way back when he was first making his name in Ring of Honor and TNA. The first controversial incident Punk had stemmed from a November 2003 ROH show that Punk didn't wrestle on but certainly watched. There, Teddy Hart, a talent that makes Punk look squeaky clean in a Elroy Jetson sort of way, did several unplanned moonsaults off the cage, nearly hurting several of his opponents. This prompted Punk to go to his LiveJournal and tear Hart to shreds, with Punk ultimately delivering the famous "there is no God, and the cage wasn't 30 feet" refrain in response to remarks Hart made. When the two finally crossed paths in person before a February 2004 TNA PPV, the two would actually get involved in real life fisticuffs outside a Waffle House, prompting the suicidal, homicidal, genocidal Sabu to be the voice of reason and break it up.

In hindsight, the Hart incident is among the more tamer controversies of Punk's career, though it did set the tone for his next decade as he worked his way through Ring of Honor and into WWE. It would seem every so often the same things would appear in reports about Punk; too outspoken, difficult to work with, too disrespectful to the wrestling norms, too associated with the wrong people. For so long, it seemed the Punk-WWE relationship hung by a thread, until he walked out of the promotion in January 2014. On its own, that moment would've been controversial, but when Punk revealed in his now infamous Colt Cabana podcast that one of his reasons for leaving stemmed from his feeling that WWE neglected his health and didn't offer him proper are, it led to WWE doctor Chris Amann suing him and Cabana. 

The duo ultimately won the case, but process fractured their long-standing friendship, and opened the door for things to go horribly wrong once Punk and Cabana found themselves in AEW after August 2021. Everyone knows the story by now; Punk returns to wrestling to join AEW, everything goes well for several months before things go horribly wrong, with the issues between Punk and Cabana leading to issues between Punk and "Hangman" Page, an then Punk and The Elite, leading to the famous Brawl Out incident backstage. Things didn't get better when Punk returned, as backstage altercations with Ryan Nemeth and Jack Perry ultimately led to Punk being fired, and Nemeth later suing him, AEW and Tony Khan, though the matters now appears to be resolved. Now back in WWE, Punk has been on his best behavior, and neither he nor WWE have stirred up trouble. Whether that will change in the future remains to be seen.