CM Punk Comments On SummerSlam Night 1 Being The 20th Anniversary Of His WWE Debut

On August 1, 2006, the Straight Edge Society was born in WWE. Its leader/poster guy, CM Punk, made his main roster debut on "ECW on Sci Fi" at the Hammerstein Ballroom, and won his debut match against Justin Credible with an Anaconda Vise. Now, 20 years later, Punk is slated in the main event of Night One of SummerSlam, defending his Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes on Saturday. And while most might think that the fire is dimming in his career, especially with all the wear and tear he's sustained so far, "The Best in the World" says that doubt only adds fuel to the fire.

"August 1, Saturday, first night of SummerSlam, the show that I'm wrestling on, will be my 20th anniversary of debuting in the WWE," he mentioned in his interview with ESPN. "And what keeps me going is the fact that everyone kind of looks at that like, 'Oh, you're finishing up. You're getting ready to say goodbye.' And I look to older athletes that have been in that same position, and I'm talking like, you know, LeBron [James], Tom Brady, people who are extraordinary at what they do when they necessarily shouldn't be that good, and that kind of feeds the drive and the ego a little bit. I like proving people wrong."

Saturday marks Punk's first televised title defense since capturing the championship on July 6. His opponent, "The American Nightmare," is determined to walk out of the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as the four-time Undisputed Champion. Rhodes' third reign with the championship concluded at Night of Champions after Sami Zayn surprised the masses and conquered his toughest feat yet. Though Zayn's reign was short, he may have a chance to redeem that loss, as he and Finn Balor are set to square off in a number one contender's match for that title on Night Two of SummerSlam on Sunday.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "ESPN" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.