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CM Punk

zackarcherPosted on 12/06/04 at 08:00:12

Watched my first ROH show recently.  I about died when I saw Punk come out with X's on his hands and 'Straight Edge' tattooed on his stomach.  It's even incorporated into his shirt design.

Is this something that he actually pushes in his promos?  Or is it just something is more "seen and not heard"?  The fact that he has even introduced this into the sport really blows my mind.
Rick GarrardPosted on 12/06/04 at 08:33:04

Well in MLW he was Mr. Straight Edge, the Pepsi drinkin' tattoo wearin', alcohol and drug free CM Punk and the enigmatic antithesis of Raven, as Raven was seeing a supposed younger version of himself in Punk, so Raven basically was chasing him all over MLW, until finally they ended up as a tag team, if memory serves correct.  (I only saw about 3 months worth of the weekly MLW show right before MLW went belly up).

So yes, that has been part of his gimmick, including the Pepsi tattoo on his one arm by the shoulder.
Critic of the DawnPosted on 12/06/04 at 18:10:31

Raven and Punk also had what was regarded by many as the best feud of 2003 in Ring of Honor.  Punk's straight edge beliefs made up a large portion of his heel gimmick (Straight Edge means I'm better than you!), but as a babyface it's much more in the background.  It doesn't come up as often because the majority of the fans aren't straight edge themselves, so it isn't something the crowd will get behind.  Instead, he plays a very Chris Jericho-esque babyface.  Cool, cocky, funny, and intense.

Whatever the promotion, it's pretty clear.  Raven made Punk by repeatedly putting him over in decisive victories - something I'd like to see happening more often with WWE's veterans.

Eric "Critic of the Dawn"