December 1, 2006 - I'm preparing to interview CM Punk, trying to think of a variety of questions I can cram into whatever time he has to talk, but no matter how much I think Straight Edge, ECW, ROH, and pay-per-views, my mind can't seem to get past one basic question: what the hell does CM stand for?
"It's mostly my fault," laughs Punk when I ask him the question, "because every time someone asks me, I tell them something different."
The real answer?
"Originally it stood for Chick Magnet. I got put into a tag team with this other dude on a whim because somebody didn't show up to a show. It was only supposed to be a one-shot deal, I wasn't even ready to wrestle yet, I didn't have gear or anything, they just put me in the ring and beat the crap out of me. I had to come back the next month and the next month and it was something that stuck. I tried to get rid of it, and it wound up getting shortened to the initials. I was always Punk, but Chick Magnet at least got shortened to CM. I tell people it stands for C. Montgomery Burns, as in Mr. Burns from The Simpsons. I tell people they are initials for my real name, Chuck Mosley, which is not true at all. I'll say it stands for Crooked Moonsault, Charles Manson…Cookie Monster is another good one."
Cookie Monster Punk, I like it.
Mystery solved.
What's not a mystery is Punk's undeniable talent and charisma in the ring. What does he attribute to his instant success in ECW?
"I think it's because I'm real. Inside and outside of the ring, what you see is what you get. I'm CM Punk. I'm not trying to be something I'm not. I'm not trying to lie to the people or be fake. I'm not trying to be some crazy, outlandish character. I'm real and they appreciate that. Everything I say, it comes from the heart. It's all real."
CM Punk, the choice of a new generation.
IGN Sports: Survivor Series, you're in the ring with HBK and Triple H, but the crowd is chanting your name. What was that like for you to experience?
CM Punk: It was pretty surreal, but trust me when I say I enjoyed every single minute of it. It was awesome. I didn't expect anything like that at all. To be honest, I just wanted to go out there and have fun. I'm competing in a match that I loved, that I grew up watching as a kid. Survivor Series is something that was very surreal to me to be a part of, but now, I just want to do it again. I can't wait until next year.
IGN Sports: Harley Race once compared you to a young Shawn Michaels. Were you a big HBK fan growing up?
CM Punk: When he super kicked Marty Jannetty through the Barber Shop window, that was a big deal. I remember always loving the bad guy Shawn Michaels. Everyone else always hated when he played the bad guy, but there was just something about that character I connected with.
|
IGN Sports: Do you see any comparisons between the two of you?
CM Punk: Yes and no. He's a hell of an athlete, and I don't know what kind of athlete I really am. [laughs] But early on, he was definitely someone that I, I'm not going to say emulate, but literally borrowed from.
IGN Sports: You have the Elimination Chamber at the pay-per-view this Sunday. Have you ever been in a match with this much potential for violence?
CM Punk: Hands down, no. This is by far the most dangerous match that I've ever been a part of. It's not dangerous enough that there's like millions of miles of steel chain, that's hellacious enough on its own, but now there's a barbed wire bat inside, there are all kinds of weapons…that's always good. [laughs]
