CM Punk has been a lightning rod for controversy in pro wrestling. The Straight Edge Star’s involvement in thorny matters is like a never-ending soap opera. It’s also true that Punk is one of the most polarizing figures in pro wrestling today. However, amidst his ongoing involvement in a contentious backstage situation, he had a major reason to celebrate. 

Punk recently traveled to Las Vegas to receive a prestigious wrestling award. In addition to receiving the award, Punk revealed something during his speech that means the most to him. Something that warms the cockles of his heart. 

CM Punk shares an emotional moment amidst his role in partaking in trouble again

While it’s true that some AEW fans want Punk gone, we cannot deny that he has a devoted fan following as well. Let’s admit it, CM Punk is powerful. After all, he is the voice of the voiceless. Despite stepping on a lot of people’s toes, Punk has been a beacon of inspiration for a slew of fans. Fans gain inspiration from what Punk represents. 

Punk made his appearance at the Cauliflower Alley Club’s annual award ceremony. The “real” World Champion accepted the esteemed Iron Mike Mazurki Award. After his felicitation, Punk gave a heartfelt speech for 45 minutes. He thanked the people who held significance in his wrestling career. Punk further revealed how emotional he gets when his followers walk up to him and credit him for changing their lives. 

He said, “What means the most to me now is sharing a locker room and having those kids come up to me and they tell me, and I get emotional when they tell me, and they tell me, ‘I saw you sitting cross-legged on a stage in Las Vegas and that brought me back to wrestling.’ And I see a kid come up to me and they show me a tattoo and it says ‘straight edge’ and they say ‘I’ve never done drugs, smoked, drank because of you.’ And to me, just like the stamp of legends, that means so much to me.”

Furthermore, Punk disclosed that he still wrestles because of such moments. He added, “If there’s a reason I’m still doing this, it’s that people come up to you and they say ‘You saved my life.’ It sounds a little far-fetched but goddamnit, I understand.” Anyway, the 44-year-old star recently defeated Samoa Joe at All In at Wembley Stadium. Ahead of his match, he had a heated backstage skirmish with “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry.

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Judging by what happened recently at All In, Punk is seemingly at odds with almost the entire AEW locker room. Although things don’t look favorable for Punk at AEW, he had all the reasons to celebrate in Las Vegas. Shifting gears, Punk recalled the support he had from various legends that helped shape his wrestling career.

The Second City Saint namedropped wrestling legends who believed in him

It’s widely known that Punk had a lot of doubters when he first arrived in WWE. However, there were a few wrestling legends who put stock in Punk’s vision. At one point during his speech, Punk revealed the names of the legends who helped him gain confidence.

He relayed that Roddy Piper was the real reason he was a wrestler today. Aside from Hot Rod, Punk revealed he had the backing of Dusty Rhodes and Harley Race. 

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All in all, no matter how controversial “The Cult of Personality” is, he still has a massive influence on the wrestling world. What are your thoughts on his heartfelt speech? Comment below!