CM Punk has become one of the most popular WWE stars of all time, but his career was very nearly derailed during his first-ever match with the company.
Punk is set for a huge SummerSlam clash with Gunther, but as a rookie he was told he was banned by the company.
The star found himself in hot water after he was told he was banned for using a dangerous move on a WWE Raw dark match.
This is how Punk managed to navigate around his WWE ban and become one of the biggest stars in the company.
CM Punk bounced back from WWE ban in 2003
As a rookie during his early days in professional wrestling, Punk was booked as an extra to work several WWE shows in 2003.
The star wrestled Khalsa Singh on a WWE Raw dark match in Philadelphia, but he used a Grape Vine Hammerlock DDT that the company believed was too dangerous and he was told he was blacklisted.
“It was immediately deemed dangerous and I was put on the banned list to never, ever be brought back to WWE as an extra, for a dark match, or anything,” explained Punk on a WWE Vault video.
Despite the ban, Punk had been booked for another WWE event the next night and he decided to try his luck by attending anyway.
He was eventually saved by WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter, who decided to book him in a match with The Road Warriors.
“[He said] ‘How would you like to work the Road Warriors?’ And I just said ‘Yes sir,’ explained Punk. “I didn’t add ‘So I’m not banned anymore?’ It’s the fastest turnaround on a ban!”
Punk eventually signed on a full-time basis with WWE in 2005 after impressing on the independent scene and in Ring of Honor.
It would take Punk just one year to win his first World Championship in the company, the first of six the Best in the World would capture.
Will CM Punk win the World Heavyweight Championship against Gunther?
Punk has a chance to win his seventh World Championship in WWE as he takes on Gunther at SummerSlam.
The star has only wrestled for a World Championship on one other occasion since returning to the company in 2023, a controversial loss to John Cena at Night of Champions.
The Best in the World does not necessarily need a World Championship at this point in his career, but there’s every chance the star defeats Gunther in New Jersey.
Gunther only holds the belt because Triple H wanted to make Goldberg’s retirement match more meaningful, so the Austrian is a placeholder for a huge Punk win at SummerSlam.