CM Punk had the time of his life as a faction leader in the WWE.
The former WWE Champion became one of the biggest heels in the company in 2009. He grew his hair and beard long, and recruited Luke Gallows, Serena Deeb and Joey Mercury into his Straight Edge Society.
His preachy promos and religious undertones caused controversy, with fans furious at his disturbed similarities to Jesus Christ. It remains an all-time great gimmick, and one CM Punk had a great time portraying.
CM Punk spoke with Ringside Collectibles at San Diego Comic-Con, and was asked about his time as the leader of the “Straight Edge Society.” He said it was a “special time” for him, getting to be more like himself in his character.
CM Punk noted the religious tones of the gimmick, while being everything stereotypical of the Straight Edge movement.
“That was a special time in my career. I got to be, you know, we always hear people say, ‘Oh, my character was me turned up to 11,’ and man, was that ever me turned up to 11. The preachy, you take everything that is stereotypical about straight edge and the whole movement and the subculture, and you get to play that as a bad guy on television. That was the time of my life. It was just so fun to be super preachy. Trying to weave in a lot of little religious tones. Trying to force my stuff on other people like that. It was the ultimate bad guy. It was the time of my life.”
CM Punk: Never Say Never About Leading Another Faction
CM Punk was also asked about his role in leading the New Nexus. He also spoke about potentially leading another faction in the near future.
The former WWE Champion refused to rule out the possibility. However, he doesn’t see it happening in the foreseeable future, although if a great idea came along he would definitely consider it.
“I’m not going to say no because you never say never. I don’t see it happening in the foreseeable future, but you never know what’s going to happen. That’s the cool thing about where we’re at as a company right now. Creatively speaking, this is the most fruitful creative locker room that I think I’ve ever been in, where ideas aren’t ignored and shot down. People are eager to share ideas. Somebody someday could have a brilliant idea, something that I have blinders on and can’t see, and I would be receptive to any of the ideas as long as they’re good.”
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