CM Punk's Body Transformation Over The Years, Told In Photos

Undoubtedly, CM Punk is one of the most well-known wrestlers on the planet. He has a cult fan following, and those fans very patiently (or rather impatiently) waited for The Straight Edge Superstar to come out of retirement in wrestling. Punk has been in the business for decades now. He was a teenager when he got into the business and started a backyard wrestling promotion.

As he got older, like everyone else, Punk’s look and physique also changed quite a bit. At the start of his career, he looked very different than he does today which makes sense since aging is a thing. Punk recently made his return to AEW and once again has been making headlines.

9 When He Was In High School

This image was posted by Redditor u/Cmethvin where we can see CM Punk with red hair dye. The user claimed that the picture was taken by him during an overnight lock-in party in high school. Cmethvin claimed that the person next to Punk was his sister. This was around the the mid '90s and before Punk made his wrestling debut in 1999.

It was also likely around this time that Punk met “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and in one of the pictures with The Texas Rattlesnake, Punk has got red-dyed hair.

8 Early Days Of His Career

CM Punk’s fans probably know that he first started wrestling with Lunatic Wrestling Federation which he and his brother started along with some other wrestlers. Punk’s debut happened in 1999, and being so young his body looked very different from today. He barely had any tattoos too around this time.

7 Ring Of Honor

A few years after his wrestling debut, Punk signed with Ring of Honor where he received his first major breakthrough in the world of wrestling. Punk had the straight edge gimmick here and had several great rivalries during his 4-year stint with the company. He had long hair and a bit more muscle mass than before.

6 ECW Champion

After a successful career in ROH and a brief stint in TNA, CM Punk was hired by WWE. In 2006, he became the ECW Champion. Around that time, he sported a look that he would keep for the next few years.

Still with shoulder-length hair, Punk had a more developed beard, and also more tattoos on his body.

5 Leader Of The Straight Edge Society

cm punk during a match against rey mysterio-1

On the main roster, CM Punk created The Straight Edge Society and it was probably one of the best moments of his heel run. Punk also changed his look a bit. With a grown beard and also chest hair, he’d annoy everyone in the arena by preaching about his straight-edge lifestyle consistently. Physique-wise, there wasn’t really a big difference and he looked all the same.

4 Final Years In WWE

Over the next few years until his departure from WWE, Punk changed his look several times. He got bald after losing a match to Rey Mysterio. Punk has never been really athletic in the ring, and even during his rivalry with Triple H, The Game called him a “skinny fat ass.” Towards the end of his WWE run, there were many complaints from fans that Punk had become out of shape. And that he was clumsy in the ring more often.

3 UFC

Shortly after his firing from WWE, CM Punk signed with UFC. He made his MMA debut almost two years later in 2016 against Mickey Gall. Punk lost this fight in the first round to a rear-naked choke. His second fight took place in 2018, and once again Punk didn’t emerge victorious. Although the fight was later overturned to a no contest. But this was the end of Punk’s MMA career.

Needless to say, Punk looked a lot skinnier during his MMA days and it made sense since he was fighting as a welterweight.

2 All Elite Wrestling Debut

For 7 years, fans kept chanting CM Punk’s name during WWE shows. They always hoped that one day Punk and WWE would bury their hatchet and they’d see the return of The Cult of Personality again. While that never happened, Tony Khan eventually managed to bring Punk back to the wrestling ring. Punk debuted on the second episode of Rampage and quickly took the wrestling world by storm again.

1 His Return In 2023

After getting injured during the same match he won the reclaimed AEW World Championship from Jon Moxley at All Out 2022 and the Brawl Out controversy which happened right after, CM Punk made his return to AEW on the premiere of Collision.

Punk looked different than before. He now had a bald skull, which fans might remember was pretty much the same as during his heel run in WWE.