Age, Biography, and Wiki
CM Punk, born Phillip Jack Brooks, is an American professional wrestler, actor, and mixed martial artist. He was born on October 26, 1978, making him 46 years old as of 2025. Punk is widely recognized for his time in WWE, where he became a multi-time world champion, as well as his stints in ROH and AEW. His career is marked by his charismatic persona and captivating performances. He has also ventured into MMA with the UFC and has appeared in various acting roles, including television shows like "Ricky Rabies" on STARZ.
| Occupation | Martial Artist |
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| Date of Birth | 26 October 1978 |
| Age | 46 Years |
| Birth Place | N/A |
| Horoscope | Scorpio |
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Height, Weight & Measurements
CM Punk stands at approximately 5 feet 11 inches (180 cm) tall. His weight is typically around 215 pounds (98 kg), which suits his athletic career in wrestling. However, exact measurements may vary slightly depending on his current training and physical condition.
| Height | 6ft 2in |
| Weight | 170 lb |
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Dating & Relationship Status
CM Punk is married to AJ Lee (April Jeanette Mendez), a former WWE wrestler. The couple married in 2014 and has been together despite various career changes and personal challenges.
Outside of wrestling, Brooks pursued a career in mixed martial arts and joined the welterweight division of the UFC, losing via submission to Mickey Gall in his professional debut at UFC 203 in 2016. He lost his second fight to Mike Jackson via unanimous decision at UFC 225 in 2018, which was later overturned to a no contest; he was released from his contract and retired shortly thereafter. He worked as a pundit on WWE Backstage (2019–2020) and has been a part-time color commentator for Cage Fury Fighting Championships since 2018. He also starred in the horror films Rabid (2019), Girl on the Third Floor (2019), and Jakob's Wife (2021), as well as the wrestling drama series Heels (2021–2023).
Brooks' umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck upon birth, causing his face to appear blue. He was raised in Lockport, Illinois, with his older brother Michal, from whom he became estranged. His father struggled with alcoholism, which led Brooks to adopt a straight edge lifestyle as a teenager; his mother, from whom he also became estranged, suffered from bipolar disorder. He later reportedly obtained a restraining order against her in June 2013. Due to his turbulent childhood, he was welcomed into the family of his childhood best friend, Chez. His first job was at a comic book shop named All American Comics in Evergreen Park, Illinois, which closed in January 2022. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper was an early influence, with Brooks citing him as the reason he became a wrestler. He was arrested multiple times during his time as a student at Lockport Township High School.
Punk's matches with Colt Cabana led him to being hired by ROH. CM Punk made his in-ring debut on ROH at All Star Extravaganza on November 9, 2002, in a gauntlet match involving five participants, that was won by Bryan Danielson. Initially, Punk joined ROH as a face, trading wins with Cabana at Night of the Butcher and Final Battle. but quickly turned heel in a feud with Raven that featured multiple variants of a no disqualification match. Their rivalry was rooted in Punk's straight-edge lifestyle, with him likening Raven to his alcoholic father; At Night of Champions, Punk and his trainer Ace Steel faced Raven and Cabana in a tag team match, during which Cabana turned on Raven, allowing Punk and Steel to win the match. Consequently, Punk, Steel and Cabana formed a trio called the Second City Saints. Punk and Raven's rivalry lasted most of 2003 and was considered one of ROH's top feuds of the year. It was settled at The Conclusion in November 2003, where Punk defeated Raven in a steel cage match. In late-2003, Punk was hired as the first head trainer of the Ring of Honor wrestling school, having previously been a trainer for the Steel Domain and Primetime Wrestling.
After concluding the rivalry with Raven, the Second City Saints turned face by feuding with The Prophecy (Christopher Daniels, B.J. Whitmer and Dan Maff), suspecting them of attacking Punk's on-screen girlfriend Lucy Fer. Whitmer was revealed to be the assailant, which led to Saints facing Prophecy in a six-man tag team match at The Battle Lines Are Drawn, which ended in a no contest. The match concluded when Punk drove Daniels with a Pepsi Plunge off the top rope through a table, thus explaining Daniels' departure from ROH. Around this time, Punk began climbing the ranks of ROH, including coming in second at the Second Anniversary Show during the tournament to crown the first ROH Pure Champion, losing to AJ Styles in the finals. At Reborn: Stage Two, Punk and Cabana defeated the Briscoe Brothers to win their first ROH Tag Team Championship. At Round Robin Challenge III, the Second City Saints lost the Tag Team Championship to B.J. Whitmer and Dan Maff in a round robin challenge, but defeated the Briscoe Brothers later that night to win their second Tag Team Championship. The Second City Saints avenged their loss to the Prophecy by defeating them to retain the titles at Generation Next. They held the titles throughout the summer before eventually losing them to The Havana Pitbulls at Testing The Limit.
Soon after, Punk began feuding with Mike Knox after Knox's on-screen girlfriend Kelly Kelly was seen to have romantic feelings for Punk. Punk defeated Knox in their first singles match on the November 7 episode of ECW as well as a rematch the following week, after which Kelly Kelly celebrated Punk's victory over Knox. At Survivor Series on November 26, Punk had his first pay-per-view match when he teamed with D-Generation X (Shawn Michaels and Triple H) (DX) and the Hardy Boyz (Jeff and Matt) in their Survivor Series match against Rated-RKO (Edge and Randy Orton), Knox, Johnny Nitro and Gregory Helms, a match in which all the participants on DX's side survived elimination. On December 3 at December to Dismember, Punk participated in the Extreme Elimination Chamber match for the ECW World Championship, but he was the first person eliminated by Rob Van Dam.
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, CM Punk's net worth is estimated to be around $12 million to $15 million, depending on the source. His salary with WWE is reportedly between $3 million and $4 million annually, considering his limited TV appearances and major PPV events. This significant income boost comes after his return to WWE in 2023, which included a major role at WrestleMania 41.
Brooks began his wrestling career on the independent circuit in 1997. He signed with Ring of Honor (ROH) in 2002, where he won the ROH World Championship once and was one of the inaugural inductees into the ROH Hall of Fame. Brooks signed with WWE in 2005 and won the WWE Championship twice, the World Heavyweight Championship three times, and the Intercontinental Championship, ECW World Heavyweight Championship, and the World Tag Team Championship once each. He also won the Money in the Bank ladder match in 2008 and 2009, making him its only back-to-back winner. He was named Superstar of the Year at the 2011 Slammy Awards and was voted PWI Wrestler of the Year in 2011 and 2012. After acrimoniously leaving WWE in 2014, Brooks took a seven-year retirement from wrestling. He returned in August 2021 when he joined All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he won the AEW World Championship twice, but was fired in September 2023 after backstage controversies; he returned to WWE two months later. He has headlined multiple major pay-per-view events, including the 41st edition of WWE's premier annual event, WrestleMania.
Shortly before a NWA: TNA show on February 25, 2004, Punk had a physical scuffle with Teddy Hart outside of a restaurant that was broken up by Sabu. The altercation reportedly stemmed from an ROH show in which Hart performed three unplanned spots, putting several other wrestlers in danger of injury. Around the time of the scuffle, Punk and Dinero stopped appearing on TNA shows, leading to speculation that he was fired for the incident. However, Punk said the scuffle had no bearing on his TNA career. Brooks said the reason he and Dinero stopped appearing on TNA's pay-per-view events was that TNA officials believed he and Dinero had not connected with the fans as villains, having turned against the popular Raven and instead formed a villainous tag team managed by James Mitchell. The officials decided that since the team was not working as villains, the storyline would be put on hold indefinitely, and thus had no work for Punk or Dinero. Punk officially quit TNA in March 2004 during the Rob Feinstein controversy after having a dispute with the TNA offices over his ability to compete in ROH following a TNA order that their contracted wrestlers were to no longer wrestle in ROH.
On the January 9, 2007, episode of ECW, Punk suffered his first loss in ECW against Hardcore Holly, ending his six-month unbeaten streak in singles competition. He participated in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 23 on April 1, where he lost. On the April 10 episode of ECW, Punk was involved in the feud between the New Breed, a group of young wrestlers and the ECW Originals, a group of veteran wrestlers from the original ECW. Punk joined the New Breed after several weeks in which both the New Breed and the ECW Originals had attempted to recruit him, seemingly turning heel. However, two weeks later, Punk betrayed the New Breed during a four-on-four tag team match between the New Breed and ECW Originals by kicking New Breed leader Elijah Burke in the back of the head and costing them the match, after which Punk proceeded to deliver his finisher, the "Go to Sleep", maintaining his status as a face in the process. On May 20 at Judgment Day, Punk defeated Burke in his first singles match on a WWE pay-per-view event. Punk then went on to One Night Stand on June 3, teaming up with Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman in a tables match to defeat the New Breed and end the storyline.
Career, Business, and Investments
- Wrestling Career: CM Punk has had a storied career in professional wrestling, including notable stints in ROH, ECW, and WWE. He is known for his charismatic performances and has been a multi-time world champion.
- MMA Career: Punk briefly transitioned to MMA, signing with the UFC in 2014. His fights earned him significant pay, including $500,000 for his first fight and $503,500 for his second.
- Acting Career: He has appeared in various TV shows and films, including a role as "Ricky Rabies" and is set to star in a new horror series in 2025.
- Business Ventures: While specific business investments are not widely publicized, Punk's brand itself is a significant venture, contributing to his net worth through merchandise and endorsements.
Brooks' first venture into wrestling was a stint in a backyard wrestling federation called the Lunatic Wrestling Federation with his older brother Michal and their friends in the mid-to-late 1990s. He had his debut match on October 25, 1997, the day before his 19th birthday, defeating Brawn the Lumberjack. He first started using the ring name CM Punk when he was put into a tag team named the "Chick Magnets" with CM Venom after another performer skipped out on the card; the "CM" originally stood for "Chick Magnet" but was later amended to have no meaning. Unlike his friends, Punk genuinely wanted to be a wrestler and saw it as more than simple fun. When the promotion started taking off while doing shows out of a warehouse in Mokena, Illinois, Punk found out that Michal had embezzled thousands of dollars from the small company, causing them to become estranged; they have not spoken since.
After leaving the Lunatic Wrestling Federation, Punk enrolled as a student at the Steel Dominion wrestling school in Chicago, where he was trained by Ace Steel, Danny Dominion and Kevin Quinn to become a professional wrestler. As part of the training, he began wrestling at Steel Domain Wrestling in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1999. It was in the Steel Domain that he met Scott Colton, who soon adopted the ring name Colt Cabana. Punk and Cabana became best friends and spent most of their early career together working in the same independent promotions, as both opponents and tag team partners. In the independents, along with fellow Steel Domain graduates Colt Cabana, Chucke E. Smooth, Adam Pearce, and manager Dave Prazak, Punk formed an alliance named the Gold Bond Mafia.
In 2002, Punk became the International Wrestling Cartel (IWC) Heavyweight Champion, in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. Punk would compete in the company's Super Indy tournament, but never won the championship.
Social Network
CM Punk is active on social media platforms, including Twitter, where he engages with fans and shares updates about his career and personal life. His presence on these platforms helps maintain his public image and fanbase.
Punk's home promotion for his early career was considered to be the Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South (IWA Mid-South). During Punk's time in IWA Mid-South, he had high-profile feuds with Colt Cabana and Chris Hero while also rising to the top of the roster, winning the IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship twice and the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship on five separate occasions, beating wrestlers like AJ Styles, Cabana, and Eddie Guerrero in matches for the heavyweight championship. Punk's feud with Hero included a 55-minute Tables, Ladders, and Chairs (TLC) match, a 93-minute two out of three falls match and several 60-minute time limit draws. From July 2003 until May 2004, Punk refused to wrestle for IWA Mid-South, explaining this as a protest to Ian Rotten's mistreatment of Chris Hero in the company. However, Hero has stated he believes there were other reasons and Rotten's treatment of him was just an excuse by Punk to stop working for the company. Punk eventually returned to IWA Mid-South and continued to perform as a wrestler and commentator for them until July 2005.
Education
CM Punk attended Lockport Township High School in Lockport, Illinois. However, detailed information about his further education is not widely available.
