I'm going to be that gnarly guy that gets in somebody's face and makes it ugly. I'm a bit of a grinder.
— CM Punk
I've always had an extremely passionate fan base.
I like winning or losing, failing or succeeding on my own merit.
Contrary to popular belief, I do occasionally get to watch TNA, mostly on fast forward, but Bobby Roode is one of the guys... solid, solid guy.
Everything I say, it comes from the heart. It's all real.
I've kind of gotten mad over the years, reading different Punisher stories and seeing multiple Punisher movies. Nobody gets the character right.
The do-it-yourself lifestyle is something that I've translated into wrestling.
There was a long time in my professional life that I was not happy, and there was nothing anyone else could have done to make me happy. There was a big stretch where I was very sick, and I was very hurt. Those charged with taking care of my health and well-being weren't very good at their jobs. Or maybe they were too good at their jobs.
No one wants to get beat up in front of the world.
There's such a wide demographic who watches the WWE. And everybody's into something different.
I set goals, and I like to reach them and accomplish new things.
There's a lot of guys in pro wrestling that just kind of have this MMA fantasy, and they never act on it. I'm acting on it. I don't want to be one of those guys who sits there and goes, 'I could have done that or I should have done that.'
WWE doesn't do anything to protect the wrestlers; they do things to protect themselves.
I love the sport, and I have for a long time. I'd stay up late and watch the Pride New Year's Eve shows. I watch all the UFC pay-per-views. I'm a fan. I love this stuff.
I think everybody is always selling me short, and then I always prove them wrong.
I think everyone's dream is to do nothing.
The only thing I've ever bought with the money I've made is my house.
I've done things, sometimes foolishly misguided, because I wanted to give back to the fans.
I don't measure myself against my coaches, I don't measure myself against my teammates. If I'm doing jiu-jitsu for sport, I don't measure myself against the guy I'm rolling with or whatever belt he is or how many stripes he has on his belt. I measure myself every day against the guy I was yesterday.
I hate teaming up with people. Absolutely hate it.
I don't smoke. I don't drink. I don't use drugs. That may be boring for some people, but that's just me. That's how I live my life.
Inside and outside of the ring, what you see is what you get. I'm CM Punk. I'm not trying to be something I'm not. I'm not trying to lie to the people or be fake. I'm not trying to be some crazy, outlandish character.
Everybody knows how to throw a punch. Not correctly - he or she might not know how to turn the wrist or know what part of the hand to hit with. But humans instinctively know to fight, whether they bite or claw or pull hair. It's an instinct.
Punk rock and straight edge will always be married together. As far as me integrating that with wrestling, I learned a lot from punk rock.
Success is based on your perspective.
Something I'm completely not open to is remaking movies.
I have a Wii at home that I mainly play 'Punch-Out!' on.
Black cats cross my path all the time. I'll break a mirror. I have no regard for superstition.
I'm never concerned about my beliefs hurting me in any way. I'd rather lose a job than have to lie.
I can be hard on myself, and I can get down on myself.
There's only one thing people love more than their heroes, and that's stomping them into the ground.
There are always going to be detractors who will say I don't look like I'll be able to hang with Brock Lesnar. But Brock's a freak of nature, and I don't know anybody who looks like they can 'hang' with Brock Lesnar. But anyone can be choked out in seven seconds.
Being out there in a high-pressure situation with a live audience and a live TV camera on you, it brings something out.
Pro wrestling has always been ingrained into American culture. It was one of the first things that was ever on television, so everybody watched it. Countless people tell me, 'I got into wrestling because my grandfather watched it.' It was always there.
I jumped to the WWE, and the perceived notion was I became more successful. I got to touch more people's lives and influence more people and perform in front of more people, and that was a great thing.
I'm not superstitious about anything in my life - except for playoff hockey. I get really kind of sketchy and weird about it. I don't like talking about it. I don't like making predictions.
I have a special place in my heart for the Straight Edge Society. Never reached its full potential.
I remember always loving the bad guy Shawn Michaels. Everyone else always hated when he played the bad guy, but there was just something about that character I connected with.
To me, Punisher is pretty black and white. He's very simple, and at the same time, he's very complex. I don't know why I think I understand the guy, but I feel I do.
To be ECW champion is something that I take very, very seriously.
Straight edge is everything about a personal decision to not live my life under the influence or not being aware. I pretty much don't like anything that alters my view of reality or my perception or my grasp.
When someone else is making money off of you and using your body, you need to step off the carousel.
I think you could split my fans up just like any other guy's fans. Some of them are cool, and some of them are obnoxious. But it's the variety that makes it great.
Doing the same old thing every day, week in and week out, it gets boring. I'm all about new challenges, new opponents.
I grew up a wrestling fan, so to be doing what my 'heroes' were doing when I was a kid, it's fun. I have fun out there.
I understand people want to see me get knocked out.
I get in my own head, and at the end of the day, I'm my biggest critic, and I'm my worst enemy, too.
I've shattered every negative stereotype people had about me.
I think smartphones need to send an electrical shock to a user when they get their your/you're mixed up.
I don't like having debts. I don't like buying anything that I can't buy in cash.
