Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks[1] (born October 26, 1978),[4] better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler signed to WWE. He is titled in the company as "the longest-reigning WWE Champion of the modern era", having held the title for 434 days from November 20, 2011 to January 27, 2013. Punk is officially recognized as the sixth-longest reigning champion of all time.

In professional wrestling, Punk is a seven-time World Champion, having held the ROH World Championship and ECW Championship once each, WWE's World Heavyweight Championship three times, and the WWE Championship twice. He won the World Tag Team Championship (with Kofi Kingston) and the WWE Intercontinental Championship, making him the 19th WWE Triple Crown Champion and the fastest man in WWE history to achieve this feat, in 203 days.[11] Between WWE and Ring of Honor (where he is a two-time World Tag Team Champion), Punk has won a total of 11 championships. He won the 2008 and 2009 Money in the Bank ladder matches (the only wrestler to win the match twice[12]) and the 2011 Superstar of the Year Slammy Award

Punk initially came to prominence through his career on the professional wrestling independent circuit, primarily as a member of the ROH roster. There, he was the first head trainer of the ROH wrestling school. Also while competing in ROH, Punk won both the company's championships. In 2005, Punk signed a contract with WWE and was sent to its developmental promotion, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he won every championship available in that promotion. On June 24, 2006, Punk made his WWE television debut, performing in ECW, which was then a branch of WWE. Throughout his career, Punk has consistently used the gimmick of being an outspoken, sharp-tongued, and straight edge iconoclast. Punk's straight edge principles when in character are based on his actual way of life out of character.[6] Depending on Punk's alignment as a fan favorite or villain, he has emphasized different aspects of the culture to arouse the desired audience reaction.

In June 2011, after pinning WWE Champion John Cena on Raw,[137] Rey Mysterio at Capitol Punishment[138] and finally Alberto Del Rio again in a contendership match (which included Mysterio) all within one week, Punk revealed his contract would expire at Money in the Bank and vowed to leave the company with the WWE Championship; some of his speeches and mannerisms echoed his final months with Ring of Honor. After making a scathing on-air speech concerning the way in which WWE is run and its owner Vince McMahon, he was given a storyline suspension from televised WWE events[139] but was reinstated the following week on Cena's insistence.[140] Upon his return, Punk ceased to appear with the remaining members of Nexus and the group quietly dissolved that month.[141] This helped transition him from a villainous character back to being a fan-favorite. Two weeks later, at Money in the Bank, CM Punk defeated John Cena to become the WWE Champion on his final night under contract with WWE.