What does the ‘CM’ in CM Punk stand for? The question is probably as old as Phil Brooks’ pro wrestling career. However, there is a (somewhat) logical answer to the age-old debate as it pertains to his now-iconic initials.
The official Roots of Fight Instagram account recently dropped a new ad for CM Punk merchandise. The sweatshirt is a throwback to Punk’s hometown roots in Chicago, with the caption in the carousel of photos referring to the WWE superstar as “Chicago Made,” aka CM.
“CM has always stood for one thing: Chicago Made. I was born and raised in Chicago. The city made me,” CM Punk was quoted as saying.
The ‘CM’ didn’t always stand for Chicago Made, according to CM Punk himself
The Roots Of Fight ad takes a more straightforward approach. However, Punk has cycled between different answers when asked to explain his pro wrestling initials. The Straight Edge Superstar explained the origins of his initials in a 2006 interview with IGN.
“Originally it stood for Chick Magnet,” Punk said at the time. “I got put into a tag team with this other dude on a whim because somebody didn’t show up to a show. It was only supposed to be a one-shot deal, I wasn’t even ready to wrestle yet, I didn’t have gear or anything, they just put me in the ring and beat the crap out of me. I had to come back the next month and the next month and it was something that stuck.”
“I tried to get rid of it, and it wound up getting shortened to the initials. [It] was always Punk, but Chick Magnet at least got shortened to CM. I tell people it stands for C. Montgomery Burns, as in Mr. Burns from The Simpsons. I tell people they are initials for my real name, Chuck Mosley, which is not true at all. I’ll say it stands for Crooked Moonsault, Charles Manson…Cookie Monster is another good one.”
