CM Punk may lay claim to being the ‘Best in the World’ but his fighting skills were outmatched by some WWE Superstars during a 2006 flight.
That year was a formative one for Punk, who made his TV debut as part of the relaunched ECW brand. Punk was a personal project of ECW head Paul Heyman, and would quickly become one of the most featured stars on the show.
CM Punk’s On-Board Flights
On a recent edition of his Six Feet Under podcast, The Undertaker spoke about Punk and the relationship they have had in the ring. The Phenom recalled a time when Punk was traveling with the roster for the 2006 edition of Tribute to the Troops in Baghdad, Iraq.
“Somehow or another, the discussion comes up. I don’t know if Vince instigated this one or not… CM Punk, he fashioned himself as a jiu-jitsu practitioner. Someone broached the question, ‘You did jiu-jitsu. How long do you think you could last with one of these two wrestlers?’ It was Bobby Lashley, who wrestled for the Army, and Shelton Benjamin, who wrestled at Minnesota.”
The Undertaker added that Punk was confident, telling the roster “I’ll tap them out.” Despite this bravado, Punk was quickly humbled by Lashley and Benjamin.
“I want to say the first match lasted about 47 seconds. The other one was sub-40, where they had taken them down and pinned him. He didn’t back down, but my goodness, it was like blood in the water and two great white sharks circling.”
Years later, Punk would compete in the UFC and have similarly rotten luck. Punk lost two fights for the promotion, though one of his losses was overturned after his opponent tested positive for performance-enhancing substances.
CM Punk may have accidentally revealed the ring attire he’ll wear for his WWE run going forward. Click here to find out more.
