Ring of Honor issued the following press release announcing that AEW superstar and ROH legend CM Punk will be the next entrant into the inaugural ROH Hall of Fame. The former multi-time world champion joins Bryan Danielson, Samoa Joe, and the Briscoes as the first entrants into the 2022 class. Full details can be found below.
Ring of Honor is proud to welcome CM Punk, one of the most charismatic and compelling performers in ROH history, into the ROH Hall of Fame.
Punk is the final member of the inaugural class, joining the Briscoes, Bryan Danielson and Samoa Joe.
Punk made his ROH debut in 2002 and experienced a meteoric rise thanks to his in-ring ability, mic skills and brash attitude. He incited fans by proclaiming that his straight edge lifestyle “means I’m better than you.”
Punk had many memorable moments in ROH, including the iconic “Summer of Punk,” which began when he won the ROH World Championship in June 2005 right after accepting a deal with WWE.
Throughout the summer, Punk taunted ROH fans by repeatedly threatening to take the ROH World Title with him to WWE. He lost the title that August.
In 2004, Punk engaged in an epic trilogy of matches with then-ROH World Champion Samoa Joe that have become legendary. They wrestled to two 60-minute draws before Joe prevailed in their final meeting.
Punk also had a heated rivalry with Raven that is regarded as one of the greatest feuds in ROH history. They waged war against each other in unforgettable dog collar and steel cage matches.
In addition to his ROH World Title reign, Punk also won the ROH World Tag Team Championship on two occasions as a member of The Second City Saints.
After leaving ROH, Punk became one of the biggest stars in the industry in WWE. He wrestled in main events against the likes of The Rock and John Cena, and his 434-day reign as WWE Champion is the sixth-longest in company history.
After stepping away from pro wrestling for more than seven years, Punk made his return last year in AEW, where he continues to be one of the promotion’s top stars.
A career retrospective on Punk will be featured on this weekend’s episode of Ring of Honor Wrestling television, and a YouTube special on Punk drops Monday, Feb. 28 at 9 a.m. ET on ROH’s YouTube channel.
A special Hall of Fame episode of Ring of Honor Wrestling featuring all of the inductees airs on TV the weekend of March 5.
