10 Wrestlers Who Are Totally Straight Edge
1. CM Punk
You always knew he was going to be number 1. CM Punk is the poster child for a straight edge wrestler; he brought it to the forefront. Guevara and Allin are just a few who were influenced by Punk and his lifestyle when growing up.
He preached for years in promos how he didn’t do drugs, drink or smoke, whether he was a face or a heel. When Punk was a heel, he would tell fans on top of this he was better than them because of it, his exact words being "Straight edge means I am better than you." Punk is so dedicated to the lifestyle that he has a tattoo that reads ‘straight edge’ on the bottom of his stomach. His credo was the first thing fans were treated to by Punk when he debuted with a promo on ECW television back in 2006. He stated:
“Don’t let these tattoos fool you. I’m straight edge. I’m a man of great discipline; I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t do drugs. My addiction is wrestling. My obsession is competition. Discipline. My name is C M Punk.”
At first, many grapplers thought Punk was lying about not drinking alcohol when coming up on the independent circuit, given most wrestlers drink and are instinctively distrustful of other wrestlers. However, people who hung out with Punk after shows in bars and nightclubs and who regularly travelled with him confirmed he abstained completely. When he finally reached WWE’s main roster and it spread that his 'Straight Edge' gimmick was genuine, Punk was actually ridiculed and even ostracized by some wrestlers for choosing an alternative lifestyle to theirs.
On what made him decide to live his life straight edge, Punk said:
"Straight Edge is a personal choice. And it wasn't a choice that I made so I could fit in somewhere. It wasn't a choice I made to be cool, because honestly half of my life it's made me the opposite of that. It wasn't a choice I made to be trendy. It’s a choice I made because it's exactly that: it is a way of life."
The Straight Edge Society faction he led had the potential to be a one of the biggest and best stables in wrestling history, with his cult-like beliefs and shaving the heads of his followers, before they abruptly disbanded. Punk has told a story about how the SES had so much heat one time in Tennessee that a grandmother jumped the rail to slap him in the face, screaming at him, "You're not Jesus Christ and you'll burn in hell for your sins.”
His straight edge commitment was brought up in his feud with Chris Jericho too, this time Punk playing the face. For weeks Jericho heckled Punk to audiences, daring to say that Punk was going to become an alcoholic like his father, even making it personal and dousing Punk with beer inside the ring.
Bruce Prichard has told a story on his ‘Something To Wrestle’ podcast about the one and only time CM Punk’s had a shot of alcohol:
“It was in Kansas City or St Louis somewhere, and it was Harley Race’s birthday. And he was at Harley’s camp, out at a restaurant/bar type thing and everybody got shots for Harley’s birthday. Now Punk, doesn’t drink, doesn’t do drugs, but he took a shot out of respect for Harley Race. He goes, ‘You know, Harley asked me to do it, one shot’s not gonna kill me, I’m not gonna go get hammered, I took a shot out of respect for Harley Race’.”