5 Reasons Not To Believe In CM Punk's Cleveland Curse
4. He Took His Lumps And Learned
CM Punk mentioned during his interview with Ariel Helwani that shortly after making his ECW debut, he worked a house show loop with Hardcore Holly. During a show in Cleveland, Holly "punched me in the eye as hard as you can," he said, leaving him with a black eye.
Holly's reputation for working stiff was well-known. Many newcomers to the company were booked against Holly in order to gauge their toughness - he'd chop them and punch them, and if they didn't complain, they'd earn some respect. Of course, Holly also took liberties with people, like when he beat up Matt Cappotelli on Tough Enough or crushed Rene Dupree's skull with a chairshot.
Punk didn't seem to mind Holly's antics, though - at least as far as they related to him. While talking about Holly's hardcore tendencies, Punk seemed almost wistful, adding that WWE's locker room could use an enforcer like the former Sparky Plugg - one who could teach the young guys to behave properly and clean up their messes.