8 Wrestling Megastars That Started As Backyarders

4. CM Punk

The 'Lunatic Wrestling Federation' was the preserve of a young CM Punk as he escaped a troubled upbringing via the in-roads he attempted to make into professional wrestling. He felt the period worthy of mention on his mammoth selling 'Best In The World' DVD boxset, though also noted how aware he was of the gulf between the common garden brawling and common or garden pro wrestling.

A 2013 Chicago Tribune feature on him spoke to LWF stalwart Larry Statkus about Punk's time with them, with Statkus suggesting that 'The Voice Of The Voiceless' had completely escaped his origins even though the promotion had continued in ernest as a moderately successful independent outfit. Statkus said, "His wrestling is fantastic. It's great. It's just bittersweet. You want to be proud but you can't talk to the guy anymore."

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett