CM Punk makes it ok to watch wrestling again, he isn't a cartoon like John Cena, he's himself and has an element of cool attached to his persona. This has enabled Punk to engage fans who might not have watched wrestling, his interests in music and MMA have seen him bring in some of those communities to watch WWE as fans of his work. CM Punk made wrestling cool again. Punk's love of MMA in particular has been incorporated into his pro wrestling ring work. The former WWE Champion is a student of Gracie jiu-jitsu and he has peppered MMA holds and kicks into his WWE style. This has helped cross over MMA fans to some extent, an audience that WWE can manage to do business from given the sports entertainment dynamic of both UFC and WWE. The Punk legacy to take MMA influence and incorporate it into WWE is growing further, with Daniel Bryan and other talent also training in mixed martial arts. We are seeing more and more MMA influence within the WWE ring and you have to wonder just how much pro wrestling will evolve long term as it becomes more and more martial art based.
