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00:00My confidence level at any point in my career, it was always way too high, 100%.
00:06WWE Break It Down is presented by Wingstop.
00:15Nothing hits harder than Wingstop.
00:1712 bold flavors, wings sauced and tossed fresh, and fries that don't quit.
00:23When I'm craving that knockout bite, there's only one choice.
00:27Wingstop is here.
00:30Beautiful, beautiful Chicago flag gear, me with the World Heavyweight Championship.
00:35If you really look close at the nameplate, that is a paper nameplate.
00:40That's how planned out my life was at that time.
00:42I won the Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania, and I really thought I was going to be the first clown to cash in and be unsuccessful.
00:50So I was as shocked as anybody that I cashed in successfully on Edge, and we weren't prepared at all.
00:56So they had to print out a paper nameplate.
00:58The lip ring, yeah.
01:00I look back at it like, because I see a lot of people nowadays wrestling with all kinds of jewelry and stuff.
01:06And I don't know why anybody didn't just grab that lip ring and just rip it out of my head, because I feel like I want to do that to people now.
01:15When one of my little sisters turned, I don't know, was it 18?
01:20I think she wanted to get her belly button pierced, and I took her.
01:23And she chickened out at the last second, and to show her that it didn't hurt, I got my lip pierced, and just did it, didn't flinch.
01:33And she was like, oh, okay, and then she followed through with her piercing.
01:37So it wasn't a really detailed, thought-out thing, like most of the decisions in my life.
01:46All right, 2009, substantial rivalry in my career.
01:50I still have awful hair.
01:52Waiting, just waiting for one of these pictures where I actually have decent hair.
01:59This is Staples Center, SummerSlam, TLC match.
02:02And I do not like ladders, absolutely not.
02:08And you just see all the plunder.
02:10You see, I mean, there's like one, two, three, four ladders in the background.
02:13This is no doubt one of the most brutal match concepts ever conceived.
02:18It's all about destruction.
02:20May the most extreme man win.
02:22How did I choose yellow?
02:24You know, a lot of the things I did back then and since I debuted was I looked at everything as an artist does.
02:32I looked at the negative space, like what weren't people doing, what colors weren't people wearing.
02:38And I tried to kind of fit into those spaces.
02:40So that's why I chose yellow.
02:42It pops, you know, it's like one of the first colors that your eyes see, your brain recognizes.
02:48Moving on, we're still here in this moment.
02:51You see, I have defeated Jeff Hardy as I always did.
02:55And I'm standing tall at the end of SummerSlam.
02:57This is a big moment for me, you know, sold out the Staples Center.
03:01And for that time in my career, that was a bit of a feather in my cap.
03:06Me versus Jeff, Jeff being a superstar, you know, in a position above me, helped elevate me.
03:14And I got to talk, which was obviously my bread and butter.
03:19But if nobody knows, nobody knows.
03:21So this was my real first exercise in being able to show people that I can captivate and draw you in emotionally with just my words.
03:30And this, I think, kind of leveled me up a little bit.
03:33Where was your confidence level at this point in your career?
03:38My confidence level at any point in my career, it was always way too high.
03:42100%.
03:43You couldn't, in the best, most respectful way possible, you couldn't tell me, you know, that I was given the chip.
03:51And I ran with it.
03:53And I did some of the best work at that point of my career.
03:58Next picture is a classic.
04:00A really great moment.
04:01I think maybe opened up a lot of people's eyes backstage as to how my brain works.
04:07And that I really did have a mind for wrestling at the time.
04:13Because this is just pure, this is evil in a way.
04:18You know, this is being able to manipulate and upset people in the audience.
04:22You know, I beat Jeff in a Loser Leaves WWE cage match, capping off the entire feud.
04:30And then, I'm always looking for a way to just habitually step over the line.
04:37And this was that.
04:38I got to come out to Jeff's music, dressed as Jeff, face paint on.
04:52And it was a real, it was a real son of a moment.
04:56When people realized that it wasn't Jeff and it was me.
04:59As far as impressions go, I, it's a, it's a 10 out of 10.
05:03And the rib was on me because I had to rehearse this constantly.
05:07And, you know, and certain people thought it was really, really funny.
05:09No, no, no, you got to dance like Jeff.
05:11So, I had to all out dance like Jeff and do this during rehearsal.
05:15Like, ad nauseum, like 10 times over.
05:18You can see right there, like, you squint.
05:21And that looks like Jeff doing the little dance.
05:24And I got the, the outfit on.
05:27Classic.
05:272010, a good year.
05:30Now we're cooking with gas.
05:32Now you're looking at a real bad guy.
05:33I got the long hair.
05:35I got the, the length on the beard.
05:37I still have earrings, which tells me that this is prior to my elbow surgery.
05:43After a while, having to take piercings out for surgeries, you just, you just leave them out.
05:48It doesn't matter anymore.
05:49But also, I'm rocking the Magnum PI 1986 chest hair.
05:56And it looks really, really good.
05:58And you see here the first picture of the straight edge society.
06:02Very underrated, stable.
06:03Had a lot of potential to do more.
06:06But I got a lot out of it that a lot of people didn't think I would be able to.
06:11In continuation to what I said earlier about battling with Jeff Hardy and the audience and the office realizing that I could talk.
06:22A whole bunch of responsibilities started getting dumped on me in ways of longer segments on television to, to cut promos and to talk.
06:31It got so much that I was, I was cutting promos in the middle of a Royal Rumble.
06:36Tonight, I become the first ever straight edge Royal Rumble match winner.
06:43Starting to gain my footing and be really known as a very reliable person on the microphone.
06:512011, this is a big year.
06:53Here I am as leader of Nexus.
06:56And I am flanked by two, God.
07:00I mean, are they second, third generation wrestlers?
07:02I know, I know Hennig is.
07:04And my old friend, Husky Harris, a.k.a. Bray Wyatt.
07:10What's funny about this is like shortly after the formation of this, we broke up.
07:15And I remember a conversation.
07:18You know, I was, I was, I was upset for Bray because he was being sent back down to developmental.
07:24And he, he, he was in high spirits.
07:28And he said to me, hey, don't worry, man.
07:30He's like, I'm going to, I'm going to go back down there.
07:32I'm going to, I'm going to figure myself out.
07:34And I'm going to come back up here.
07:35And someday me and you are going to main event at WrestleMania.
07:37And I thought that was really cool.
07:40Oh, look at this.
07:42Unfortunately, just before this picture, the legendary Randy Macho Man Savage passed away.
07:48So I wanted to pay homage to a classic pair of gear, twofold, really, like, you know, pink looks great on me.
07:57And this is an homage to the gear he wore at WrestleMania 3 taken on Ricky the Dragon Steamboat.
08:04Now, I commissioned my gear maker at this time to make this gear.
08:09And I won't name names, but somebody very high in the office walked past and saw it and found me and said, do not wear that gear on television.
08:20And I said, you got it.
08:22And I wore the gear on television because that's what I do.
08:27I'm going to pay homage to Randy Savage, whether you like it or not.
08:30As a fan, Macho Man, to me, was, you know, you know, I'm a hardcore wrestling fan.
08:36So we tend to gravitate towards the guys that we feel aren't getting the spotlight we think they deserve, you know, like, you know, maybe feel like, oh, Macho should have been in Hogan's spot.
08:49And really, like, that kind of passion that I had as a fan and that fans in turn have for me is really kind of what has propelled me throughout my career.
08:59You know, it's what helped me feuding with John Cena.
09:04And it's really helped me understand the fans and connect with them a little bit better.
09:08Savage, Savage was the man when he started wrestling for his dad and an outlaw promotion and, you know, going to Memphis.
09:15He was just so strikingly different than everything else you saw.
09:20Easily one of the greatest of all time, like, five-tool player, promo, ring work, like, look, attitude, aura, everything.
09:31See a puck!
09:33GTS connecting!
09:35GTS connecting!
09:37Oh, my God!
09:40Oh, my God!
09:41I mean, it's a match that everyone says is a classic now.
09:46You know, it's a big moment in my career in front of my hometown, friends and family.
09:51I talk about moments where I feel like, oh, I made it.
09:55My first Wrestlemania.
09:57That was a moment where I made it.
10:00And I mean that in two different ways.
10:01Like, I've made it, but I also, I made this moment.
10:07This whole thing.
10:09This is in the city where I was born and raised.
10:12This is where I would go watch shows.
10:15This is a moment that was truly Chicago-made.
10:20This past Wrestlemania, I had the honor to induct Bret Hart versus Stone Cold Steve Austin,
10:29Wrestlemania 13, in that same building, into our Hall of Fame.
10:33And I can only imagine someday somebody is going to be inducting Money in the Bank 2011,
10:40CM Punk versus John Cena, into the Hall of Fame as a, you know, a big match moment.
10:45The final picture of 2011 really just kind of says it all.
10:49And on the cusp of a retiring John Cena makes this picture mean that much more.
10:56I'm holding the WWE Championship, the same one that Bruno Sammartino held for six plus years.
11:05The same one that Hulk Hogan held, Randy Savage.
11:08A lot of greats held this title.
11:11Maybe not this ugly spinner version of it, but you know what I mean.
11:14And with John Cena's name on the nameplate, you know, really kind of,
11:19this is an impossible picture.
11:21This is an impossible thought.
11:23In my hometown, winning the world title with John Cena's name on it.
11:27I mean, probably just six months prior to this, if you would have told me it was going to happen,
11:31I wouldn't believe you.
11:34Oh boy, you talk about classic gear.
11:38Night of Champions, Boston.
11:39I'm wearing my, of course, we're in Boston, so I'm wearing New York Yankees colors and pinstripes.
11:46Big, big, big, big heat, as we say in the business.
11:52Brilliant.
11:53Really brilliant.
11:54Again, one of one gear.
11:56Wore this one time and it's just sitting in my house somewhere.
11:59John Cena is from Boston.
12:02But a lot of the bigger market towns at that time booed John Cena.
12:10You know, he'd get booed in New York, he'd get booed in Chicago, he'd get booed in Boston.
12:14Which is funny because he's the biggest hero Boy Scout since, you know, Bob Backlund.
12:21So it was always a challenge because I don't ever want to be the bad guy that people cheer.
12:27I always want to be the bad guy.
12:29And my job is to make the good guy look cool.
12:33So I would do little things like the gear.
12:36The Yankees gear in Boston was a bridge too far for people.
12:40And when Cena would normally get booed in his hometown, believe it or not, that night he got cheered.
12:4620 miles from home tonight.
12:51Big night.
12:51Thank you guys very much.
12:53Very big night.
12:56Okay, here we go.
12:57First photo of 2013.
12:59Might be the best one too.
13:01Old school, ladies and gentlemen.
13:03WrestleMania against the legendary Undertaker.
13:08Looking sharp in the purple and black gear too.
13:11Other classic shot of me mocking the Undertaker.
13:14And I mean, I'm wearing his color on my gear.
13:17I'm doing the throat slash.
13:19I'm doing all the fun stuff.
13:21We were recently back there for a SummerSlam.
13:25And I think me and him were just kind of standing in the hallway backstage.
13:28And he just walked up to me with this little twinkle in his eye and a grin on his face.
13:32And he said, hey, me and you got history in this building.
13:35And I was like, it took me a second to think about.
13:37I was like, what?
13:39Oh, God, this is where WrestleMania was.
13:41Yeah.
13:42Yeah, we got history in this building.
13:43Proud of that one.
13:44And proud to know that he was proud of it too.
13:48And we move on to the, everyone calls this the Wolverine look.
13:52I affectionately refer to this as my Jonathan Taze phase.
13:57That's what this is.
13:59Captain of the Blackhawks.
14:00And we were twins that summer.
14:02That same summer, the Blackhawks beat the Bruins for the Stanley Cup.
14:08That Blackhawks gear looks real clever.
14:11Looks real sharp.
14:12Real clever.
14:14Again, a one and done.
14:16I wore this, I think, one time and I never wore it again.
14:20Okay, now I'm leaning into the Wolverine.
14:23I'm wearing X-Men gear.
14:25A little blue, a little yellow.
14:28This has got to be me and Brock, right?
14:30Yes.
14:31Yep, there we are.
14:32So again, we're back at the Staples Center.
14:35SummerSlam 2013.
14:37A big one in my career.
14:38When I talk about my favorite matches, this is definitely one of them.
14:42Just Hulk versus Wolverine, right?
14:48I'm Wolverine.
14:49Brock is Hulk.
14:50A very, very classic, simple story to tell, you know?
14:55Scrappy, smaller, determined competitor fighting the immovable object.
15:01I like to think that that's, if not mine, it's one of Brock's best matches.
15:10You know, like the, there's just chemistry.
15:16And a counter!
15:17What a counter!
15:19Into the United Kingdom!
15:21I do remember, I think there was a post-show that Shawn Michaels was on.
15:25And he was just, you know, I think he just kind of stepped outside of the HBK character for a second.
15:31And he was just like, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, thank you.
15:35Because that just was the essence of pro wrestling.
15:40You know, a total rollercoaster.
15:42A physical and emotional show that was gripping to watch.
15:47And if he can move Shawn Michaels in that way, like, you know you did your job.
15:51And moving on to, very recently, my return to the WWE.
15:58Again, the All-State Arena.
16:00Man, what a place.
16:02A legendary picture now.
16:04Me, coming back.
16:06I don't know what's going on with my hair.
16:07I was in flux.
16:08That is the, oh, s***, I have to be on television haircut.
16:14That's what that is.
16:15We're going to call it that.
16:17But, yeah, this is me in all my glory doing, again, the unthinkable.
16:23Returning to the WWE after just a little bit of a 10-year hiatus.
16:28And then I'm going to assume that this is the garden.
16:31This is a live event, holiday tour.
16:34And I'm wearing black gear.
16:36And I'm fat again.
16:38I don't know.
16:39I don't know what you want from me, ladies and gentlemen.
16:41I'm big boned.
16:41Classic venue against a spry, agile, young, tough Dominic Mysterio.
16:51So the reason I went with the straightforward black trunks look.
16:55These actually might be Cody's trunks.
16:57The gear that I had made.
16:59And now, mind you, I haven't wrestled in WWE in 10 years.
17:03So I didn't want to wear an old pair of gear.
17:06You got something new made and didn't like the way it fit.
17:10And it was all last minute.
17:11Just as my return to the company was very last minute.
17:15So I had to borrow some.
17:18I think those are OVW Cody Rhodes trunks from 2005.
17:24Classic.
17:26We await the Mattel action figure.
17:30Here we go.
17:31Now we're getting back in the groove of things.
17:33I'm not so fat anymore.
17:36This is post-tricep injury and surgery and rehabilitation and PT.
17:41And back in the record six months in the ring.
17:43Not fun and not easy.
17:45I really bust my ass.
17:47Proud of this one.
17:48Proud of the work I did to get back in the ring.
17:51Makes me want to go to the gym right now.
17:53Because I've been a little bit slack.
17:55But what do you want me to do?
17:56I'm like, you know, 45 years old.
17:59Gear looks great though.
18:00The pink and the black.
18:01The homage to some Brett SummerSlam gear.
18:05I text Brett.
18:06Asked him if it was okay to emulate that gear.
18:08He sent me pictures of it.
18:10He said, all different kind of angles.
18:13He said, copy it.
18:14I appreciate you, punker.
18:15It looks like this picture is Drew on his way down to eat a GTS.
18:22I can't believe the beat me.
18:27I probably shouldn't swear on this.
18:29I apologize.
18:31We're all adults here.
18:34Moving along.
18:35We got the last batch here.
18:37This is the Intuit Dome in LA.
18:42Which I believe is a gate record for the company.
18:45Debut on Netflix.
18:46Big match.
18:47CM Punk vs Seth Rollins.
18:49I went a little bit old school.
18:50And I had a new jacket made.
18:52That's a throwback to my time on the indies.
18:57Every time I move forward, I always kind of want to reach back a little bit.
19:00And bring the history with me.
19:02Is this lady flipping me off?
19:05She is.
19:06That's great.
19:07Good for you, lady.
19:09Gear looks tight.
19:09Nice black, silver, and white.
19:14And then it looks like we're moving on to WrestleMania here.
19:17The inspiration for the gear in these pictures and at WrestleMania was we were in Las Vegas
19:21where I cut the pipe bomb.
19:23Oops, I'm breaking the fourth wall.
19:26Where I was wearing my yellow gear.
19:29So I had new yellow gear made for the main event of WrestleMania.
19:32I tried to find the hoodie that I wore.
19:37And I couldn't find it.
19:39So I just went out and bought a plain, basic gray hoodie.
19:42And you can see on the right shoulder in this picture, somebody's makeup.
19:47I don't know who it is.
19:48There was a lot of people that were giving me a lot of hugs and a lot of love prior to the match.
19:52Like, hey, man, you made it.
19:54You made it at WrestleMania.
19:55Congratulations.
19:56So it was a very, I mean, it was just such a lovey-dovey atmosphere.
20:02I was overcome with emotion a lot of that day.
20:08And you see me there proudly standing in my yellow.
20:11Man, that gear looks great, huh?
20:13That gear looks really great.
20:14And you can see in this picture the A plus L.
20:17I don't get here.
20:18I don't get here.
20:19I don't get anywhere without my wife, April, and my dog, Larry.
20:23They're like my, they're my totem.
20:27You know, when things go wild, I can always go back to them.
20:30When things are good, I'm always grateful for them.
20:33Partners in life.
20:35And here looks like we have SummerSlam wearing the amazing,
20:41Fantastic Four-inspired gear with the sharp jacket.
20:47If you zoom in on this picture, you can see on my left breast there,
20:52there is a Sick of It All pin.
20:54Sick of It All being a New York hardcore band that wrote the song
21:00It's Clobberin' Time.
21:02Famously, the thing from the Fantastic Four screams,
21:05It's Clobberin' Time.
21:06That's why I yell It's Clobberin' Time before I engage in any kind
21:10of physical activity in a wrestling ring.
21:14It's Clobberin' Time!
21:16Moving forward, but reaching back to bring the history and the inspiration with me.
21:22Like these are, this is a band and comic books that shaped my seminal years.
21:29And I always like to pay homage to the ones that came before.
21:33And that concludes our picture-o-rama.
21:38I mean, it's humbling, sobering maybe to look back, you know, because I'm not done.
21:44But I definitely think the road to the end is a lot shorter than the road from here
21:53to when I started is, you know, I don't know how long I got left.
21:57But looking back, I can definitely say, like, I had a good career, you know.
22:03I'm one of one.
22:04I think a lot of these pictures and the stories they tell illustrate that.
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