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    Beyond the Mat: The Lives and Legacies of WWE Legends The Undertaker, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar
    Beyond the Mat: The Lives and Legacies of WWE Legends The Undertaker, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar
    Beyond the Mat: The Lives and Legacies of WWE Legends The Undertaker, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar
    Ebook132 pages2 hours

    Beyond the Mat: The Lives and Legacies of WWE Legends The Undertaker, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar

    By Ian Fineman

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    About this ebook

    unauthorized series of bestselling WWE superstar profiles of The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, and CM Punk.

    Inside the riveting pages ahead, fans will gain unprecedented insight into the lives, careers, and dramatic never-before-told happenings that continue to define the lives and legacies of three of the most celebrated and controversial superstars in WWE history.

    For a limited time, "Beyond the Mat: The Lives and Legacies of WWE Legends The Undertaker, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar" is available together. This bundled collection features the following bestselling previously released works:

    Best in the World: The Unauthorized Biography of Phil Brooks (WWE Superstar CM Punk) by Vince Russel

    Brock Lesnar: The Unauthorized Story Behind Brock Bringing The Pain Back to the WWE by Michael Essany

    The Undertaker: The Unauthorized Real Life Story of the WWE's Deadman by Michael Essany.

    NOTE: “Beyond the Mat: The Lives and Legacies of WWE Legends The Undertaker, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar” is a completely unauthorized publication NOT affiliated with or endorsed by WWE. This work is also not associated with the “Beyond the Mat” film of the same name.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSports Entertainment Publishing
    Release dateDec 8, 2015
    ISBN9781310183638
    Beyond the Mat: The Lives and Legacies of WWE Legends The Undertaker, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar

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      Book preview

      Beyond the Mat - Ian Fineman

      Beyond the Mat

      The Lives and Legacies of WWE Legends The Undertaker, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar

      An Unauthorized Work from Bestselling Author Ian Fineman

      Disclaimer

      Published by Sports Entertainment Publishing

      Copyright 2015 Sports Entertainment Publishing

      All Rights Reserved worldwide. May not be copied or distributed without prior written permission from Sports Entertainment Publishing.

      This eBook is not an official WWE publication nor is it associated, affiliated, or otherwise endorsed by The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, Phil Brooks, or World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

      To visit WWE.com, click here.

      All information contained in this eBook has been obtained by exclusive interviews, online research, and information freely available in the public domain.

      This eBook provides information that you read and use at your own risk.

      Cover images are freely available for commercial use on FLICKR by:

      Miguel Discart (The Undertaker photo) usage rights information available here.

      Miguel Discart (Brock Lesnar photo) usage rights information available here.

      Krystal Bogner (CM Punk photo) usage rights information available here.

      Best in the World: The Unauthorized Biography of Phil Brooks (WWE Superstar CM Punk)

      Originally Published August 2013

      Part 1: The Beginning of The Best

      Standing backstage at Chicago's All State Arena before a live WWE pay-per-view, Phil Brooks approached the performer's entrance, intensely training his eyes on each forward step as he braced to confront the live crowd of more than 20,000 screaming hometown fans - fans who assembled, it seemed, primarily to see their favorite superstar, CM Punk, in action.

      Although the World Wrestling Entertainment roster is rife with performers whose on-camera personas are drastically different from their real-life demeanors, it's nearly impossible to separate CM Punk from Phil Brooks.

      Both are legitimately outspoken, intense, and hard-working. In fact, sources close to WWE chairman Vince McMahon reveal that by the WWE chief's own admission, Brooks is one of the most dedicated performers to ever work for McMahon.

      Save for Dwayne Johnson, Shawn Michaels, and a handful of other elite ex-WWE champions, there are few talents of the past or present who get away with talking to Vince like Phil does, a source confesses. But there's a reason for that. Vince knows Phil doesn't speak from ego or personal want. He tells the unvarnished truth every time, all the time. And there are very few guys like that in our business. Vince respects that.

      According to Brooks, his relationship with McMahon is strong and based on mutual respect, even though it can be strained at times as the nature of the relationship is constantly evolving.

      The relationship [with Vince McMahon] is certainly different and that's something that's always evolving, Brooks said in July 2013 interview. My relationship with Vince today is different than it was in April. It's something that constantly changes.

      But it was Vince McMahon who supported the year-long championship reign that CM Punk enjoyed through all of 2012.

      Vince knows that Phil can carry this company if he has to, a source admits. John [Cena] is definitely the face of the company, but it's difficult to say if WWE would be what it is if CM Punk wasn't here. He is needed more than most fans and critics realize.

      For Phil Brooks, however, the success he has found in the big leagues of sports entertainment was never a sure-thing. From his early days growing up in the Midwest, to his bumpy start on the road to a career in professional wrestling, few outside observers were initially impressed by the youthful presence of Phil Brooks. But his raw talent, intense desire to better himself, and extreme focus on his professional advancement helped to overcome the uncertainties of his earliest naysayers.

      Born Phillip Jack Brooks on October 26, 1978, CM Punk earned the distinction of being one of the longest-reigning WWE Champions in history with a 434 day title reign. It began on the 20th of November, 2011 and ended on the 27th of January, 2013.

      Brooks' other notable titles include the ROH World Championship, the ECW Championship, the World Heavyweight Championship (three times), the World Tag Team Championship, and WWE Intercontinental Championship.

      What has never been recognized on WWE programming, however, is that CM Punk earned the prestigious WWE Triple Crown in record time - just over two hundred days.

      Starting out as an independent wrestler, Brooks quickly gained traction on the Ring of Honor circuit. Until 2005, Punk worked with ROH as a trainer for their wrestling school, and wrestled for their events. In 2005, he was signed to WWE, where he quickly began to climb the ranks of a talent pool desperately in need of promising young talent. What made the Punk likeness especially unique is his straight-edge gimmick.

      For Brooks, however, it's not a gimmick at all. Rather, it's a philosophy that Phillip Brooks shares with CM Punk. Straight-edge is a subculture in hardcore punk (from where his name is derived). In this subculture, followers do not use alcohol, drugs, or tobacco. Many adherents also refrain from sexual promiscuity, and follow a vegetarian diet.

      The origin of his name dates back to his earliest foray into professional wrestling - a backyard ring called the Lunatic Wrestling Federation, started with his brother.

      Young Phil and his tag team partner were called the Chick Magnets, shortened to CM Punk for Brooks and CM Venom for his partner. While the original purpose of the ring was for fun only, Phil saw how it could grow into a professional career. His brother, however, allegedly embezzled money from the wrestling ring, ultimately leading the demise of the federation and their relationship.

      Phil reportedly has not spoken with his brother since the embezzlement was uncovered.

      Becoming more of a loner and tightening the circle of individuals with whom he could confidently place his trust, Phil Brooks soon moved on the Steel Dominion wrestling school in Chicago, where his mentors included Ace Steel, Danny Dominion, and Kevin Quinn.

      The connections made at this school and the training provided would later propel Brooks toward stardom. It was while wrestling for Steel Domain that he met one of his best friends, Scott Colton—Colt Cabana. Along with their other friends, fellow graduates from the Steel Dominion School, he and Colt Cabana formed a wrestling alliance called the Gold Bond Mafia.

      I don't know how entertaining we are when we hang out, Brooks would reveal years later about his immensely close relationship with Cabana. "We're literally just sitting on my couch arguing. 'Want to go to the gym?' 'Yeah, I don't want to go to your gym.' 'Well, I don't want to go to your gym.' The gym I go to in Chicago, people are told not to speak to me. [Laughs.] It's a long story, I know it's some crazy Axl Rose stuff. But when I go to a gym, it drives me crazy -- sometimes I

      can't go to a gym because people are constantly bothering me, mid-workout, they're tapping me on the shoulder. I just want to throw people out of a third-story window."

      For the next five years, Brooks worked the Ring of Honor and Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South, where he rose to the top of his roster. Twice he won the IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship, and the Heavyweight Championship five times. The feuds and friendships created during this time followed him into his professional career with the WWE. He beat out A.J. Styles, Colt Cabana and Eddie Guerrero for his championship titles, all of whom were growing in fame and popularity. He came to the Ring of Honor as a face but often thrived as the heel, especially when working with Raven. This also began his involvement with no-rules matches, where weapons were allowed into the ring. The contrast between their two personalities, Punk being a straight-edge, and Raven being a serial rule-breaker, emerged as a compelling story and feud that lasted most of 2003.

      Involvement with both the Ring of Honor and Raven’s alliance, The Gathering, afforded him the opportunity to fight and win the ROH Tag Team Championship twice (with the help of his friend, Colt Cabana). It was also around this same time that he became the head trainer of ROH’s school.

      But as his knowledge of the business and the sport of professional wrestling deepened, Brooks began questioning the safety of the Total Nonstop Action shows he was being asked to help with. One of his fellow wrestlers, Teddy Hart, reportedly performed a few unplanned stunts, which could have seriously hurt some of the other wrestlers.

      Though, according to TNA officials, the reason Brooks was no longer asked to wrestle for them had to do with a discontinuation of his storyline, it also seemed to have something do with his disagreements about their safety practices.

      Sources close to WWE admit that Brooks is one of the safest guys in the ring, meaning he goes above and beyond the call of duty to protect his fellow wrestlers. Brooks has an exceptional reputation behind the scenes

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