CM Punk has been apart of three stables since joining the WWE. Up until this point everyone who has aligned themselves with Punk is no longer wrestling for the WWE. Is this a coincidence or a sign that Punk is cursed?
Punk first joined The New Breed while competing on ECW. The New Breed was made up of Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von, Kevin Thorn, Matt Striker, CM Punk, and Ariel. Punk was only apart of the stable for two weeks. Shortly after Punk’s departure from the stable, Thorn and Ariel left as well. The remaining members of The New Breed moved on, until June 2007 when the stable dissolved. After The New Breed dissolved it did not take long for it’s members to dissolve from the WWE.
Ariel was the first to be released by the WWE. She was released on May 18th, 2007.
Cor Van was the second member of the stable to be released. After taking some time of to deal with family issues. He was released on September 19th, 2007.
Burke was the third member of the group to be released. Burke was released on November 10th, 2008, he had not been seen on television since May 2008. Unlike the other members of the group Thorn was able to hang around for a while.
Thorn was able to hang around for a while but did not last much longer on ECW. On November 20th, 2007 he debuted a new look. His new look did not last long as he was taken off television and sent down to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) to develop. Thorn would spend part of the year in OVW until being moved to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). In January 2009 Thorn was offered a new contract; however, he choose not to re-sign with the WWE. As a result of not signing a new contract Thorn was released on January 9th, 2009.
Striker no longer wrestles for the company but he could be on his way out. After hanging up the boots Striker started commentating on ECW. As time passed Striker was moved to Smackdown to commentate. Things were looking up for Striker as he became the host for NXT while continuing to commentate on Smackdown. When Booker T. returned to the company he replaced Striker on the Smackdown announce team. To make things worse Striker was given a co-host for NXT Season V . Could that be a sign that Striker will be finished with the company as soon as NXT stops airing online?
Punk was the only member of the stable to continue wrestling. After leaving The New Breed Punk focused on his singles career. He became Mr. Money in the Bank at Wrestle Mania XXIV and Wrestle Mania XXV, becoming the first superstar to win the match twice. After using his Money in the Bank Briefcase to earn himself to World Heavyweight Championships, Punk went on to form a new stable. Punk formed the Straight Edge Society (S.E.S) on November 27, 2009. Joining the S.E.S would be Luke Gallows, Joseph Mercury, and Serena.
Serena was the first to part with WWE. She was released on August 20th, 2010, for not living out the straight edge lifestyle in public.
Gallows met the same fate as he was released a few months later on November 19th, 2010.
Unlike his fellow S.E.S members Mercury was not released. Mercury had surgery on a torn pectoral muscle. While recovering from surgery he began training superstars in FCW.
After the group disbanded Punk was traded to Raw on October 11th, 2010. After Team Raw lost at Bragging Rights it was reported that Punk was suffering from a hip injury. To remain on television during his injury Punk become a commentator. Once Punk recovered from his injury he was revealed as the new leader of The Nexus. That did not sit well with current leader Wade Barrett. Punk knew Barrett wanted to continue leading The Nexus so he made him an offer. If Barrett could win a triple threat steel cage match against Randy Orton and Sheamus, he would remain in control of The Nexus. If Barrett lost he would have to leave the group. Barrett accepted the stipulation and participated in the match.
During the match Barrett was making his way up the cage. Barrett had hurt his arm in the match and was unable to climb any higher. When all hope looked lost for Barrett, Punk ran down to ringside and began climbing the outside of the cage. Punk rested on the top of the cage and offered his hand to Barrett. Unable to climb Barrett took hold of Punk’s hand. A few seconds later Punk betrayed Barrett by ripping The Nexus armband off Barrett and knocking him off the cage back into the ring. Punk’s betrayal caused Barrett to lose the match and give up control of The Nexus. Now that Punk was leading the group The Nexus became known as The New Nexus. Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater were not happy with the way Punk was running things, causing them to leave the group on January 10th, 2011. After losing two members Punk recruited Mason Ryan one week later. Ryan joined fellow members Husky Harris, Michael McGillicutty, and David Otunga.
Punk had one goal in mind while leading The New Nexus, get revenge on Randy Orton. While Orton was a member of Legacy, they cost Punk the World Heavyweight Championship back in 2008. Punk finally had the opportunity to get his revenge against Orton at the 2011 Royal Rumble . Punk lead The New Nexus as they attacked Orton during his match against The Miz, costing Orton the WWE Championship.
Punk got his revenge on Orton for costing him Championship gold. Orton was enraged by the attack and set out for revenge against The New Nexus. He was going to get his revenge by dismantling The New Nexus piece by piece. Orton started with New Nexus member Husky Harris by punting him in the head and putting him out of action indefinitely. Punk wanted nothing more to do with Orton, but the Anonymous General Manager booked these two in a match at Wrestle Mania. The Anonymous General Manager knew that The New Nexus would try to pull something at Wrestle Mania which is why he developed a stipulation. Each week a member of The New Nexus will face Orton one-on-one. If Orton wins that member of The New Nexus is banned from ringside at Wrestle Mania. If a member of The New Nexus wins that member is allowed to be in Punk’s corner at Wrestle Mania . The remaining three members battled Orton in singles competition with each member losing their match. Defeating McGillicutty, Otunga, and Ryan was not good enough for Orton. After each victory he took matters into his own hands by punting each member in the head.
For now all four members of the stable remain with the company; However, being written off television is not a good sign. Only time will tell if these superstars will be able to reemerge as a Raw or Smackdown superstar. If these superstars are unable to return does it prove that Punk is cursed or did he have the misfortune of being aligned with superstars who were unable to make a name for themselves?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CM_Punk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Breed_(ECW)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelly_Martinez
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Brown
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elijah_Burke
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_Edge_Society
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serena_Deeb
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drew_Hankinson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Birch
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nexus_(professional_wrestling)
