CM Punk Quotes

I don't think I'd be in WWE, and I wouldn't be in NXT, if it wasn't for my time in EVOLVE and Dragon Gate USA and things like that.

Some of the most well-known women in the history of WWE have learned to shine on the brightest stage of them all because of Fit Finlay.

I went from two-minute matches when I started with NXT to eight, to 10, to 12.

I used to be around John Cena all the time in WWE, and I watched him and the way he worked. John is a guy who has been at the top longer than anyone else in history, and I'm lucky to have the opportunity to train at Cena's gym and go to him for advice.

We had a show called NXT, and Daniel Bryan was my rookie, and I was his pro. And the object was for the pros teach the rookies what it's like to be a WWE Superstar. As soon as that hit the Internet, the Internet thought it was absurd: 'How dare WWE put Daniel Bryan as Miz's rookie? Daniel Bryan should be the pro.'

William Regal is one of my mentors, and I had been talking with him the whole time I have been away from WWE.

The Big Show and Mark Henry and even John Cena helped me along my journey.

Back in 2004 I trained at an independent wrestling school and performed in front of crowds of around 200, then I got signed to a contract with the WWE to continue my development.

If I'm studying in NXT and trying to make it to the main roster, I would be watching Randy Orton.

When I came to NXT, it was very much a developmental brand.

I wouldn't be in WWE without Michael Cole.

If you're an aspiring wrestler, Bret Hart is usually at the top of the list for inspiration.

Was I a fan of WWE? Yeah, of course, but I knew it was not going to be a thing for me, until NXT came to the foreground and a lot of my friends who I was competing against on the independent scene were getting signed.

The WWE have told me that if I ever want to become a wrestler, all I need to do is walk through the door, and they'll give me a job straight away.

I wanted to be a part of WWE and part of NXT first, as, if I went to 'Raw' or 'SmackDown' right away, I would always wonder what NXT would have been like.

I always wanted to be the worst wrestler on the shows I was on so I could just learn from the guys above me, and that's a great way to be in your first few years of wrestling.

Ring Of Honor was so great to me and so great to many young talents where they really give you the ball.

My favorite wrestler growing up was Dean Malenko. He was a very technical wrestler, and when I trained with Shawn Michaels, he wasn't that kind of a technical wrestler. So, when I finally met Regal in 2001, he was that kind of a wrestler, and all of a sudden, I could ask him things, and he would know what I was talking about and how to do it.

In the ring-wise, I've learned a lot from working with Bayley.

I trained at All Pro Wrestling in the U.S. Later, I signed up with the New Japan Pro Wrestling. Then WWE noticed me.

One of the purposes of coming to WWE was to wrestle with Daniel Bryan.

I wrestled in Detroit many times before getting to WWE.

Daniel Bryan is a guy I'd like to mix it up with at some point - Tyson Kidd, Kevin Owens. You know, we have a lot of history in NXT, and he's another guy I've known for a long time, so there's so many different options.

I did a year and a half of independent wrestling before I got into the WWE. It was nothing really. I didn't make the towns. I don't even say I was an indy wrestler.

NXT is huge, being able to be on TV internationally is a big deal, as it means you don't have to work so hard to get noticed as opposed to FCW, Deep South Wrestling and OVW, which were all televised, but locally.