In March 2002, a 24-year-old CM Punk stepped into the ring with Eddie Guerrero in a small independent venue, unaware that the encounter would redefine his entire career. Guerrero, wrestling through personal turmoil and fresh off a WWE termination, delivered a harsh truth that left Punk questioning his very identity as a performer. The revelation that followed would haunt and inspire Punk for years to come.
In 2002, Eddie Guerrero shattered CM Punk’s world with one brutal lesson. Read on to discover the moment that ignited a WWE legend. Photo Credit: Ring of Honor. Artwork by Pro Wrestling Stories.
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Eddie Guerrero Meets Young CM Punk During His WWE Exile in 2002
Eddie Guerrero dominates CM Punk with technical wrestling mastery during their career-defining IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship encounter in Morris, Illinois, March 2002. Photo Credit: IWA.
When CM Punk and Eddie Guerrero first met on the independent wrestling circuit in 2002, it was during a difficult time in Guerrero’s life and wrestling career.
Guerrero, who had already been wrestling for nearly fifteen years by that point, had recently been let go by the WWE after just one year of employment there. The release stemmed from a 2001 drunk driving arrest. During this same time period, he was also in the middle of a two-year separation period from his wife, Vicky.
During this phase of Eddie’s career, when he was rebuilding his reputation in professional wrestling circles, Guerrero wrestled for several promotions, including Ring of Honor and World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA).
Eventually, Guerrero found his way to the Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South, where he met a 24-year-old CM Punk.
At that time, Punk was fresh on the wrestling scene but had already established himself as somewhat of a rising star with impressive matches against Colt Cabana, Chris Hero, and AJ Styles.
CM Punk’s career in 2002 would reach a turning point thanks to notable matches he would have with the future WWE Hall of Famer, Eddie Guerrero.
CM Punk, Eddie Guerrero, and Rey Mysterio: The Triple Threat Match That Changed Everything
CM Punk, Eddie Guerrero, and Rey Mysterio deliver wrestling clinic in legendary IWA Mid-South Triple Threat Championship match that launched future WWE careers, March 1, 2002. Photo Credit: IWA.
On March 1st, 2002, Eddie Guerrero, CM Punk, and a maskless, pre-WWE Rey Mysterio fought in an iconic Triple Threat match for IWA Mid-South’s Heavyweight Championship at an event called Spring Heat. Independent wrestling circuits like IWA Mid-South were a proving ground for many future stars, including Punk and Guerrero, during a time of transition in their careers.
Accepting the Iron Mike Mazurki Award at the Cauliflower Alley Club’s Awards Banquet in 2023, Punk recalled Guerrero’s mindset leading up to the match.
"I remember meeting [Eddie] for the first time and him looking at me and saying, ‘I don’t like three-ways. They don’t make any sense to me. If it’s okay with you, you and Rey put it together and just call it to me.'”
Despite Guerrero’s initial reservations about the contest, it was an instant classic, filled with intense, high-flying action and all three men giving it everything they had. Ultimately, Guerrero hit CM Punk with his famous frog splash finisher from the top rope and secured the IWA Championship via pinfall victory.
While Guerrero was the storyline winner that night, it was Punk who arguably gained the most from the experience. Punk reiterated just how much he learned from Guerrero, from the pre-match planning to the in-ring execution.
“I had very limited experience with going out and just kind of winging it. I’m an indie kid. We would sit down and map everything out from A to B and man, if you got concussed or the ring broke or a riot broke out or something happened, you didn’t know how to zig or how to zag. You learned on the fly.”
“But Eddie,” Punk continued, “that night, made me realize how garbage I actually was, and made me feel like, ‘Man, there’s so much room for improvement.’ And if this guy is willing to step in the ring with me wearing basketball shorts and Doc Martens, I need to up my game to show him respect because none of this is about me.”
Punk isn’t the only wrestler who has looked back fondly on that IWA Triple Threat match in recent years. During a 2024 interview with PWTorch, Mysterio touched on the incredible in-ring chemistry between him, Punk, and Guerrero that night in 2002.
"Eddie, during that time, was away from WWE and was getting ready to return to WWE. It was my first time meeting and working with Punk. Overall, there was a connection. An immediate connection. We were all on the same page. We wanted to have a good match, and we wanted to put it out there.”
Mysterio went on, “I never would have thought that Punk was going to end up in WWE after some time. Obviously, that’s our goal. It was stupid of me not to think it could happen one day. But, overall, I was getting ready to sign with WWE. I signed some short months after.
“When you put a match together and we’re all in that spirit of working and putting on a good show for the fans, that’s when things come out to a tee. That was that style of match.”
He continued, “I very much enjoyed working with Punk. Obviously, with Eddie, I’ve always enjoyed being in the ring with him. To be able to pull off some of the moves we did that night, especially being the first time working with Punk and him being there, everything was on point that night. I enjoyed that night very much and, every now and then, I go back and revisit that match."
How Eddie Guerrero’s Mentorship Philosophy Shaped CM Punk’s WWE Legacy
Eddie Guerrero showcases veteran ring psychology against rising indie star CM Punk during their transformative IWA Mid-South encounter that would shape Punk’s future WWE championship success. Photo Credit: IWA.
Just one day after his Triple Threat match with Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio, CM Punk wrestled Guerrero once again, this time beating him to win the IWA Championship. It wouldn’t be the last time the two would face each other in the ring.
During a 2021 interview with Jim Ross, Punk remembered wrestling Guerrero in a 30-minute match in Pittsburgh for the International Wrestling Cartel Heavyweight Championship, when Punk was the current IWC champion and Guerrero held the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
"So, we have this match,” Punk began. “The bell rings. The crowd stands on their feet. I’m exhausted. I’m happy it’s over. You know? Because [Guerrero] was a machine. And he grabs the microphone, and he says, ‘Punky, I can’t leave without knowing. I should have been able to beat you.’ He said. ‘I want five more minutes, and I’m going to put the IC title on the line.’
"This is not talked about beforehand. This is Eddie. I’m going to start crying. And I’m like, ‘Okay.’
“So, we lock back up and he says, ‘Sorry, Punky. I got to hit the frog splash.’ And I’m just elated because I’m a kid and I love pro wrestling and I love Eddie Guerrero. He hits me with the frog splash, he pins me, and then he gets on the mic. And he says, ‘You’re good. Some day, you’re going to be up there (WWE) and you’re going to wrestle me for this (Intercontinental Championship) up there.’"
Did CM Punk Ever Wrestle Eddie Guerrero in WWE?
Eddie Guerrero challenges CM Punk for IWC Heavyweight Championship in Pittsburgh, spontaneously putting WWE Intercontinental Title on the line in career-defining mentorship moment between future Hall of Famers. Photo Credit: IWA.
Sadly, CM Punk and Eddie Guerrero would never get to wrestle each other in the WWE, as Guerrero passed away from heart failure in 2005 – the same year that Punk began wrestling for Ohio Valley Wrestling, the WWE developmental territory at the time.
While they never got the chance to have their big-league performance, Guerrero and Punk had a definitive, albeit short-lived, mentor/mentee relationship.
In Punk’s own words, Guerrero not only helped him become a better wrestler but also inspired him to help up-and-coming performers.
"I’m not saying that I’m Eddie Guerrero to any of the kids in this locker room. Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. But that spirit of wanting to fulfill dates and wanting to give back, and also wanting to challenge young wrestlers with scenarios that aren’t talked about.
“Pull stuff out of the hat. Learn how to ad-lib. Man, I’ve done, I’ve literally done everything, except come back and tell the story that I want to tell my way. And along the way, if I can be Eddie Guerrero to a kid, I want to do that."
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Eddie Guerrero’s Final Wrestling Lessons That Made CM Punk a Champion
CM Punk prepares for Hell in a Cell warfare against Drew McIntyre at WWE Bad Blood 2024, carrying Eddie Guerrero’s wrestling lessons into modern WWE championship competition. Photo Credit: WWE.
Following their brief time together on the indie circuit, CM Punk and Eddie Guerrero went their separate ways in April 2002.
As for Punk, following his stint in OVW, he wrestled for two years in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) under the tutelage of Paul Heyman and proved his main-card potential as the ECW champion for 143 days.
“Moves don’t mean anything. It is who is doing them and when they’re doing them. Eddie Guerrero. He was right.”
CM Punk and Eddie Guerrero: The Wrestling Brotherhood That Transformed Two Wrestling Careers Forever
CM Punk and Eddie Guerrero achieved WWE Championship glory following their legendary independent wrestling encounters, with Guerrero’s 2005 death sadly preventing their destined WWE main event collision. Photo Credit: WWE.
Eddie Guerrero and CM Punk shared a pivotal moment in each other’s journeys. Guerrero was navigating a crossroads in his career, while Punk was still carving out his place in the wrestling world.
Their connection wasn’t just about matches inside the ring, but about trust, respect, and the passing of knowledge from one generation to the next.
Punk’s raw energy and hunger to learn seemed to reinvigorate Guerrero, reminding him of the passion that first brought him into wrestling.
At the same time, Guerrero’s veteran instincts, leadership, and unmatched ring psychology gave Punk the guidance and foundation he needed to elevate himself into something greater.
Though their time together was brief, the impact was anything but fleeting.
Eddie’s influence can still be seen in CM Punk’s work, not only in how he carries himself as a performer, but in how he approaches younger talent with the same kind of mentorship he once received.
Punk himself has often said, "If I can be Eddie Guerrero to a kid, I want to do that," a statement that perfectly illustrates the cycle of inspiration that wrestling thrives on.
Guerrero’s legacy is not confined to his own achievements. It extends through Punk and through every performer Punk has motivated along the way. In this way, Eddie Guerrero continues to shape professional wrestling long after his passing, proving that true legacies are built not only on championships but on the lives they touch and the generations they guide forward.
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"Evan Ginzburg’s stories are a love letter to wrestling, filled with heart, humor, and history. A must-read for any true fan."— Keith Elliot Greenberg
Richard Thompson is an aspiring screenwriter and longtime journalist, having written for online publications such as FanBuzz and MovieWeb. His favorite pro wrestler growing up was Scott Hall, and his childhood dream was to join the nWo. Sadly, while that dream never came true, getting the opportunity to write about wrestling is a solid consolation!
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