My brief history of CM Punk in ROH:
Debuts as a rather generic face. Kinda sucked. Pretty sloppy. Its brief with very few highlights.
Punk turns heel to oppose the arriving Raven. Its something of a precursor to the Jeff Hardy feud. This allows him to shine on the mic, although still not much in the ring. Wrestles largely in brawls. The Wrestlerave promo, in particular, is something to track down. Also, maybe, the Dog Collar Match at Death Before Dishonor represents probably the best Punk-Raven. Definately memorable with an awesome cameo and I blieve has another good Punk promo.
Sidenote: Death Before Dishonor was Paul London's last ROH show. He challenged Samoa Joe for the ROH title in a decent, if a little disappointing match. Joe was just getting cranked up in ROH.
Punk-Raven lays the seeds for Punk to create the Second City Saints with Colt Cabana and their trainer Ace Steel. Punk's ring work is improving and his mic work makes him one of the top guys in the company. He gets entangled in multiple feuds, not listes in anything resembling an oder:
Laying the seeds of his challenge of Samoa Joe for the ROH Title.
Challenging Christopher Daniels and his group, the Prophecy. Daniels role in the feud is brief but its significance is pretty high later in the Punk story. The Second City Saints had innumerable brawls with Daniels's desciples.
The Tag Team Titles. ROH's Chicago debut show is headlined by Punk and Cabana winning the ROH Tag Titles from the Briscoes in a memorable match.
Punk briefly feuds with AJ Styles over the Pure Title.
One specific show for Punk fans in this time period is the 2nd Year Aniversary. This is a great showcase show for Punk as he competes in the Pure Title tournament, while juggling the other feuds.
More significantly, his feud with Ricky Steamboat begins as Punk takes issue with Steamboat's refereeing of a Punk-Styles Pure Title match. They have several physical confrontations, although never an actual match.
CM Punk finally challenges the, by now, dominant Samoa Joe and they go to an Hour draw at World Title Classic and again in the fabled rematch in Chicago called Joe vs Punk II, which was the first North American match to recieve a 5 Star rating from oft-cited wrestling reporter Dave Meltzer since the HIAC match between Taker and HBK.
These matches involve Punk in a 3-Way feud with Homicide and Joe. The seeds are laid for Punk to turn face.
Punk officially turns face when he saves Ricky Steamboat from a beatdown at the hands of the young upstart group, Generation Next (Alex Shelley, Austin Aires, Roderick Strong and Jack Evans).
Now a face, Punk and the Saints feud with GenNext and Punk lays down one final challenge against Samoa Joe at All Star Extravaganza II in a match with no time limit. He loses.
Punk starts a feud with a new (kinda) upstart named Jimmy Rave, the Crown Jewel of a group called the Embassy, a managed by the Prince of Ghana, West Africa, Prince Nana. Rave picks up a number of tainted wins against Punk. This culminates in a cage match at Nowhere to Run where Punk gets his revenge on Jimmy Rave.
Around this time, WWE and TNA are heavily pursuing CM Punk and Samoa Joe. Punk signs with the E and his last show is set at Death Befre Dishonor III, he will challenge ROH Champion Austin Aires.
I've said it before, if there is one ROH show that any fan of CM Punk needs to own, it is Death Befoe Dishonor III.
It is be the creative peak of ROH and sparks the best periods of ROH's history, beginning with what is affectionately referred to as the Summer of Punk and the momentum continues, IMO, until the end of the Milestone Series in 2006.
Well, I tried to be brief.
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