text:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - View original article
|CM Punk
Punk at the 2011 Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards.
|Birth name
|Phillip Jack Brooks[1]
|Ring name(s)
|CM Punk[2]
Chick Magnet Punk[3]
|Billed height
|6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2]
|Billed weight
|218 lb (99 kg)[2]
| October 26, 1978
Chicago, Illinois[4]
|Billed from
|Chicago, Illinois[2]
|Trained by
|Ace Steel[5]
Danny Dominion[6]
Kevin Quinn[6]
Dave Taylor[7]
Fit Finlay[7]
William Regal[7]
|2014[9][dubious ]
|CM Punk
Punk at the 2011 Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards.
|Birth name
|Phillip Jack Brooks[1]
|Ring name(s)
|CM Punk[2]
Chick Magnet Punk[3]
|Billed height
|6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2]
|Billed weight
|218 lb (99 kg)[2]
| October 26, 1978
Chicago, Illinois[4]
|Billed from
|Chicago, Illinois[2]
|Trained by
|Ace Steel[5]
Danny Dominion[6]
Kevin Quinn[6]
Dave Taylor[7]
Fit Finlay[7]
William Regal[7]
|2014[9][dubious ]
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks[1] (born October 26, 1978),[4] better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler best known for his time in WWE, since 2005 until his abrupt departure from the company in 2014. He is titled in the company as "the longest-reigning WWE Champion of the modern era", having held the title for 434 days from November 20, 2011 to January 27, 2013. Punk is officially recognized as the sixth-longest reigning WWE Champion of all time.[10][11]
In professional wrestling, Punk is a seven-time world champion, having held the ROH World Championship and ECW Championship once each, WWE's World Heavyweight Championship three times, and the WWE Championship twice. He won the World Tag Team Championship (with Kofi Kingston) and the WWE Intercontinental Championship, making him the 19th WWE Triple Crown Champion and the fastest man in WWE history to achieve this feat, in 203 days.[12] Between WWE and Ring of Honor (where he is a two-time World Tag Team Champion), Punk has won a total of 11 championships. He won the 2008 and 2009 Money in the Bank ladder matches (the only wrestler to win the match twice[13]), and the 2011 Superstar of the Year Slammy Award.[14]
Punk initially came to prominence through his career on the professional wrestling independent circuit, primarily as a member of the ROH roster. There, he was the first head trainer of the ROH wrestling school. Also while competing in ROH, Punk won both the company's championships. In 2005, Punk signed a contract with WWE and was sent to its developmental promotion, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he won every championship available in that promotion. On June 24, 2006, Punk made his WWE television debut, performing in ECW, which was then a branch of WWE. Throughout his career, Punk has consistently used the gimmick of being an outspoken, sharp-tongued, and straight edge iconoclast. Punk's straight edge principles when in character are based on his actual way of life out of character.[6] Depending on Punk's alignment as a fan favorite or villain, he has emphasized different aspects of the culture to arouse the desired audience reaction.[6]
Punk's first venture into wrestling was a stint in a backyard wrestling federation called the Lunatic Wrestling Federation with his friends and brother Mike Brooks in the mid-late 1990s. He first started using the ring name CM Punk when he was put into a tag team named the Chick Magnets with CM Venom after another performer skipped out on the card.[3][6][15] Unlike his friends, Punk genuinely wanted to be a wrestler and saw it as more than simple fun.[6] When the promotion started taking off, doing spot shows out of a warehouse in Mokena, Illinois, Punk found out that his brother Mike had embezzled thousands of dollars from the small company, causing them to become estranged. They have not spoken since.[16]
He soon left the federation and enrolled as a student at the "Steel Dominion" wrestling school in Chicago, where he was trained by Ace Steel,[5] Danny Dominion and Kevin Quinn to become a professional wrestler. As part of the training, he wrestled at Steel Domain Wrestling in St. Paul, Minnesota.[6][7] It was in the Steel Domain that he met Scott Colton,[17][18] who soon adopted the stage name Colt Cabana. Punk and Cabana became best friends and spent most of their early career together working in the same independent circuit promotions, as opponents or allies.[17] In the independents, along with fellow Steel Domain graduates Colt Cabana, Chuckee Smooth, Adam Pearce, and manager Dave Prazak, Punk formed an alliance named the Gold Bond Mafia.[6]
Punk's home promotion for his early career was considered to be Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South (IWA Mid-South).[6] During Punk's time in IWA:Mid-South, he had high profile feuds with Colt Cabana and Chris Hero while also rising to the top of the roster winning the IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship twice and the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship on five separate occasions, beating stars like A.J. Styles, Cabana and even Eddie Guerrero for that Championship. Punk's feud with Hero included a 55-minute TLC match,[6] a 93-minute two out of three falls match,[7] and several 60-minute time limit draws.[18]
Punk's matches with Cabana led him to being hired by the Ring of Honor promotion.[7] From February 2003 until May 2004, Punk refused to wrestle for IWA: Mid-South, because he claims that this was in protest to Ian Rotten's mistreatment of Chris Hero in the company.[6] Hero, however, has stated he believes there were other reasons, and Rotten's treatment of him was just an excuse by Punk to stop working for the company.[19] Eventually Punk returned to IWA: Mid-South and continued to perform as a wrestler and commentator for them until 2005 when he was signed to World Wrestling Entertainment. His last appearance in IWA: Mid-South was on July 2, 2005 in which he competed in a 60-minute time limit draw against Delirious.[20]
Initially, Punk joined Ring of Honor (ROH) as a face,[6] but quickly became a heel in a feud with Raven that featured numerous variants of no disqualification matches.[21] Their rivalry lasted most of 2003 and was considered one of ROH's top feuds of the year,[22] and was based around Punk's straight-edge lifestyle, with him likening Raven to his alcoholic father.[23] Their rivalry was settled at The Conclusion in November 2003, where Punk defeated Raven in a Steel Cage match.[21] At the same time, Punk joined the wrestling promotion NWA Total Nonstop Action (TNA), in which he was paired with Julio Dinero as members of Raven's TNA alliance The Gathering.[6]
Punk started climbing the ranks of ROH, including coming in second at the Second Anniversary Show during the tournament to crown the first ROH Pure Champion, losing to A.J. Styles in the finals[21] and winning the ROH Tag Team Championship twice with Colt Cabana as the Second City Saints. Both times Punk and Cabana defeated the Briscoe Brothers to win the championship.[24] Circa October 2003, Punk was hired as the first head trainer of the Ring of Honor wrestling school,[6][25] having previously been a trainer for the Steel Domain[6] and Primetime Wrestling.[26]
Shortly before a TNA show on February 25, 2004, Punk had a physical scuffle with Teddy Hart outside of a restaurant that was broken up by Sabu. The scuffle reportedly stemmed from an ROH show in which Hart performed three unplanned spots putting several other wrestlers in danger of injury.[27][28] Around the time of the scuffle, Punk and Dinero stopped appearing on TNA shows, leading to speculation he was fired for the incident.[29] Punk, however, said the scuffle had no bearing on his TNA career.[29] He said the reason he and Dinero stopped appearing on TNA pay-per-views was that TNA officials believed that he and Dinero had not connected with the fans as villains, having turned against the popular Raven and instead formed a villainous tag team managed by James Mitchell.[29] The officials decided that as the teams as villains was not working decided to put the storyline on hold indefinitely, and thus had no work for Punk or Dinero.[29] Punk officially quit TNA in March 2004 during the Rob Feinstein controversy, after having a dispute with the TNA offices over his ability to compete in ROH following a TNA order that their contracted wrestlers were to no longer wrestle in ROH.[30]
In ROH, Punk faced off against ROH World Champion Samoa Joe for the championship in a three match series. The first match, on June 12, 2004 at World Title Classic in Dayton, Ohio, resulted in a 60-minute time limit draw when neither Punk nor Joe could pin or cause the other to submit in the 60 minutes. The second match between Punk and Joe was planned for December 4, 2004; however, due to Steve Corino being pulled from a match with Joe by Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE, the second match was hastily rescheduled on October 11, 2004 for October 16 in Punk's hometown of Chicago.[18] At Joe vs. Punk II on October 16, they wrestled to a second 60-minute draw.[21] In addition to Joe vs. Punk II becoming Ring of Honor's best-selling DVD at the time, the match received a five-star rating by Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter. It was the first match in North America to receive a five-star rating in seven years—the last one being the Hell in a Cell match between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker at Badd Blood: In Your House in 1997.[18] Joe ended the series by defeating Punk in the third and final match on December 4, 2004 at All-Star Extravaganza 2 in which there was a no time limit stipulation.[21]
After a try-out match on May 9, 2005 (which aired May 15[31]) where he lost to Val Venis on the Sunday Night Heat show, Punk accepted a deal offered by World Wrestling Entertainment the following month, sometime in June. Even though he had accepted the deal, Punk went on to defeat Austin Aries with his Pepsi Plunge move, winning the ROH World Championship on June 18, 2005 at Death Before Dishonor III.[24] Immediately after the match, Punk proceeded to become a villain and started a storyline where he threatened to bring the ROH World Championship to WWE with him. For weeks, Punk teased the ROH locker room and the ROH fans as well as mocking the championship he possessed, going so far as to sign his WWE contract on it. During the storyline, referred to by ROH as the "Summer of Punk",[32] Mick Foley made several ROH appearances, attempting to convince Punk to do the right thing and defend the title on his way out. On August 12, 2005 in Dayton, Ohio, Punk lost the ROH World Championship to James Gibson in a four corner elimination match consisting of himself, Gibson, Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels.[24] Punk's final scheduled match in Ring of Honor took place at Punk: The Final Chapter on August 13, 2005 against long-time friend Colt Cabana in a two out of three falls match, which he lost.[21] In his last match, Punk was visibly crying and was showered with streamers when he posed in the middle of the ring.
Punk made a special appearance at the ROH show Unscripted II on February 11, 2006, when the original card had to be scrapped due to Low Ki leaving ROH the week prior.[21] In addition, most of the ROH roster contracted to TNA were pulled from the show because of a snowstorm that TNA officials thought might prevent performers from reaching a pay-per-view scheduled the next day.[33][34] In the main event, Punk teamed with Bryan Danielson to wrestle and ultimately defeat Jimmy Rave and Adam Pearce in a tag team match.[34]
In September 2005, Punk was assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), a WWE developmental territory. He made his debut on September 8, 2005, in a dark match, where he, Nigel McGuinness and Paul Burchill were defeated by Deuce Shade, Elijah Burke and Seth Skyfire.[35] On September 26, 2005 in his OVW television debut, Punk suffered a ruptured eardrum and broken nose after Danny Inferno hit him with an overly stiff right hand. Despite the injury, Punk finished the match and quickly recovered.[36][37]
On November 9, 2005, Punk became the OVW Television Champion after defeating Ken Doane,[36] which immediately led to a feud between Punk and Brent Albright, who had previously been feuding with Doane for the Television Championship and had lost his chance to wrestle Doane after Punk hit him with a chair so he himself could wrestle Doane. They wrestled in series of matches, including one that ended in overtime with Albright having Punk submit to Albright's finisher, the Crowbar, but Punk was able to keep the championship, as he had not agreed to the extra time.[36] On January 4, 2006, Punk lost the OVW Television Championship during a three way dance among himself, Albright and Doane. Doane was injured halfway through the match and was replaced by Aaron "The Idol" Stevens. Punk submitted to Albright's Crowbar and was eliminated, but he returned later in the match to distract Albright allowing Stevens to pin Albright and become the new OVW Television Champion.[38] Albright and Punk then briefly teamed. They became opponents again after Punk denied Albright the respect he demanded and proceeded to continually "punk him out" (get the better of him). This feud continued for weeks with Punk always coming out on top, until a double turn occurred on February 1, 2006. Albright turned heel during a tag match, allowing the Spirit Squad to beat Punk, turning him face.[38] Punk had a minor appearance at WrestleMania 22 on April 2, 2006 as one of the gangsters who rode a 1930s era car to the ring before John Cena's entrance.[39]
After Matt Cappotelli vacated the OVW Heavyweight Championship because of a brain tumor in February 2006, a tournament was held to crown a new champion. The finals were Brent Albright vs. CM Punk with Albright defeating Punk to become the new champion.[38] Punk and Albright continued their feud, with Albright becoming more unstable and paranoid about maintaining his championship after several close call matches against Punk, resulting in acts such as threatening Maria. On May 3, 2006, Punk finally defeated Albright in a strap match to win the OVW Heavyweight Championship.[38] As champion, Punk retained the title in matches against opponents such as Shad Gaspard,[38] Ken Kennedy,[38] Johnny Jeter[38] and Mike "The Miz" Mizanin.[40]
On July 28, 2006, Punk and Seth Skyfire defeated Shad Gaspard and the Neighborhoodie to win the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship at a house show.[41] They lost the Tag Team Championship on August 2, 2006 to Deuce Shade and "Domino" Cliff Compton after an injured Skyfire tagged in an already injured Punk.[38] This altercation led to a feud between Punk and Skyfire after a rematch for the Tag Team Championship on August 7, 2006 in which a healthy Punk purposefully tagged in an injured Skyfire to be beaten by Shade and Compton.[38] On August 30, 2006, a match was scheduled to take place between Punk and Skyfire for the OVW Heavyweight Championship. Prior to the match, however, Skyfire was attacked by Charles "The Hammer" Evans, with whom Skyfire had also been feuding, and was replaced in the match by Chet Jablonski (Chet the Jet) who pinned Punk to win the OVW Heavyweight Championship.[38] As Punk no longer possessed the championship, OVW no longer required him. He was removed from the roster and brought up to the WWE roster full-time. He continued to make sporadic appearances for OVW, such as on their 400th TV episode,[38] until WWE and OVW ended their developmental partnership on February 7, 2008.[42]
On June 24, 2006, Punk made his ECW debut during a house show at the former ECW Arena, defeating Stevie Richards.[43] He made his TV debut on the July 4 ECW on Sci Fi, cutting a brief pre-taped promo about his straight edge lifestyle emphasizing the disciplinary aspects of being drug and alcohol free.[44] Although he had retained the straight edge gimmick, he now had a Muay Thai training background. Punk made his TV wrestling debut on August 1, 2006 at the Hammerstein Ballroom, defeating Justin Credible.[45] CM Punk established himself in ECW by going undefeated, defeating opponents such as Christopher W. Anderson,[46] Stevie Richards[47] and Shannon Moore.[48]
Soon after, Punk began feuding with Mike Knox after Knox's girlfriend, Kelly Kelly, was seen to have feelings for Punk.[48] Punk defeated Knox in their first singles match (qualifying for the Extreme Elimination Chamber at December to Dismember in the process)[49] as well as the rematch, after which Kelly Kelly celebrated CM Punk's victory over her boyfriend.[50] Punk then teamed with D-Generation X and the Hardy Boyz in their Survivor Series match against Rated-RKO, Knox, Johnny Nitro and Gregory Helms, a match in which all the participants on DX's side survived elimination.[51] At December to Dismember, Punk participated in the Elimination Chamber for the ECW World Championship; however, he was the first person eliminated by Rob Van Dam.[52]
Following the pay-per-view, Punk entered into a feud with Hardcore Holly, who ended Punk's six-month unbeaten streak in singles competition on January 9, 2007.[53] Punk went on to feud with Matt Striker, who gave him his second singles loss since being in ECW on January 30.[54] Punk then qualified for the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 23 by defeating Johnny Nitro.[55] In the final week leading up to WrestleMania 23, Punk made appearances on both Raw and Friday Night SmackDown!, defeating Kenny Dykstra[56] and former World Heavyweight Champion King Booker,[57] respectively. At WrestleMania 23, Punk competed in, but did not win, the Money in the Bank ladder match, being knocked off the ladder just seconds before the winner, Mr. Kennedy, claimed the briefcase.[58]
On the April 10, 2007 ECW on Sci Fi, Punk briefly became a villain by officially joining the New Breed alliance,[59] after several weeks in which both the New Breed and the ECW Originals had attempted to recruit him.[60][61] Two weeks later, however, Punk betrayed the New Breed during a four on four elimination match between the New Breed and ECW Originals by kicking New Breed leader Elijah Burke in the back of the head and costing them the match. After the match, Punk proceeded to deliver his finisher, the Go To Sleep, on Burke and sarcastically apologized before leaving the ring alone, becoming a fan favorite again. WWE.com later confirmed that Punk was no longer a member of the New Breed.[62] At Judgment Day, Punk wrestled and defeated Burke in his first singles match on a pay-per-view.[63] Punk then went on to One Night Stand and teamed up with Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman in a tables match to defeat the New Breed.[64]
When ECW Champion Bobby Lashley was drafted to Raw and stripped of the ECW Championship, a tournament to declare a new champion was held, with Punk, Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von and Chris Benoit. Punk defeated Marcus Cor Von on the June 19 ECW on Sci Fi. He was meant to face Chris Benoit at Vengeance: Night of Champions for the ECW Championship,[65] but Benoit was hastily replaced by Johnny Nitro when Benoit no-showed, after killing his family and self. Nitro subsequently defeated Punk at Vengeance for the vacant championship.[66] Punk won another shot at the title at The Great American Bash against Nitro, who had changed his moniker to John Morrison by this point; however, Punk was defeated again by Morrison.[67] The next week, Punk challenged Elijah Burke and Tommy Dreamer in a triple threat match to determine the next competitor in Morrison's 15 Minutes of Fame Challenge, in which Punk came out victorious.[68] A week later, Punk defeated Morrison with the Go To Sleep to earn an ECW Championship title match at SummerSlam. At SummerSlam, however, Punk lost the match when Morrison used the ropes for leverage.[69]
At the September 1, 2007 (aired September 4) ECW taping, in a "last chance" title match, Punk defeated Morrison for the ECW Championship.[70] Punk then went on to have successful title defenses against the likes of Elijah Burke (at Unforgiven),[71] Big Daddy V via disqualification (at No Mercy)[72] and The Miz (at Cyber Sunday).[73] On the November 6, 2007 ECW, Punk retained the ECW Championship in a match against Morrison following The Miz's interference.[74] At Survivor Series, Punk retained his title in a Triple Threat match, beating The Miz and John Morrison.[75] On the January 22, 2008 ECW, Chavo Guerrero defeated CM Punk in a No Disqualification match to win the ECW Championship after Edge, (acting as a guest commentator at ringside) ran in and speared Punk.[76]
At WrestleMania XXIV, Punk won the Money in the Bank ladder match, after defeating Chris Jericho, Montel Vontavious Porter, Shelton Benjamin, John Morrison, Mr. Kennedy and Carlito.[77]
On the June 23, 2008 Raw, CM Punk was drafted to the Raw brand during the 2008 WWE Draft.[78] His first night on Raw came the following week, and he made an immediate impact. After Batista beat down World Heavyweight Champion Edge and left him lying in the ring, Punk and referee Mike Chioda ran to the ring with Punk carrying his Money in the Bank contract. Moments later, as Edge was struggling to get up, Punk hit him with the Go to Sleep and pinned him to win the World Heavyweight Championship (and later, the Slammy Award for the "Oh my God" Moment of the Year.[79]). Later that night, Punk made his first defense of the title against JBL, who had challenged him shortly after his win.[80] Punk continued to hold and defend the title until Unforgiven on September 7, 2008. Before the Championship Scramble match, Punk was attacked by an early version of The Legacy (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase with Manu). Orton finished the assault by punting Punk in the head.[81] Punk could not participate in the match due to the attack and so forfeited the title. He was replaced by Chris Jericho, who won the match and the title.[82] He received a rematch eight days later on the September 15 Raw, where he failed to regain the title in a steel cage match against Jericho.[83]
On the October 27, 2008 Raw, Punk and Kofi Kingston defeated Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase to win the World Tag Team Championship.[84] The duo were members of Team Batista at Survivor Series, where their team lost to Team Orton.[85] Punk then entered in a number one contender Intercontinental Championship Tournament. He defeated Snitsky and John Morrison in the first two rounds.[86] Punk and Kingston lost the World Tag Team Championship to John Morrison and The Miz at a live event on December 13, 2008.[87] The next day Punk defeated Rey Mysterio at Armageddon to win the tournament.[86] On the January 5 Raw, Punk received his title match against William Regal, which ended in a disqualification, when Regal grabbed the referee's jersey.[88] Due to this, Stephanie McMahon awarded Punk a rematch the following week, but this time it was himself that was disqualified.[89] McMahon awarded him another rematch, this time a No Disqualification match on January 19 Raw, Punk won the match and the title.[90] With this win, he became the nineteenth Triple Crown Champion. Also, the victory made him the man to accomplish the Triple Crown in the fastest amount of time, shattering Kevin Nash's old record.[91] Punk lost the title on the March 9 Raw to John "Bradshaw" Layfield.[92] At WrestleMania XXV, Punk won the Money in the Bank ladder match and became the first person to win the match twice.[93]
On April 13, 2009 during the 2009 WWE Draft, Punk was drafted from Raw to SmackDown.[94] In the period after the draft, Punk feuded with Umaga over Umaga's repeated surprise attacks while Punk was attempting to cash in his Money in the Bank Contract. This ultimately resulted in a Samoan strap match at Extreme Rules, which was won by Punk.[95]
At the end of the pay-per-view, Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to defeat Jeff Hardy for the World Heavyweight Championship.[96] Punk retained his title in a Triple Threat match against both Edge and Hardy eight days later on the June 15 Raw.[97] At The Bash in Sacramento, California, Punk lost to Hardy by disqualification after kicking the referee after being afflicted with a storyline eye injury, claiming he could not see the referee, but because titles do not change hands on a disqualification, Punk retained the championship. Hardy called Punk into question about his eye injury, believing he had been feigning it, leading Punk to turn heel, claiming to be the moral superior of those who support Hardy due to his drug-free lifestyle.[98] At Night of Champions, Punk lost the championship to Hardy.[99] Their feud continued through SummerSlam, where Punk regained the title in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match; afterward, Punk was attacked by The Undertaker.[100] On the August 28 Friday Night SmackDown, Punk concluded his program with Hardy and achieved his booked goal of excising him from WWE, defeating Hardy in a steel cage match wherein the loser agreed to leave the company.[101] This earned Punk a second Slammy that December, for 2009's "Shocker of the Year".[102]
At Breaking Point Punk defeated The Undertaker in a submission match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. Undertaker originally won the match with his Hell's Gate submission hold. SmackDown general manager Theodore Long restarted the match after stating that the ban that former general manager Vickie Guerrero had placed on the move was still in effect. Punk won the match with his Anaconda Vise when referee Scott Armstrong called for the bell despite Undertaker never submitting (reminiscent to the Montreal Screwjob, which took place in the same venue in 1997).[103] The feud between the two continued and at the Hell in a Cell PPV, Punk lost the World Heavyweight Championship to The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match.[104] He lost two subsequent rematches against The Undertaker on SmackDown and in a Fatal Four Way match at Bragging Rights also involving Batista and Rey Mysterio.[105][106]
His character took on a more sinister direction on the November 27 SmackDown when he revealed that he had converted Luke Gallows, who had previously been portrayed as the mentally incompetent wrestler Festus, to the straight-edge lifestyle which had rid him of his mental troubles.[107] Continuing to espouse his straight-edge philosophy, Punk began to present himself as a cult-like savior to the crowd, growing the hair on his head, face and chest in an allusion to Jesus.[108] Through January 2010, Punk began to convert planted members of the audience to a straight-edge lifestyle, making them take a pledge of allegiance to him and shaving their head as a sign of renewal and devotion.[109][110][111] After converting many people who were not seen again, convert Serena began accompanying Punk and Gallows to form the Straight Edge Society.[111][112] As well as leading this alliance, Punk was also the mentor of WWE NXT rookie Darren Young who flirted with the idea of becoming straight-edge before refusing just before his head was to be shaved.[113]
Punk continued to show messianic traits, frequently giving sermons including during the annual Royal Rumble match as well as during an Elimination Chamber match at both of the eponymous pay-per-views.[114][115] In the Chamber match, he was eliminated by Rey Mysterio, whom he had feuding with leading into the PPV. Tensions escalated as Mysterio prevented him from winning a Money in the Bank qualifying match, causing Punk to interrupt Mysterio's celebration of his daughter's ninth birthday.[116] Mysterio challenged Punk to a Street Fight at WrestleMania XXVI but lost to Gallows. Punk added the stipulation that if Rey lost, he would join the Society.[117] At WrestleMania, Punk lost to Mysterio[118] sparking a rematch at Extreme Rules where Punk would have to shave his head, like his disciples, if he lost. Punk won this match after interference from a fourth member of the Society who kept his face covered.[119] At Over The Limit, a third and final match was booked with both stipulations reactivated. In the match Punk lost and was subsequently shaved bald.[120]
Embarrassed by being shaved bald as he considered himself always pure unlike his followers, Punk appeared on the following SmackDown, May 29, wearing a mask to hide his baldness.[121] At Fatal 4-Way, Punk challenged for the World Heavyweight Championship against Mysterio, The Big Show and the champion Jack Swagger, but was unsuccessful when he was attacked by Kane, who was accusing various people of attacking The Undertaker.[122] On July 16's SmackDown, Punk was finally unmasked by Big Show while healing from an arm injury.[123] The following week Show also unmasked the anonymous member of the Straight Edge Society who was revealed to be Joey Mercury.[124] This led to a handicap match at SummerSlam where Show defeated the entire Society after Punk abandoned his teammates.[125] Show also beat Punk in a singles match at Night of Champions.[126] Following this Serena was released from WWE[127] while Mercury became injured,[128] severely thinning the Society. Gallows began showing signs of dissension too, and Punk defeated him on SmackDown, airing September 24, ending the group.[129]
Punk was traded back to the Raw brand on October 11 after being swapped with Edge. He took part in the interbrand tag team match at Bragging Rights after injuring Evan Bourne to win a place,[130] but the team lost. It was reported later that he was suffering with a hip injury that would stop him from competing.[131] To keep a presence on television, he began commentating on Raw from November 22,[132] having already commentated one NXT. During his commentary, he criticized John Cena for his actions against The Nexus. Sometimes he favored heel wrestlers over face wrestlers. At the end of December, Punk left the commentary team after assaulting John Cena on Raw[133] and SmackDown[134] with a chair. Punk later revealed that his motives for the attacks were that he had joined and assumed control of The Nexus.[135] He then used the group to attack Randy Orton, blaming him for prematurely ending Punk's first World Heavyweight Championship reign in 2008; this led to a WrestleMania XXVII match[136] and a Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules both of which Punk lost.[137] Punk then spent the next few months involved in filler feuds, often teaming with fellow Nexus members.
In June, after pinning WWE Champion John Cena on Raw,[138] Rey Mysterio at Capitol Punishment[139] and finally Alberto Del Rio again in a contendership match (which included Mysterio) all within one week, Punk revealed his contract would expire at Money in the Bank and vowed to leave the company with the WWE Championship; some of his speeches and mannerisms echoed his final months with Ring of Honor. After making a scathing on-air speech concerning the way in which WWE is run and its owner Vince McMahon, he was given a storyline suspension from televised WWE events[140] but was reinstated the following week on Cena's insistence.[141] Upon his return, Punk ceased to appear with the remaining members of Nexus and the group quietly dissolved that month.[142] This helped transition him from a villainous character back to being a fan-favorite. Two weeks later, at Money in the Bank, CM Punk defeated John Cena to become the WWE Champion on his final night under contract with WWE.[141]
On July 21, Punk made a surprise appearance at a joint WWE-Mattel panel at the San Diego Comic Con, to mock new Chief Operating Officer Triple H and offer WWE Championship tournament finalist Rey Mysterio a match for his WWE Championship, as long as it was in Punk's hometown, Chicago.[143][144] Punk appeared at July 23's All American Wrestling show, showing respect to Gregory Iron, a wrestler with cerebral palsy.[145] Mysterio won the WWE Championship tournament on the July 25 Raw, only to lose it to Cena later that night. After Cena's victory, Punk returned to Raw and upstaged the new WWE Champion's victory celebration while also entering into a title dispute. Triple H later upheld both Punk and Cena's claims to the WWE Championship as legitimate and scheduled the two to a match at SummerSlam to decide the undisputed WWE Champion.[146] Punk won, but lost the title minutes later to Alberto Del Rio, who had cashed in his Money in the Bank contract after Kevin Nash attacked Punk.[147]
The night after SummerSlam, Punk accused Nash of conspiring with Triple H to keep Punk away from the WWE Championship.[148] After repeated confrontations Nash and Punk demanded to face each other at Night of Champions, to which Triple H acquiesced. However, after CM Punk's repeated verbal attacks towards him and his wife Stephanie McMahon, Triple H booked himself to replace Nash.[149] At Night of Champions, Punk lost a No Disqualification match after Nash, The Miz, and R-Truth attacked both men.[150] Miz and Truth also attacked Punk at Hell in a Cell after he lost a WWE Championship triple threat match.[151] He attempted to avenge this by teaming with Triple H against Miz and Truth at Vengeance, but lost again due to Nash attacking Triple H.[152] This helped transition Punk's anti-establishment voice from Triple H to John Laurinaitis, who became the interim Raw general manager.[153] CM Punk balked at Laurinaitis' promotion and verbally attacked him as a dull yes man.[154][155]
On October 31, CM Punk strong-armed his way into a match with Del Rio at Survivor Series,[156] where he regained the WWE Championship by way of submission with the Anaconda Vise.[157] He went on to defend the title through the end of the year, retaining in a rematch with Del Rio on the November 28 Raw[158] and against both Del Rio and The Miz in a triple threat TLC match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs.[159] On the December 26 Raw, CM Punk was defeated by Dolph Ziggler in a gauntlet match; as a result Ziggler became the number one contender to the WWE Championship. Had he been successful, Punk would have earned the right to face Laurinaitis in a match.[160] The following Raw, Punk was defeated by Ziggler via countout following interference from Laurinaitis; retaining the championship as a result.[161] Intermeddling from Laurinaitis caused Punk to lose to Ziggler throughout January[162][163] which ultimately led to Punk attacking Laurinaitis in retaliation.[163] At the Royal Rumble event, CM Punk successfully defended his title against Ziggler, despite Laurinaitis acting as the outside enforcer.[164]
On the January 30 Raw, Chris Jericho attacked Punk and Daniel Bryan during their Champion vs. Champion match, giving Bryan the win.[165] The following week, Jericho explained his actions by dismissing the WWE roster as imitations of himself and singling out Punk for claiming he was the best in the world, a moniker Jericho used the last time he was in WWE.[166][167] Their rivalry continued through Elimination Chamber where Punk retained the WWE Championship in the namesake structure; while four competitors were eliminated, Jericho was unable to continue the match after being kicked out of the chamber by Punk, causing temporary injury.[168] The following night on Raw, Jericho earned a match against Punk at WrestleMania XXVIII,[169] and in a bid to psychologically unsettle him, he revealed Punk's father was an alcoholic and alleged that his sister was a drug addict, asserting that Punk's straight edge philosophy was paranoia to avoid the same vices and vowing to make Punk turn to alcohol by winning the title from him.[170] John Laurinaitis added the stipulation that the WWE Championship could change hands via disqualification, which led to Jericho inciting Punk into using a weapon, but Punk resisted and retained the title.[171] On the April 2 and 9 episodes of Raw SuperShow, Punk retained the WWE Championship against Mark Henry after losing to him via count-out and disqualification. Following both matches, Jericho attacked Punk and doused him with alcohol.[172][173] On the April 16 Raw SuperShow, Punk pinned Henry in a no disqualification, no countout match to retain his title.[174] After repeated altercations, the feud between Jericho and Punk culminated in a Chicago Street Fight at Extreme Rules where Punk defeated Jericho to retain the WWE Championship.[175]
Punk began a rivalry with Daniel Bryan at the May event Over the Limit, retaining the title after reversing Bryan's submission hold the "Yes!" Lock into a pinning combination, however, replays showed Punk visibly tapping out moments after the finish of the match.[176] Shortly before Over the Limit, Bryan interfered in a non-title match between Punk and Kane to frame Punk for attacking Kane with a steel chair, beginning a three-way rivalry.[177][178][179][180] On the June 1 SmackDown, a WWE Championship match between Punk and Kane ended in a double disqualification after Bryan attacked both men.[181] Meanwhile, Bryan's jilted ex-girlfriend AJ turned her affections to both Punk and Kane.[182] This feud culminated in a triple threat match at No Way Out, where Punk managed to retain the title after AJ distracted Kane.[183] At Money in the Bank, Punk successfully defended the WWE Championship against Bryan in a No Disqualification match with AJ as special guest referee.[184]
On July 23 at Raw 1000, Punk defended his title against Money in the Bank winner John Cena and lost by disqualification after interference from Big Show.[185][186] When the night's special guest The Rock – who had interrupted Punk earlier to announce he would wrestle for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble – intervened to save Cena from Big Show's assault, Punk attacked him, turning heel.[187] The following week, Punk justified his actions, claiming he was tired of people like Cena and Rock overshadowing him when the WWE Champion should be the focus of the company; Punk asserted himself further soon after by disrupting a number one contender's match between Cena and Big Show.[188][189] As a result, both men were entered into the title match against Punk at SummerSlam where he successfully retained the WWE Championship.[190] In the following weeks, Punk demanded respect from people like AJ Lee, Jerry Lawler and Bret Hart and eventually aligned with Paul Heyman in his feud with Cena.[191] At Night of Champions, Punk retained the WWE Championship after he fought Cena to a draw.[192] Punk continued to feud with Cena, despite the latter's arm injury,[193] rejecting the requests of Mick Foley and Jim Ross to pick him as his Hell in a Cell opponent and leading to a brawl with WWE chairman Vince McMahon.[194][195][196] Cena was eventually pulled from the title match at Hell in a Cell, and replaced by Ryback.[197] On October 28 at the pay-per-view, Punk, with help from referee Brad Maddox, defeated Ryback in a Hell in a Cell match to retain the WWE Championship.[198]
The next night on Raw, a furious Mick Foley confronted Punk for refusing to pick John Cena as his Hell in a Cell opponent. This led to the two agreeing to meet at Survivor Series in a traditional five-on-five elimination tag team match with Punk choosing Alberto Del Rio, Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, and The Miz for his own team.[199] The next week, Punk was replaced as captain by Dolph Ziggler, and booked in a Triple Threat WWE Championship match against John Cena and Ryback instead by Mr. McMahon.[200] On November 18 at the pay-per-view, Punk won the match by pinning Cena, following interference from the debuting faction called The Shield, composed of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns, allowing him to retain the WWE Championship and hold the championship for a full year.[201] On December 4, Punk underwent surgery to repair a partially torn meniscus, removing him from his title match against Ryback at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs.[202] Despite his injury, Punk became the longest reigning WWE Champion in the past 25 years on December 5, when he hit 381 days, surpassing John Cena's 380-day reign. Punk returned to in-ring action on the January 7, 2013 Raw, retaining the WWE Championship against Ryback in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, following interference from The Shield.[203]
On January 27 at the Royal Rumble, Punk defended the WWE Championship against The Rock in a match with the stipulation that if The Shield interfered, Punk would be stripped of the title. Punk originally pinned The Rock to retain after The Shield put Rock through a table while the arena lights were out. Vince McMahon began to announce that Punk would be stripped of the title, but he instead restarted the match at The Rock's request. Punk went on to lose the match, ending his record-setting reign at 434 days.[204] Punk received a title rematch with Rock on February 17 at the Elimination Chamber event, with the stipulation that the Rock would lose the WWE Championship if he was disqualified or counted out, but Rock pinned Punk to retain the title.[205] On the February 25 Raw, Punk faced Royal Rumble winner John Cena for his number one contendership to the WWE Championship, but was defeated.[206]
Punk set his sights on ending The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak on the March 4 Raw, in an effort to take something away from the fans, as they had taken the WWE title away from him. Punk subsequently defeated Big Show, Randy Orton, and Sheamus in a four-way match to earn the right to face Undertaker.[207] After the real-life death of Paul Bearer the following day, a storyline involving Punk regularly spiting The Undertaker through displays of flippancy and disrespect towards Bearer's death began.[208] Punk interrupted The Undertaker's ceremony to honor Bearer on Raw, stealing his trademark urn and later using it to attack Kane, humiliate the Brothers of Destruction, and mock Bearer.[209][210] On April 7 at WrestleMania 29, Punk was defeated by The Undertaker who, in the process, extended his streak to 21–0 and took back the urn.[211] On the April 15 Raw, Punk addressed the crowd and after briefly recalling his historic championship reign, walked out of the arena.[212]
Punk returned at WWE Payback on June 16, defeating Chris Jericho.[213] The next night on Raw, Punk told Heyman to stay away from him during his matches. Later in the night, after Punk's win over World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio, Brock Lesnar returned and executed an F-5 on Punk.[214] The next week on Raw, Heyman promised Punk that he did not send Lesnar to attack him, and that he still considered Punk his best friend, and claimed that any problem Punk and Lesnar had with each other was between them. Following that, Punk defeated Darren Young; when Young and his tag team partner Titus O'Neil began attacking him, Heyman summoned his other client Curtis Axel to help Punk fight them off, much to Punk's dismay.[215] On the July 1 Raw, Punk claimed that he trusted Heyman but did not trust Axel. Punk and Axel faced O'Neil and Young in a tag team match, that saw Punk hit Young with the Go To Sleep, Axel tagging himself in, and pinning Young for the victory, causing more friction between Punk and Heyman.[216] On July 14 at Money in the Bank, Punk competed in the WWE Championship Money in the Bank ladder match, but Heyman turned on him by hitting him with a ladder, costing him the match that was ultimately won by Randy Orton.[217] The following night on Raw, Punk called out Heyman, who claimed that, without him, Punk was no longer the "Best in the World". He revealed that he did not believe that Punk could beat Lesnar, who then came out and hit the F-5 on Punk onto the announce table.[218] The following week on Raw, Punk challenged Lesnar to a match at SummerSlam, which Heyman accepted on Lesnar's behalf.[219] On the August 5 Raw, Punk wrestled Axel to a no-contest, after Heyman attacked him. Lesnar then came out and brawled with Punk, eventually getting the upper hand.[220] Punk got revenge the next week by attacking Lesnar with a camera and a steel chair, after Heyman tried to change the scheduled match between Punk and himself to a handicap match involving Lesnar. He then delivered a Go To Sleep to Axel, who had interfered while Punk was chasing Heyman.[221] Six days later, at SummerSlam, Punk lost to Lesnar in a No Disqualification match, after interference by Heyman.[222]
On the next Raw, Punk had the chance to again become a "Paul Heyman guy", but declined by attacking Axel. The next week, Punk defeated Axel before being assaulted by him and Heyman. Punk was then scheduled to face Axel and Heyman in a handicap elimination match at Night Of Champions, later adding a No Disqualification to the stipulation. During the match, Punk tapped Axel out, leaving only Heyman left to deal with, but in the process of attacking Heyman, Ryback attacked Punk and placed Heyman on top of Punk for the pin. At Battleground, Punk defeated Ryback after executing a low blow, while the referee was distracted by Heyman attempting to interfere in the match. On the October 14 episode of Raw, Punk defeated Axel in a Beat the Clock challenge match to determine the stipulation for his rematch with Ryback at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. He announced that his match would a be two-on-one handicap match in the Hell in a Cell, in which he would face Paul Heyman and Ryback.[223] On October 27, at Hell in a Cell, Punk defeated Ryback and Paul Heyman. Punk faced Ryback again in a Street Fight match the following night on Raw, defeating Ryback by submission, thus ending their feud. After the match, he was attacked by The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan), starting a feud, and later formed an alliance with former rival Daniel Bryan. At Survivor Series, Punk and Bryan defeated Harper and Rowan in a tag team match.
After Bryan was "abducted" by the Wyatt Family the following night on Raw, Punk was attacked by old allies The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns). The following week on Raw, Kane announced that Punk would face The Shield in a 3-on-1 handicap match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, which Punk won after Reigns accidentally speared Ambrose. At the Royal Rumble, Punk entered in at entrant #1. After having lasted until the final four, Kane, who was already eliminated earlier in the match by Punk, eliminated Punk from the outside and proceeded to chokeslam him through the announcer's table.[224]
Punk did not appear on the January 27 Raw after the Rumble, nor did he appear for the SmackDown taping on Tuesday despite being advertised for the event. By Wednesday, WWE.com stopped advertising Punk for future events. The Wrestling Observer reported Punk's departure from the event after telling Vince McMahon that he was "going home" was legitimate.[225][226] On February 20, during a conference call to investors, McMahon said Punk was "taking a sabbatical".[227][228] On the March 3 episode of Raw, WWE acknowledged Punk's absence on television when the show started with Punk's entrance music playing, only for former manager Paul Heyman to walk out.[229] WWE removed Punk from footage of their promotional videos, until July, when a retrospective on his Money in the Bank wins was advertised for the WWE Network.[230][231]
"Nope, thank YOU. Thanks for all the help and support through the years. Health and happiness above all. Don't ever take any shit from anybody."
In an interview published in late May, Punk was asked "How does it feel to be retired at 35? Are you going to be doing more charity work now?" and replied with "It feels good. It's a lot easier when you hook up with organizations like the Cubs and being friends with some of the team members. It isn't hard to support their charities. Plus I get to do fun stuff like bowl and paint chairs and play whiffle ball with Bill Murray."[233] On July 15, 2014, WWE (through WWE.com) moved Punk from the active roster to the alumni page without releasing a statement. On the same day, Punk thanked his fans without mentioning WWE.[232]
A key part of Punk's gimmick emerges in the form of iconoclasm which can be shown in his disinclination to conform and penchant for challenging popular and accepted beliefs, traditions, and customs. A prime example, Punk has adopted his real-life following of the straight edge movement as a major attribute of his professional wrestling character. The character utilizes different elements of Punk's personality and beliefs of the straight edge movement dependent on his antagonist/protagonist alignment. While portraying a crowd favorite, Punk's character tends to be that of Punk's normal personality,[6] largely indifferent to others who drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, partake in recreational drug use or have promiscuous sexual behavior, but emphasizing the social discipline involved with personally abstaining from these behaviors. Conversely, his villainous personality tends to be that of one who is hardline or militant straight edge, exemplifying the elitist attitudes and superiority complexes—defined by Punk's common mantra during villainous-themed promos that, because he is straight edge, he is "better than you".[6] Punk performs the straight edge symbol of crossing his arms in an X formation while having the letter X written on the back of his hands, usually drawn on his wrist tape.
Originally, the initials CM in his ring name represented the phrase "Chick Magnet", the name of the tag team he was in as a backyard wrestler.[6][15] Punk, however, later changed CM into a pseudo-acronym, declaring that it has no meaning,[7] though when asked since he has taken to making up meanings that fit the initials, going so far as to make up long stories to explain the origins that do not match the actual origin story at all.[7] Since beginning this practice, Punk has stated CM stands for "Cookie Monster",[234] "Cookie Master",[235] "Crooked Moonsault",[236] "Chuck Mosley",[236] "Charles Montgomery",[15] "Charles Manson",[15] "Chicago Made",[237] among others.
During his entrance, Punk yells "It's clobberin' time!" The phrase is a reference to New York hardcore punk band Sick of It All, who wrote a song with the same name, and Marvel's fictional character The Thing.[238]
An integral part of Punk are the numerous tattoos that adorn his body, some of which have come to become symbols associated with Punk, as well as mantras and declarations that have been integrated into his gimmick. The tattoos as a whole, due to their large quantity and variety, have also become an attribute identifiable to Punk.[239] The most important of the individual tattoos in Punk's character, whether through association, symbol, or mantra, are:
Punk's character has been parodied by the wrestling federation Chikara who used a mascot character CP Munk, the straight edge chipmunk. The character includes references to Punk, such as X-marked wrist tape, a Pepsi logo on the costume's left shoulder, and a high-pitch version of Punk's best-known independent circuit theme song "Miseria Cantare – The Beginning", by the band AFI.[250] On his website, Punk has said about the character CP Munk, and the people behind it:
|I'm split 50/50 on it. Some days I get real pissed about it, because it's disrespectful. I'm sure it's no secret that the dorks that run Chikara and I don't get along, so their judgement on trying to "mock" me is a little off. Most other days I just laugh it off because nobody from Chikara will ever be over enough anywhere for anybody else to parody them. I win.[251]
Punk made an appearance on the February 16, 2004 episode of Monster Garage, "Box Truck Wrestling Car", performing a short match with Samoa Joe.[252] On October 31, 2006, Punk joined The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) to shoot the Sci Fi Channel special Ghost Hunters Live, which was a six-hour show broadcast live Halloween night from the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. Initially skeptical about what he might find, Punk claimed to have heard children giggling and footsteps when there were not any children booked into the hotel.[253]
In 2008, Punk appeared as the Sports Grand Marshal of the nationally-televised McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade in downtown Chicago.[254][255] He reprised this role in 2012.[256]
Punk made his video game debut in WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2008[257] and has also been a playable character in WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2009,[258] WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2010,[259] WWE All Stars,[260] WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2011,[261] WWE '12,[262] WWE 2K14[263] as well as being the cover star for WWE '13.[264]
On July 15, 2011, CM Punk threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Wrigley Field before a Chicago Cubs game.[265] On May 8, 2012, Punk returned to Wrigley Field to throw out the first pitch before the Cubs vs. Braves game.[266] He also threw the first pitch at the New York Mets vs. Miami Marlins game on April 5, 2013 at Citi Field.[267]
Punk appeared at the 2011 San Diego Comic Con[143][144] and at the 2012 Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con where he hosted a Q&A session.[268] He also appeared at the 2014 Wizard World Portland Comic Con on January 24, 2014 where he once again hosted a Q&A session.[269]
CM Punk has made appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!,[270] Late Night with Jimmy Fallon[271] and has reported the weather on Fox News 59.[272]
On February 13, 2012, Punk appeared alongside his friend and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coach Rener Gracie for an edition of Gracie Breakdown, a YouTube series that explains mixed martial arts matches and specifically the BJJ techniques used in them. In the episode, he helped explain the techniques used in the UFC 4 match between Royce Gracie and Dan Severn.[273]
Punk featured in the WWE Studios and Kare Production project, "Les reines du ring" (English: Queens of the ring), with fellow wrestlers Eve Torres and The Miz.[274]
Punk wrote the introduction for the hardcover edition of Marvel Comics' 2012 crossover event Avengers vs. X-Men.[275][276] He was interviewed for Marvel's official website, Marvel.com, and, when Punk was asked what it was like to write the introduction, he said:
|It's a geek dream come true! Initially I had a bunch of ideas I was going to write for it, and then I just bought a keyboard for my iPad which I thought would have been easier. After a week of learning how to use the stupid keyboard, I just sat in front of it and started typing. It came to me so naturally and before I knew it, I had two pages of material. Stuff would just spill out of my head and I would just read it over and over again, then correct it, then read it, correct it, all as I went along. I'm not sure if that's what most writers do, but I'm happy with the finished product. So to write the foreword, I was kind of taken back by it. It was a very cool thing to be a part of.[277]
In 2013, Punk wrote a foreword for his friend and ex-girlfriend Natalie Slater's cookbook Bake and Destroy: Good Foods for Bad Vegans.[278]
As part of YouTube Comedy Week 2013, Punk starred in a YouTube series, CM Punk's Grammar Slam, on Nerdist Industries YouTube channel explaining grammatical mistakes in messages from wrestling fans and berating the senders.[279] He has also appeared on The Nerdist Podcast.[280] On November 21, 2012, Punk joined Nerdist's Chris Hardwick on Talking Dead, which recapped the episode of The Walking Dead that aired earlier on in the evening.[281] On March 16, 2014, Punk once again appeared on Talking Dead, his first media appearance since leaving WWE in January 2014.[282]
In November 2013, Punk was the headlining performer on the I Shit You Not comedy show at Lincoln Lodge in his hometown of Chicago.[283]
In early 2015, Punk was expected to voice an animated version of himself, named "CM Punkrock", in the Warner Bros. and WWE Studios direct-to-video movie, Flintstones, alongside WWE CEO Vince McMahon and John Cena.[284][285][286] Punk has since been pulled from the project after leaving WWE while under contract in 2014.[230]
Brooks is an atheist[287][288] and a pescetarian.[289] He is an avid fan of the Chicago Blackhawks[290] and Chicago Cubs.[291] In his spare time, he reads and collects comics.[275][276][277] He once worked for a shop named All American Comics,[238] and cites Preacher as his favorite comic.[292] He is close friends with fellow professional wrestler Colt Cabana, whom he met when he trained at Steel Domain Wrestling,[17] and Rancid vocalist Lars Frederiksen, who WWE interviewed for their documentary CM Punk: Best in the World.[293]
While working for Ring of Honor, Brooks was romantically linked to professional wrestlers Shannon Spruill[294] and Tracy Brookshaw.[18] After joining Ohio Valley Wrestling he began dating Maria Kanellis, who was an interviewer there.[295][296] They broke up sometime after Punk moved to World Wrestling Entertainment's ECW brand.[297] Brooks dated Amy Dumas for over a year around 2009.[298] In March 2010, Matt Hardy said the two were no longer dating.[299] An interview in the November 2011 issue of Maxim said Brooks was in a relationship with fellow WWE wrestler Beth "Phoenix" Carolan.[300] In April 2013, it was reported that he and Dumas were back together; however, they ceased dating later in 2013.[301] Brooks married April Jeanette Mendez, better known as AJ Lee, on June 13, 2014.[302][303]
1 ^ Punk held the title concurrently with Rey Mysterio and John Cena during his first reign. After defeating Cena, Punk became undisputed champion, but was not recognized by WWE as having won the title a second time.[11]
|Rey Mysterio
|CM Punk
|Detroit, Michigan
|May 23, 2010
|S.E.S. Pledge vs. Hair match at Over the Limit.[361]
|Find more about CM Punk at Wikipedia's sister projects
|Media from Commons
|Quotations from Wikiquote


text:
Writing an Autobiography - 9 Simple Steps
Whether writing an autobiography yourself or helping someone else write one, the steps here offer a practical way to begin, with a particular focus on narrative structure.
The topic sentences in the paragraphs below provide enough information to proceed. The rest of the paragraph elaborates on how to accomplish each step.
If you're not ready for elaboration, don't worry. Do what you can. When writing an autobiography, as when writing anything else, it's good to begin simply and add details as they come to you. If you go easy on yourself, you'll recount more memories each time you sit down to write.
Writing an Autobiography
If you prefer a human to encourage and help you, contact me. I have a special rate for individuals working on an autobiography or memory book.
Help us Grow. Please click below to tell your friends that you LIKE the free creative writing help and information on this site:
Related Articles
Learn How to Write an Autobiography
Return from 9 Simple Steps to Writing an Autobiography page to Home page
| Home | Mentoring | Contact Me | Privacy Policy | Write for Us | Google+ |
2008-2014 Be-A-Better-Writer.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Tag: spudger
Reinventing the Spudger
Here's a basic Apple geek test. Spudger. If the word means nothing to you, move on to the next post. Okay, just us now? If the term spudger means something to you -- and you know in your inner geek heart that it does because you're still here reading -- just wait 'til you hear what we have...
2011 Mac mini gets the iFixit teardown treatment
I love the iFixit site. They jump in where wimps like myself fear to tread, and give us the courage (and instructions) to pop open our Macs and see what's inside the Apple-logoed aluminum box. Yesterday we gave you the iFixit details of the new MacBook Air models, and now the site has lovingly...
Tracking the mysterious 'black stick'
In its hardware repair instructions and videos, Apple frequently mentions the "black stick," a plastic tool that can be used to pry things apart without damaging our precious glossy exterior finishes (or the sensitive electronics inside). The problem I've found is that nobody seems to have these,...
Subscribe to Newsletter
Software Updatesmore updates
- Automatic targets teen drivers with License+ service
- Dropbox adds support for TouchID
- YouTube for iOS gets updated with full support for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus
- iOS 8.0.1 update now available (Updated -- Don't update!)
- NFL Mobile updated for 2014 Season with new Fantasy Football features, NFL Now integration
- Yahoo Mail improves email inbox searching with new filtering options


text:
I love spending time with u laughing, talking enjoying ourself, but deep down those dark secrets that u keept from me keep coming back to haunt me. It showed me ur other side the bad one, u just walked all over me not caring. Makes me think if u ever trully cared at all. Do u even care now?
Im stupid, dumm, a fool, for still being with u when other crave my attention and promise me that they can treat me better. But I stick with u coz ur my addiction.
I have to stop this, I need those dark secrets to keep haunting me, so I could go back to my way I use to be cold and heartless. I hate how u can control all my emotions its like I have no control over my emotions makes me disgusted to let a person control me. I hate it!!!
To actually belived that you loved me….


text:
Hello! This blog is a way for me to share thoughts, ideas, & pictures with my Dom. We are in a 24/7 D/s relationship with some DD/lg overtones sprinkled throughout. We have been exploring D/s & the power exchange for almost a year & both have steadily increased the roles & structure. The jump to 24/7 was interesting, but we put a lot of time, thought & effort into the relationship to make it work. We did a lot of research about D/s & I sent bunches of things from tumblr to him & eventually we wrote up a contract of purpose, limits, & protocols(tailored to our needs). I "designed" my own daily chart/game & he holds me accountable to it. I would love to chat with anyone else who needs "more structured" D/s, but doesn't know where to start.
I've learned a lot about myself through this exploration, such as, I like to *be* a kitten almost 80% of the time. I like to be his dirty fuck toy, but also receive most of my fulfillment from service-oriented tasks: packing him lunch, making him dinner, sewing and mending his clothes, and cleaning (a lot). I *need* to be helpful.
We are looking for a play-partner/third and are located in Texas. Ask me anything!


text:
Home > United for Reform Resource Center > Uniform Glossary, Health Reform Terms and Definitions
The Uniform Glossary is a document that is prepared for consumers and plan members and owned by the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service as part of the requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Uniform Glossary includes many commonly used health coverage and medical terms, but isn't a full list. These terms and definitions are intended to be educational and may be different from the terms and definitions for a plan. Some of these terms might not have exactly the same meaning when used in a policy or plan, and in any such case, the policy or plan governs. The glossary may not be modified by plans or issuers. The Uniform Glossary is accessible at the following sites: www.cciio.cms.gov, www.dol.gov/ebsa/healthreform and www.healthcare.gov. Plans and issuers must also provide a paper copy of the Uniform Glossary upon request.
To help plans and issuers meet the language requirements of the final regulations, HHS will provide here and here written translation of the SBC template, sample language, and Uniform Glossary in Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese and Navajo.
As an additional aid to brokers and employers, UnitedHealthcare has compiled the following terms and definitions that are commonly used in conversations about health reform.
These terms and definitions are commonly used in conversations about health reform and may be different from the terms and definitions for a plan. Provided for informational purposes only.
Accountable Care Organization (ACO) These organizations coordinate patient care and provide the full range of health care services for patients. The health reform law provides incentives for providers who join together to form such organizations and who agree to be accountable for the quality, cost, and overall care of Medicare beneficiaries who are enrolled in the traditional fee-for-service program who are assigned to the ACO.
Adjusted Community Rating (ACR): Adjusted (or modified) community
rating laws generally do not allow actual or expected health status or claims
experience to be used when establishing the premiums for a particular insured
group or individual, as applicable. Other factors, such as age and geography,
may still be available to vary premiums; however, limits will likely exist for those
factors as well.
Adverse Benefit Determination:
• A denial, reduction or termination of, or a failure to provide or make a
payment (in whole or in part) for a benefit (pre-service or post-service);
• A denial of part of a claim due to the terms of the plan regarding
coinsurance, copayments or deductibles;
• Retroactive rescissions of coverage, except for termination of coverage for
non-payment of premiums.
Annual Limit In the past, some insurance plans have placed a limit on the dollar amount of claims they will pay in a given year for an individual. Beginning in 2010, annual benefit limits on certain "essential health benefits" are restricted on a graduated basis, and annual limits will eventually be prohibited in 2014.
Average Total Number of Employees (ATNE) Under Health Reform Law,
the number of employees means the average number of employees employed by
the company during the preceding calendar year. An employee is typically any
person for which the company issues a W-2, regardless of full-time, part-time or
seasonal status or whether or not they have medical coverage.
To calculate the annual average, add all the monthly
employee totals together, then divide by the number
of months you were in business last year (usually 12
months). When calculating the average, consider all
months of the previous calendar year regardless of
whether you had coverage with us, had coverage with
a previous carrier or were in business but did not offer
coverage. Use the number of employees at the end of
the month as the "monthly value" to calculate the year
average. If you are a newly formed business, calculate
your prior year average using only those months that
you were in business. Use whole numbers only (no
decimals, fractions or ranges).
Basic Health Plan Beginning in 2014, states will have the option of creating a basic health plan to provide coverage to individuals with incomes between 133 and 200 percent of poverty instead of enrolling in the health insurance exchange and receiving premium subsidies. The federal government will provide states that choose to offer this plan with 95 percent of what it would have paid to subsidize these enrollees in the health insurance exchange.
Benefit Package The set of health services, such as physician visits, hospitalizations, and prescription drugs, that are covered by a member's insurance policy or group health plan.
Capitation Under a capitation system health care providers are paid a set amount for each enrolled person assigned to that physician or group of physicians, whether or not that person seeks care.
Case Management The coordination of medical care for patients with specific diagnoses or high health care needs, performed by case managers who can include medical directors or nurses.
Catastrophic Coverage A coverage option with a limited benefit plan design accompanied by a high Deductible. The plan design is intended to protect primarily against the cost for unforeseen and expensive illnesses or injuries. These plans are attractive to young adults in relatively good health.
Certificate of Coverage: A written document provided to members that sets forth the terms of their health plan. It explains among other things coverage, member cost share obligations, appeal rights and important enrollment information.
CHIP The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is a program administered by the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides matching funds to states for health insurance to low income families with children. The program was designed with the intent to cover uninsured children in families with incomes that are modest but too high to qualify for Medicaid.
Chronic Care Management The coordination of health care and supportive services to improve the health status of patients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and asthma. The goals of these programs are to improve the quality of care and manage costs.
Coinsurance The amount or percentage of the reimbursed amount of covered expenses a plan member must pay for health services after the deductible has been met.
Community Rating A method of pricing health
insurance plans, where all policyholders are charged
the same premium, regardless of health status, age or
other factors.
Comparative Effectiveness Research See
Patient-centered Outcomes Research Institute.
Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA): COBRA
applies to employers who generally employ 20 or
more full-time equivalent employees. Employees who
lose their jobs are able to continue their employersponsored
coverage for a set period of time. For
example, employees are typically entitled to extend
coverage for 18 months; however, if they are deemed
disabled by the Social Security Administration,
coverage may continue for up to 29 months.
Consumer-Directed Health Plans These health plans seek to increase consumer awareness about health care costs and provide incentives for consumers to consider costs when making health care decisions. These plans usually have a high Deductible accompanied by a savings account for health care services. There are two types of savings accounts Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRAs).
Copayment A fixed dollar amount paid by an individual receiving a health care service covered by the member's plan.
Cost-Sharing Health plan members are required to pay a portion of the costs of their care. Examples of these costs include copayments, coinsurance and annual deductibles.
Deductible The dollar amount that a plan member must pay for health care services each year before the insurer begins to reimburse for health care services.
Disease Management The coordination of care for the entire disease treatment process, including preventive care, patient education and outpatient care in addition to inpatient and acute care. The process is intended to reduce costs and improve the quality of life for an individual with a chronic condition.
Donut Hole A gap in prescription drug coverage
under Medicare Part D, where beneficiaries pay 100 percent of their prescription drug costs after their total drug costs exceed an initial coverage limit until they qualify for a second tier of coverage. Under the standard Part D benefit, Medicare covers 75 percent of drug costs below the initial coverage limit ($2,830 in 2010), and 95 percent of spending within the second tier level ($6,440 in 2010). The "donut hole" specifically refers to the range between these two levels. Health care reform also provides a $250 rebate for all Medicare Part D enrollees who enter the donut
hole in 2010, and increases discounts in subsequent years and completely closes the donut hole by 2020.
Dual Eligibles A term used to describe an individual who is eligible for Medicare and for some Medicaid benefits.
Electronic Health Record/Electronic Medical Records Computerized patient health records, including medical, demographic and administrative information. These records can be created and stored within one organization or shared across multiple health care organizations and sites.
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) Enacted in 1974 to provide minimum federal standards for welfare benefit plans in private industry, and protect the interests of employee benefit plan participants and their beneficiaries by requiring the disclosure to them of financial and other information concerning the plan; by establishing standards of conduct for plan fiduciaries; and by providing for appropriate remedies and access to the federal courts.
Employer Mandate Beginning in 2015 pursuant to the health reform mandates, employers meeting size or revenue thresholds will be required to offer minimum essential health benefit packages or pay a set portion of the cost of those benefits for use in the Exchanges.
Episode of Care Refers to all the health services related to the treatment of a condition. For acute conditions (such as a concussion or a broken bone), the episode includes all treatment and services from the onset of the condition to its resolution. For chronic conditions (such as diabetes), the episode refers to all services and treatments received over a given period of time. Some payment reform proposals involve basing provider payment on episodes of care instead of paying on a fee-for-service basis.
Essential Health Benefits A broad set of 10 benefit categories including hospitalization, outpatient services, emergency care, prescription drugs, maternity care, preventive services and other benefits. Each state will select a benchmark plan which will establish the essential health benefits for that state. For plan years beginning on or after September 23, 2010, the 3 These terms and definitions are commonly used in conversations about health reform and may be different from the terms and definitions for a plan. Provided for informational purposes only. only requirement for "essential health benefits" is that if they are included in the plan, they may not be subject to a lifetime dollar limit and until 2014 can only be subject to a "restricted annual dollar limit." Beginning with plan years on or after January 1, 2014 essential health benefits will need to be added to nongrandfathered small group plans.
Exchange, Health Benefit Exchange or Health Insurance Exchange Each State shall, not later than January 1, 2014, establish an exchange that facilitates the purchase of health insurance through qualified health plans; and provide for the establishment of a Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) that is designed to assist qualified small employers in enrolling their employees in qualified health plan. States may either partner with the federal government when establishing an exchange or allow the federal government to establish one on their behalf.
External Review Health care reform requires all health plans (except grandfathered plans) to provide an external review appeal process that meets minimum standards. With the exception of a few state processes currently in existence, external review has typically been limited to appeals of clinical decisions. The federal external review process is available for adverse
benefit determinations that involve medical judgment or rescission of coverage.
Fee-for-Service A traditional method of paying for medical services where doctors and hospitals are paid a fee for each service they provide.
Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Starting
in 2013, there is a new maximum salary-reduction
contribution limit of $2,500 for FSAs. In subsequent
years, this will change based on inflation. This change
is in addition to no longer allowing FSAs to be
used for over-the-counter medications without a
prescription that became effective in 2011.
Fully Insured There are two primary ways to fund
the provision of plan benefits to a Plan Sponsor's
employees and beneficiaries. Plan Sponsors who opt
to provide their employees a fully insured option will
opt to make monthly premium payments in exchange
for the issuance of a fully insured group health
benefits policy from a licensed insurance carrier. The
insurance carrier in turn assumes the full risk for the
actual cost of medical expenses incurred by employees
and beneficiaries covered under the group policy. Fully
insured accounts are subject to both state and federal
Grandfathered Plan A health plan that was in place on March 23, 2010, when the health reform law was enacted, is exempt from complying with some parts of the health reform law, so long as the plan does not make certain changes (such as eliminating or reducing benefits, increasing cost-sharing, or reducing the employer contribution toward the premium). Once a health plan makes such a change, it becomes subject to other health reform provisions (e.g., appeals and cost sharing restrictions on preventive services).
Group Health Plan Health insurance that is offered by a plan sponsor, typically an employer on behalf of its employees.
Guarantee Issue/Guarantee Renewability Beginning in 2014, the health reform law requires insurers to offer and renew coverage to nongrandfathered plans, without regard to health status, use of services or pre-existing conditions.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) This law sets standards for the security and privacy of personal health information. In addition, the law makes it easier for individuals to change jobs without the risk of extended waiting periods due to pre-existing conditions.
Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) A health plan that provides coverage through a network of hospitals, physicians and other health care providers. HMOs usually require the selection of a primary care physician who is responsible for managing and coordinating all health care. Usually, referrals to specialist physicians are required, and the HMO pays only for care provided by an in-network provider.
Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) A tax-exempt account that can be used to pay for qualified health expenses. HRAs are usually paired with a high-deductible health plan and are funded solely by employer contributions.
Health Savings Account (HSA) A taxadvantaged savings account that can be used to pay for qualified medical expenses. Individuals can obtain HSAs from most financial institutions, or through their employer. Both employers and employees can contribute to the plan. To open an HSA, an individual must have health coverage under an HSA-qualified high-deductible health plan that has deductibles of at least $1,250 for an individual and $2,500 for a family
in 2013.
High-Deductible Health Plan These health insurance plans have higher deductibles and lower premiums than traditional insurance plans.
High-Risk Pool The health reform law expands upon the current state-based high-risk pool system. The law requires the government to establish or issue contracts to establish a temporary high-risk pool (through 2013) to provide coverage for eligible individuals with pre-existing condition exclusions by appropriating $5 billion to subsidize premiums. Eligibility is limited to individuals who have been uninsured for at least six months prior to applying for pool coverage, and who have a pre-existing condition. Establishes a minimum benefit with a 65 percent actuarial value and limits rating flexibility within the pool to the standards that will apply to the individual
and small group markets (above), except that rates may impose a factor of not greater than 4 to 1 based on age based upon a standard rate for a given population.
Individual Mandate A requirement that most individuals obtain health insurance or pay a penalty beginning in 2014. Massachusetts was the first state to impose an individual mandate that all adults have health insurance.
Interim Final Rule (IFR) A final rule that has the full force and effect of law; thus, affected parties have an obligation to comply with its requirements. An IFR allows interested parties to submit comments during a public comment period and prior to issuing revised guidance.
Internal Review An internal review of an adverse claim determination.
Lifetime Benefit Maximum A limit on the amount an insurer will pay toward the cost of health care services over the lifetime of the policy. Health care reform prohibits lifetime dollar limits on "essential health benefits" effective for plan/policy years beginning on or after September 23, 2010.
Long-Term Care Services needed for an individual to live independently in the community, such as home health and personal care, as well as services provided in institutional settings such as nursing homes. Many of these services are not covered by Medicare or private insurance.
Managed Care A health care delivery system that seeks to reduce the cost of providing health benefits and improve the quality of care. These arrangements often rely on primary care physicians to manage the care their patients receive.
Mandatory Benefits A state or federal requirement that health plans provide coverage for certain benefits, treatment or services.
Medicaid A federal and state-funded program
that provides medical and health-related services to
certain low-income Americans. The health reform law
expands Medicaid eligibility to non-Medicare eligible
individuals with incomes up to 133 percent of the
federal poverty level, establishing uniform eligibility
for adults and children across all states by 2014.
Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) The minimum percentage of premium dollars a commercial insurance company must spend on the reimbursement of certain medical costs. The health reform law requires insurers in the large group market to have an MLR of 85 percent and insurers in the small group and individual markets to have an MLR of 80 percent (with some waivers granted to states to reduce the threshold for certain markets).
Medicare A federal program that provides health
care coverage to people age 65 and older, and to those
who are under 65 and are permanently physically
disabled or who have a congenital physical disability;
or to those who meet other special criteria such as
end-stage renal disease. Eligible individuals can
receive coverage for hospital services (Medicare Part
A), physician-based medical services (Medicare Part
B) and prescription drugs (Medicare Part D).
Medicare Advantage Also referred to as Medicare Part C, the Medicare Advantage program allows Medicare beneficiaries to receive their Medicare benefits through a private insurance plan.
Out-of-Pocket Costs Health care costs that are not covered by insurance, such as deductibles, copayments, and co-insurance. Out-of-pocket costs do not include premium costs.
Out-of-Pocket Maximum An annual limit on the amount of money individuals are required to pay out-of-pocket for covered health care costs, excluding premiums. The health reform law, beginning in 2014, prevents an employer that offers essential health benefits from imposing cost-sharing in amounts greater than the current out-of-pocket limits for high-deductible health plans (as of 2013 $6,250 for an individual policy or $12,500 for a family policy). These amounts may be adjusted annually for inflation.
Patient Centered Medical Home A health
care setting where patients receive comprehensive
primary care services, have an ongoing relationship
with a primary care provider who directs and
coordinates their care; and have enhanced access to non-emergent care.
Patient-centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) The Affordable Care Act created the PCORI to fund and promote comparative clinical effectiveness research that will assist patients, clinicians, purchasers, and policy-makers in making informed health decisions by advancing the quality and relevance of evidence concerning the manner in which diseases, disorders, and other health conditions can effectively and appropriately be prevented, diagnosed, treated, monitored, and managed.
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) Also referred to as the "Affordable Care Act," begins the implementation of a staged set of rules with an initial effective date of March 23, 2010. The law is intended to increase access to health care for more Americans, and includes many changes that impact the commercial health insurance market, Medicare and Medicaid.
Pay for Performance A payment system where health care providers receive incentives for meeting or exceeding quality and cost benchmarks. Some systems also penalize providers who do not meet established benchmarks. The goal of pay for performance programs is to improve the quality of care over time.
Plan Sponsor: The term "plan sponsor" means the employer in the case of an employee benefit plan established or maintained by a single employer; or the employee organization in the case of a plan established or maintained by such organization; or in the case of a plan established or maintained by two or more employers or jointly by one or more employers and one or more employee organizations, the association, committee, joint board of trustees, or other similar group of representatives of the parties who establish or maintain the plan.
Pre-existing Condition A health condition (other than pregnancy) that was diagnosed and/or treated within the six months prior to when the member enrolled in the health benefit plan. The health reform law prohibits the denial of coverage or charging higher premiums due to a pre-existing condition for plan and policy years beginning after September 23, 2010 for children under 19, and for all others beginning in 2014. Individual coverage that is a grandfathered plan is not subject to the new restrictions on pre-existing conditions that were part of the health reform law.
Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) A type of managed care organization that provides health care coverage through a network of providers. Plan members typically pay higher costs when they seek care from out-of-network providers.
Premium The amount paid, often on a monthly basis, for health insurance. The cost of the premium may be shared between employers or government purchasers, and individuals.
Premium Subsidies A fixed amount of money, or a designated percentage of the premium cost, that is provided to help people purchase health insurance. The health reform law provides premium subsidies to individuals with incomes between 133% and 400% of the federal poverty level who purchase policies through the Health Insurance Exchanges, beginning in 2014.
Preventive Care Services Health care services
used in the prevention or early detection of disease
that are performed on a patient without symptoms or
abnormal study results. The health reform law requires
certain health plans to provide coverage without
member cost-sharing for certain preventive services.
Primary Care Provider A provider, usually a physician, specializing in internal medicine, family practice, or pediatrics, who is responsible for providing primary care and coordinating other necessary health care services for patients.
Qualified Health Plan Insurance plans that are sold through a Health Insurance Exchange must have been certified as meeting a minimum benchmark of benefits (i.e., essential health benefits) under the health reform law.
Rate Review Review by insurance regulators of a health plan's proposed premium and premium increases. Rates are reviewed to ensure they are sufficient to pay claims, are not unreasonably high in relation to the medical claim costs and the benefits provided, and are not discriminatorily applied.
Reinsurance Insurance purchased by insurance companies, and employers that self-insure their employees' medical costs, to limit liability or exposure to high claims or increased cost trends. The health reform law includes a temporary federal reinsurance program for employers that insure early retirees over age 55 who are not eligible for Medicare.
Rescission Refers to a practice where an approved policy is voided from its inception by the insurer, usually on the grounds of material misrepresentation or omission on the initial application. Under health reform, rescissions are prohibited except in cases of fraud or intentional misrepresentation.
Risk Adjustment The process of increasing or reducing payments to health plans to reflect higher or lower than expected spending. Risk adjusting is designed to compensate health plans that enroll a sicker population as a way to discourage plans from selecting only healthier individuals.
Section 125 Plan Otherwise known as a "cafeteria plan," this plan is offered pursuant to Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code. Its name comes from a set of benefit plans that allows employees to choose among different types of benefits, similar to the ability of a customer to choose among available items in a cafeteria, and the employees' pre-tax contributions are not subject to federal, state, or Social Security taxes.
Self-Insured Plan The employer assumes the financial responsibility of health care benefits for its employees in a self-insured or self-funded plan. Employer sponsored, self-insured plans typically contract with a third-party administrator to provide administrative services for the plan.
Small Business Tax Credit The health reform law includes a tax credit equal to 50 percent (35 percent in the case of tax-exempt eligible small employers) for qualified small employers that provide health coverage to their employees. The tax credit is available to employers with 25 or fewer employees with average annual wages of less than $50,000.
Small Group Market The health insurance market where individuals can obtain health insurance coverage through a group health plan maintained by a small employer. A 'small employer' means an employer that employs at least 1 but not more than 100 employees based on the preceding calendar year. A State may elect to substitute "50 employees" for "100 employees" until 2016.
Tax Credit An amount that a person or business can subtract from the income tax that they owe. If a tax credit is refundable, the taxpayer can receive a payment from the government to the extent that the credit is greater than the amount of tax they would otherwise owe.
Tax Deduction An amount that a person can subtract from adjusted gross income when calculating the taxes that they owe. Generally, people who itemize deductions can deduct the portion of medical expenses, including health insurance premiums, that exceeds 7.5 percent of their adjusted gross income. Under health reform, the threshold for deducting medical expenses increases to 10 percent in 2013 (this increase is waived for individuals 65 and older for tax years 2013-2016).
Value-Based Purchasing A payment reform which provides bonuses to hospitals and other providers based upon their performance against quality measures.
Wellness Plan/Program An employer program to improve health and prevent disease. The goals of these programs include reducing health care costs, maintaining and improving employee health and productivity, and reducing absenteeism due to illness.


text:
The exhibition will run from 27th June - 25th July 2014, with private view on 26th June from 6.30pm.
The exhibition will run from 10th October - 31st October 2014 with private view on Thursday, 9th October, 6.30pm
Based centrally in Bethnal Green, Four Corners is a perfect venue for all events and exhibitions.
Photoforum is our quarterly arts forum, where selected artists and photographers present and discuss their work in an informal and supportive environment.
10x10 was a fast moving, 10 week programme of exhibitions and events that presented ten projects by ten artists / photographers on Four Corners New Creative Markets programme.


text:
FORT MYERS, Fla.- The city of Ft. Myers is considering fire assessments on property owners to raise money for the coming budget year. The city faces a shortfall of at least $11 million in an $83 million budget.
"These fees would affect every real estate owner - residential and commercial," said councilman Forrest Banks. "I know people are hurting, but everyone is hurting.City government is hurting and we have to provide services. We have to find a way to pay for those services the people want."
The fees could amount to 80 to about 150 dollars for an average home in the city. The fees would be payable, on top of property taxes.
The fees would raise up to $5.2 million a year. Some of that would go to the fire department, some would go to other parts of the city budget.
"I don't like it one bit. It is a tax, and a regressive one at that," said Stephen Ward, a homeowner in the city. "It makes me angry and frustrated that they are looking for a new revenue stream, because they have not been able to reduce spending enough."
The city council had a workshop on the budget, and the possible fire fees, last week. Council members will decide in the coming week, whether to move ahead with the fire assessments.


text:
On Syria, Obama Is Prodded By Longtime Ally
Republican critics have long accused the Obama administration of having no Syria strategy. But with tens of thousands dead and millions more fleeing the country, even some of the White House's closest allies are calling for the administration to do more to lessen the humanitarian crisis in Syria.
"I don't hesitate to point out that we're not happy with the way things are going," Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said in an interview. "I don't view it as a criticism, but I do view it as a prod."
In recent weeks, Kaine has joined forces with Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida to demand that the administration outline a plan that will address the growing humanitarian disaster in the country. Kaine's resolution requires the president to submit to Congress within 90 days a "more robust U.S. strategy for addressing the Syria humanitarian crisis." He introduced it in March and it passed unanimously in the Senate last week. The resolution coincided with a wave of criticisms by Rubio and Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) that the administration "has no Syrian strategy."
A longtime ally of the White House, Kaine has walked a narrow line when it comes to Syria. He believes the U.S. should intervene more directly in Syria than the administration has been willing to do, but he also has defended the White House against heated attacks by his colleagues.
In the interview, Kaine stressed that lawmakers needed to be "realistic" when it comes to expectations about progress in Syria in the absence of a U.S. military engagement. He pointed out that he voted to authorize the use of military force in Syria last September while many in Congress -- particularly on the Republican side of the aisle -- vocally opposed such action. "I see no appetite by those talking tough now for military action," he said. "We should all be able to agree that more aggressive humanitarian action is desirable."
At the same time, Kaine - who Obama had seriously considered as his running mate in 2008 -- has been unafraid to criticize his fellow Harvard Law School alumnus's Syria policy. "I'm trying to prod the administration," he said in the interview.
Kaine said he wants the administration to work toward implementing a resolution passed by the U.N. Security Council in February that calls on Damascus to allow aid to flow into Syria from neighboring countries like Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan. The resolution also requires that all parties, in particular the Syrian government, "promptly allow rapid safe and unhindered access" for aid workers to needy civilians in rebel-controlled areas. To the dismay of international observers, Syria has continued to impose a wide range of bureaucratic hurdles to delivering aid, which Kaine described as a brazen violation of the U.N. resolution. In response, Kaine said, the administration needed to be more aggressive about enforcing the resolution. "It's now time to take the next step," he said. "Let's just start the deliveries. We have the right to do it."
The administration counters that the United States has provided $1.7 billion in aid to Syria, surpassing the contributions of any other countries. The American aid has reached more than 4.2 million people inside Syria and more than 2.5 million outside of it.
"Nobody is content with the situation in Syria," a State Department official said on background. "We're constantly looking at ways to end the conflict and end the suffering of the Syrian people."
When it comes to the U.N. resolution, the official said the department is currently working with members of the Security Council and international partners on how to "ensure the resolution is fully implemented." The official did not go into specifics.
While pointed in some of his criticisms, Kaine has generally treated the administration far more gently than most of his colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. During an April 3 hearing, Chairman Bob Menendez (D-NJ.) and ranking member Corker came down harshly on Anne Patterson, the assistant secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, for the department's refusal to outline a Syria strategy to Congress.
"Without a coherent Syria policy from day one, the administration has contributed to the worsening conflict through inaction, limiting our options, diminishing U.S. credibility and putting U.S. interests and our country's security at risk," Corker said.
Menendez questioned how the situation on the ground would ever improve for the Syrian rebels if U.S. policy remains static. "If you cannot stop a helicopter or a plane that is bombing you, if you cannot stop a tank that is crushing your community, then I don't know how we ever change the calculus here," he said.
According to Senate aides, many in the committee do not want to be seen as merely standing by as the mass slaughter in Syria continues unabated. This week's commemoration of the 20 year anniversary of the Rwandan genocide offered a haunting reminder of the consequences of Western inaction. Last week, the United Nations counted one million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, among the 9 million Syrians displaced from their homes in the conflict.
But beyond scheduling hearings and sending out press releases, there is little Congress can do to force the administration's hand.
Getty Images


text:
koplo sagita 2012 ^_^ isih tresno _ ri...
by eka P. 4,025 KB | 2012-06-17 | MPEG Audio Stream |
koplo sagita 2012 ^_^ isih tresno _ rina amelia - download at 4shared. koplo sagita 2012 ^_^ isih tresno _ rina amelia is hosted at free file sharing service 4shared.
| Uploaded via: 4shared site
Share Embed Add to my account
Is owner
View only
Upload & Edit
Members may only view items in this folder.
Members may view, add, edit and delete items in this folder.
Checked by McAfee. No virus detected.
0 comments Add new comment
Download all files from this folder
Download folder as:
This file will be created in your 4shared folder
File name:
Zip as:
What is B1?
Remove Ads x
Show QR Code


text: Isrith and anyone else, Anyone the SCA is free to use the information as they wish, with my consent. No profits from it though. You have to give it up freely. I'd just like to reiterate my disclaimer, though. I'm not a medical expert. I strongly recommend that anything you read from me should be double-checked. No laurel, no doctorate, no formal training. I'm likely to be wrong. I'll try my darndest to be right, but I'm human. I only ask that you please remember to fix the DARNED TYPOS! There are a couple of them in there besides the ever-embarassing FIBROBLASTS typo (*blush* again). At least I'm consistent. I should have edited the damned thing before I sent it. jasmine At 8:29 AM -0700 9/1/00, Nordmarc wrote: >Jasmine, >thank you so much. Would you mind if I shared the information with the local >herbal guild here in the Barony of Stromgard, Kingdom of An Tir? >I will of course tell them how this came about, and your name (plus any other >info that you wish) will be on all copies. > >Isrith. ============================================================================ Go to http://lists.ansteorra.org/lists.html to perform mailing list tasks.