Are you feeling lucky, well are you, Punk?
CM Punk is no Dirty Harry.
But he is a big deal in the wrestling world — and he’s coming to Perth to rumble in next month’s Elimination Chamber extravaganza at Optus Stadium.
Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti confirmed on Saturday that Phillip Jack Brooks — better known as CM Punk for his wrestling exploits —will join the likes of Logan Paul, Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins, Australian-born Rhea Ripley, Dominik Mysterio, Grayson Waller, LA Knight and Cody Rhodes, as well as WWE legend The Undertaker at Elimination Chamber on February 24.
Ms Saffioti, of Calabrian heritage, says she is “pumped” to see the likes of CM Punk and Ripley get into the ring.
“Perth is shaping up to be a once-in-a-lifetime event for locals and travelling WWE fans, as they get to witness their favourite WWE superstars battle it out at Optus Stadium in this unique Premium Live Event,” Ms Saffioti said.
“It’s really going to be a WWE bonanza of a week come February, and we’re so pumped.
“We’re only six or so weeks out now and it’s so exciting to see the growing list of stars confirmed and their storylines starting to take shape in the lead-up to our event — the last one before Wrestlemania.
The Cook Government’s ability to entice WWE to Perth — albeit at an undisclosed price — is seen as a major coup for the State and Australia.
CM Punk has been part of the professional wrestling scene for nearly 30 years, winning the WWE championship twice before sensationally walking away from the franchise in 2014.
He had a stint in the UFC before returning from his wrestling hiatus in 2021, defecting to WWE competitor All Elite Wrestling.
At an AEW event in 2022 CM Punk revealed he felt like “the 10 years that I spent in WWE was wasted” and that he never reached his full potential due to “limitations they (WWE) constantly put on me”.
But a controversial backstage brawl got CM Punk fired from AEW in September last year.
He made his long-awaited return to the WWE in its Survivor Series, a record-breaking comeback that clocked up more than 71 million views across WWE social media.
When he sets foot in Perth, he will wrestle at the Royal Rumble event in Tropicana Field on January 27.
Apart from the likes of Ripley, Paul and now CM Punk, there is growing speculation that none other than Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is also heading to Perth for Elimination Chamber.
And WWE legend The Undertaker is also bringing his sold-out UNDERTAKER 1 deadMAN SHOW to Fremantle Prison on February 23.
Elimination Chamber Perth will be broadcast live to WWE’s extensive global audience of 165 countries worldwide and more than one billion homes.
“This event is going to be massive for our State, with thousands of out-of-state travellers set to descend on our city, pumping valuable dollars into our local economy across our hospitality, tourism and accommodation sectors,” Ms Saffioti said.
“The lead-up to the main event is going to be huge, and fans will have unique opportunities to see their favourite wrestling stars, in a range of activities and events right across the city.
“Of course, another major benefit to this event in having such famous WWE names and faces coming to Perth is the media exposure. Each of the participating WWE superstars confirmed for our exclusive event has a combined social media audience of more than one billion followers which is just phenomenal.”