It’s not surprising that CM Punk cites the radical “Rowdy” Roddy Piper as a childhood influence. After all, Punk is the embodiment of the anti-establishment, the modern-day “Voice of the Voiceless,” whose skill at igniting verbal “pipe bombs” is rivaled only by Hot Rod himself.

Punk even looks the part of rebel with his too-numerous-to-count tattoos and body piercings. Yet, he waxes way more philosophical than his exterior might suggest, and has shown a diverse set of interests that include ghost hunting, G. I. Joe and the “Straight Edge” movement, a subculture that rejects...