CM Punk lands a new acting gig

During his lengthy hiatus from pro wrestling, CM Punk did more than just try his hand at mixed martial arts. His more successful endeavor was acting, where he showed up in a few horror films, even nabbing the lead in 2019’s Girl on the Third Floor. Punk also did some television work, with a recurring guest role on Stephen Amell’s Heels.

Playing an independent wrestler probably didn’t require Punk to really flex his acting muscles, though. His new role is a bit more of stretch. He’s playing a military veteran on FX’s Mayan’s M.C.

Punk debuted in the role on the fourth episode of the Sons of Anarchy spin-off’s fourth season, which aired last night (May 3). He chats with series regular Gilly (played by real-life Army Ranger Vincent “Rocco” Vargas) at a barbecue with fellow vets.

Punk’s character will be back, series showrunner and fellow Straight Edge adherrant Elgin James told Gamespot. The character was created specifically for Punk to play, and will be part of Mayans exploration of the lives of veterans.

“We’re both on the straight edge world. We met a few years ago and I was just like, ‘Yo, I gotta do something with this dude. We gotta find something.’

“We kind of crafted this for him actually. We knew we wanted to get into the storyline with Rocco and to do right by the veterans. And then we kind of were like, ‘well, what are the right ingredients to tell this story? And then this is a perfect opportunity to finally work with Phil [Brooks, Punk’s real name]. He’s the man.

“They knew the heft of what they’re going to bring on and it was really emotional before that first day of shooting, Rocco talked to him for about an hour.

“We had some other veterans with us that are also on the show and that you’ve got you saw in there. And it’s pretty beautiful, they’re talking about their experience coming back and some of the challenges they face. So the weight was on Punk’s shoulders to do this right. And of course, there’s no one else you want that weight on because that dude’s just a savage. He just brought it, not only physically but also emotionally.”

It’s a small role, but it’s still pretty amazing word of this didn’t get out before Punk debuted on the show — probably because it doesn’t seem like it will interfere with anything AEW has planned.

Still, it’s a nice gig for Punk on his side hustle. If you want to follow along to see when he shows up next, Mayans M.C. airs Tuesday nights on FX, and streams on Hulu.