In an interview with No Contest Wrestling (via Fightful), CM Punk spoke about the origin of a photo he took with Steve Austin when he was a teenager, which shows Punk with hair like Eminem. The two would later meet up and even interact with each other on WWE TV.
Punk said: “I’m a smart wrestling fan, proudly wrestling in backyards, and gaining a reputation in the Chicagoland area. All the wrestlers would stay at the Clarion Hotel next to the Rosemont Horizon, which is the Allstate Arena now. I think we dipped in there, Steve saw me, and he’s like, ‘Hey kid. Can I get a picture with you? [laughs]. I’m just kidding. Me and my friends were just a bunch of dumb kids, ‘Oh, the wrestlers hang out here? Let’s go hang out with wrestlers.’ I’m underage sitting in the bar of the hotel and wrestlers are coming in. We’re ordering pizza. ‘Come get pizza.’ Wrestlers are like, ‘Free pizza.’ We’re delighted to just be rubbing elbows with these guys. There are probably a million other pictures from that day, but the me and Steve Austin one has become famous.“
