Punk first appeared on the professional scene when he qualified for the 2016 Red Bull Battlegrounds (the North American Capcom Pro Tour regional finals) through netplay.

[2] At SXSW Conference's Fighters Underground, Punk beat NuckleDu, Yusuke Momochi, Filipino Champ, and K-Brad in the group stages, but quickly bottomed out on day 2 because he felt unusually nervous.

[3] During Eleague and the early 2017 Capcom Pro Tour, Punk's dominating play-style with the character Karin and his trash-talk during interviews became frequently discussed.

After winning West Coast Warzone 6, Punk stated that he wanted "to do well at tournaments so people can't talk [shit] about me.

[4] When Punk competed in California again during the 2017 NorCal Regionals, he was routinely teabagging his opponents Long "Circa LPN" Nguyen and NuckleDu in an effort to taunt them.

After winning the tournament, Punk told Kotaku that he uses teabagging to undermine and distract his opponents, stating that the taunt "gets in certain people's heads and messes them up."

"[10] Punk competed once more at the Red Bull Battlegrounds, which served again as the Capcom Pro Tour North American regional final.

In a post-match interview, Punk stated that "[Winning this tournament] actually means a lot," as he originally entered the scene through Red Bull Battlegrounds one year prior.