C.M. Punk is without a doubt the one and only breakout star of the new WWE brand of ECW. But Punk didn't happen over night, he was carefully molded from several years of intense training and practice in some of the country's top independent promotions. Everybody knows C.M. Punk made a name for himself in Ring of Honor, but he also helped many other promotions grow into bigger and more profitable organizations. During the last few months of Punk's independent run (before signing with WWE) he was one of the impact players in an upstart promotion in Florida called Full Impact Pro. FIP is the baby sister promotion to ROH, using a lot of the same talent, but featuring a unique style influenced by the south (a style that would evolve over time). "Declarations: The Best of C.M. Punk Vol. 1" is a compilation of Punk's contributions to FIP.

Full Impact Pro relaunched on September 24, 2004 with a 1-night show entitled "Emergence" featuring a tournament to crown the first FIP Champion. This DVD features Punk's 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round matches plus the big Finale between he and Homicide. Also included is a crazy No-DQ match against Dan Maff, and the famous Falls Count Anywhere in Tampa match against Homicide which ended up inside of a local strip club surrounded by strippers (nudity not included). The last match on the DVD is a contender for the best match in FIP history which pitted C.M. Punk against James Gibson.

Final Thoughts: If you're a fan of C.M. Punk's ECW work, then you owe it to yourself to experience his pre-WWE stuff and this would be an excellent place to start. FIP is a great promotion and Punk was one of its early stars. He's a star everywhere he goes!

If you would like to purchase this or any other Full Impact Pro DVD, please check out ROHwrestling.com - and also be sure to show your support by checking out www.fullimpactpro.com/ - Thank you!