After his epic promo went viral and set Twitter abuzz, WWE champion CM Punk emerged as pro wrestling’s biggest star last summer; what you might not have known is that the Chicago-made grappler was nearly handed his walking papers -- twice -- but saved by a faithful behind-the-scenes backer: Tommy Dreamer.

“He had little-to-no chance of ever making it in the WWE -- he wasn't their type of guy,” Dreamer, who moonlit between the ring and the WWE front office during his decade-long tenure with the company, told RadarOnline.com exclusively about Punk, whose 6-foot-2, 235-pound frame is a far cry from the bodybuilding look synonymous with wrestling heroes like Triple H, John Cena and, in his heyday, Hulk Hogan.

“I saved his job two times when he was about to be let go -- I was saying, ‘Ya gotta keep this kid, ya gotta keep this kid,’” said Dreamer, who credited Punk for his fortitude in overcoming obstacles to become a worldwide phenomenon.