CM Punk

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

The Sun in the UK has an interview up with WWE star CM Punk. Here are some of the highlights.

On who he likes to work with the most on the WWE roster:
"I'd say anyone on Smackdown right now I'm able to have awesome matches with, John Morrison, Edge, Rey Mysteio, Chris Jericho, Jeff Hardy all those guys, the roster here is superb, I don't really have a favourite opponent yet, but there's so much talent there, they all work well with my style."

On his dream matches that he would like to have in WWE:
"There are four guys I've never even locked up with in the WWE yet, who I'd love to face, they are Undertaker, John Cena, Triple H and Shawn Michaels, so any of them from the active roster. Older guys, I'd have to say Ricky Steamboat or Harley Race in their prime are two of my favorites."

If he keeps up with old friends who are now in TNA:
"Not that I should shed light on my personal life, but I've just recently stayed at [Samoa] Joe's house in Florida for a few nights, we just hung out, never mentioned wrestling and relaxed. He's still my best friend. It's awesome to just chill out and relax by the pool that way."

His thoughts on WWE releasing Umaga and Mr. Kennedy:
"I honestly don't know why, I was confused when Ken got let go, I'm unsure if it was down to his injuries or what. Umaga's the same and I really don't know why they were let go. It's a personal thing and I don't like to ask things like that, I'm not a gossipy guy, so it's nothing I really get involved in at all."

If he would ever considering jumping to another company:
"No, I'd not jump ship, this is the place to be, nowhere comes close and I'm happy here. We don't really have any competition and if you want to be a top class professional wrestler in the US you have to be working for the WWE."

What's interesting to me is that he was adamant that the WWE doesn't have any competition, in the US, and I suppose for that matter anywhere. I suppose he's already done TNA and ROH, where else can he go? Just wondering on what your reactions are to his comments in terms of Kennedy and Umaga, as well as his disdain for other promotions.

 

[Blade]

Well Punk is an intelligent guy, and he's pretty much right about everything there. WWE has no competition at all. Competition would imply that TNA has a slight chance of winning. There's no chance of that happening, not in the next 10 years or so. Not unless they find their own Steve Austin or create their own NWO.
And the WWE is the place to be. He's quite a big star, he gets to wrestle with some of the best of the world and he gets to do it in front thousands of fans in different places. I think that's easily a better deal than he had in TNA or ROH. TNA is a clusterfuck of a company backstage (so we've heard) and ROH sticks in one place for it's TV show, which means probably alot of the same fans, much like in ECW. In WWE, he gets different fans every night, which must be much more exciting.

As for his comments about Kennedy and Umaga, I'm sure he is incredibly confused. He's not Vicnce Mcmahon. He's not Triple H or Randy Orton. There's no way he knows what exactly went down with Kennedy, whether it was the injuries or the botched suplex on Orton or a Wellness Policy violation. As for Umaga, well that surprised everyone. He was brought in after his injury and was feuding with Punk. He looked like he was about to at least get a decent midcard push, but he was released. So yeah, confusion reigns supreme in both those cases.

 

[Chill]

Punk saying that the WWE has no real competition, especially in the US is a true enough statement. WWE is the dominant pro wrestling company in the world and promotions like TNA or ROH are not going to change that any time soon. So, I think it's fair for Punk to come out and say that if you want to make it big that WWE is the place to be....with the WWE you have the hype machine behind you (yes it can be very difficult to break through the so called 'glass ceiling' once you get there, but if you get the right people behind you there's no telling how far you can go), international recognition, promotion, royalties and so on that the 'competition' simply cannot offer (or at least on the same scale as WWE).

As for Punk's comments regarding the releases of Kennedy and Umaga, I'm not sure if he actually knows why they were let go. I'm sure he's heard the rumours that we've all heard but other than the higher ups, I don't think many within WWE really know why or specifically the finer details.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

I'd agree with everything there he said relating to WWE. AS for the releases, i doubt he knows about Ken, because it was reported that 3 former World Champions (one of which was definitely Orton, and the other two had to be Cena and Batista, 2 other guys who got hurt when wrestling with Ken), went to Vince and bad mouthed him following Orton's initial complaint about the botch, and that was it. Now this obviously isn't fact, it's just speculation, but if that was the case, Vince isn't going to go in the locker room the next day and say 'We fired Anderson today. Randy, Dave and John brought up some good points and we decided that it was best for the roster to get rid of him,' which would explain Punk's confusion.

As for Umaga, everyone must be confused. He was in a fued with Punk that was on 2 straight PPVs, and the week after the 2nd one they fire him. WZ hasn't even had a report as to why he was released, at least i never saw one.

And to think they just brought Chris Masters back as well........

 

[conradhunter]

i agree with all of what he said its all true. great wrestler and great guy in and out of the ring sure like to shout him a beer a nice aussi beer lol

 

[JenovasWitness]

In every interview that I have read where Punk was the subject, I get the impression that he is incredibly genuine in the things he says. Does the WWE have any competition that is coming close to matching it business wise? No. That is a fact.

As for Kennedy and Umaga, I think it behooves Punk to keep his nose out of it and, even if he is in the know, not divulging information to the public about potentially embarrassing subject matter that would effect Kennedy and Umaga is both diplomatic and prudent on his part. The truth is that the only people whose business it is as to why Kennedy and Umaga were released are Kennedy and Umaga themselves and WWE management.

I enjoy CM Punk. I think he is a quality worker and talker and he seems to be conducting himself with a lot of professionalism. I hope he keeps going the way he is going and starts getting some credible title runs.

 

[sevastra82]

I've always enjoyed Punk. There is something about him that naturally connects with the audience, and thats a trait very few wrestlers ever "get" in the way CM Punk does. He knows how to work the audience, and is very good on the mic. These are all natural traits of his that make him one of the best bright stars in the WWE today. He's a fresh face, and that in itself is great. You never have to worry about him getting into trouble outside the ring (his gimmick really IS his lifestyle).

As a person, everything I've seen of him outside the ring is genuine. He seems to be a down to earth, honest guy, and one thats very intelligent about how this business is ran.

Think what you want about Punks last title reign, but I think that reign catapaulted him into the main event scene permanatly. I dont see him dropping out of the main event scene on Smackdown for a long, long time. Give him another year and I can definately see a title reign for him that isnt made to look "weak".