New CM Punk Interview - Talks Miz, Rock, Vince, and More

[rge2010]

I swear CM Punk has a little army of Cyber Bots who post on here who post the same old tired thing about The Rock 'never leaving'.It's pathetic. He needs to get over it. The only problem for Punk is he isn't getting paid as well when Rock ain't around.

But other than that a great interview.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CM Punk appeared on the The Hot Click podcast and did not hold back his opinions on The Rock, Vince McMahon, The Miz, his near exit from the WWE and a slew of other topics. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

On not sleeping: "We just did a European tour. I would honestly say on the European tour if you want to average it all out, I slept two hours a night... Eventually it gets to you. I know when I start seeing things that I really need to try… It's not like I'm forcing myself to stay awake. It's a thing. I got in late last night. I met up with my buddies, H20, the band and we went out. I got back to my hotel maybe at two in the morning and I had to meet in the lobby at 6 AM so I got a 5:30 wakeup call and next thing I know it's 3:30. I'm reading comic books in my hotel room."

How hard it is being straight edge: "It's not hard at all. A lot of people ask me that. I almost think it's a really weird question. How hard is it for you to wear glasses? How hard is it for you to have back hair? I was born this way so, no, it's not hard at all.

"I just turned 33 so I'm assuming I'm what you call an SEOG: Straight Edge Old Guy. There are not a lot of us. I know everybody that was straight edge when I first claimed straight edge, when I was like 15-20, everybody fell off; everybody sold out. There's like me and my friend Natalie back in Chicago. It's like you find somebody else who's straight edge and you stick together."

On almost leaving WWE: "The last 12 months… I was leaving, I was out the door. I wasn't quitting. My contract was up and I was like, "You know what, my contract's up. I fulfilled my obligations to you. You have fulfilled your obligations to me and you let me slip through your fingers." That was my attitude and I was leaving. One of the conditions of me resigning, I was like, look, if I resign I'm all in. I'm back to old form CM Punk. I'm not sleepwalking through this. I'm not just going to be a robot. I'm going to get excited about things again. I'm going to
watch all the matches and I'm going to praise people, yell at people, give people my opinions, and help out guys. That's what I've been doing.

If he ended up staying for the money: "No, it's not about money. It's funny; on Twitter I get a lot of hilarious tweets. I'll be crabby and complain about somebody. I'll have my headphones on in the airport and I'm eating. I don't know if anyone knows what it's like to have someone legitimately walk up to you and wave their hand like an inch away from your face because I have headphones on and I can't hear them. I don't know if anyone knows what that's like but that happens to me multiple times a day then I complain about it, and then on Twitter I get, 'Oh, shut up crybaby. That's why you're rich.' I was rich before I had any money. Being rich has nothing to do with anything monetary. No, it wasn't about money. I'm not a money guy.

"I know people who are wealthy and they're miserable. I was miserable. I was coming to work every day and I was like, 'This is ridiculous. I'm seeing all this stuff. Miz is the main event of WrestleMania. What is wrong with this world? Okay, I gave it all.'"

If The Miz has a problem with his comments: "No, Miz knows exactly how I feel. I've told him about it... I think Miz doesn't know how to deal with that. It's just my brutal honesty. I think you got to just let it roll of your back or you get confrontational about it.
"I was strictly basing it on the fact that I was the best bad guy. In my world, the best bad guy wrestles the best good guy. I was specifically told, 'Hey, leading up to WrestleMania we don't really know what you're going to do yet but you're going to be John Cena's little TV feud.' I was like, 'I'm nobody's TV feud. That's bullsh-t.' They just continued to piss me off."

What made him re-sign with WWE: "The chance to change this place. One of my best friends in the world is Lars Frederiksen. He plays guitar for a band called Rancid. He told me a story about when the Ramones went into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Marky didn't want to do it; half of the Ramones were dead. The Ramones, as a band, were always musically shunned and he didn't want to do it. He didn't want to show up, accept the award. Lars told him, "Look, you have to. It's your responsibility. You paved the way for guys like me. You have to go accept this award because you think not accepting it is this big middle finger to the establishment but actually accepting the award and being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - that's the middle finger.

"Lars and Joey Mercury, two people who are wise beyond their years, told me, 'You can't change the place from your couch.' I said that on television. That was all real. That's the truth. I couldn't change this place from my couch so I resigned and I'm trying to change it."

If he's happy about re-signing: "I'm very happy. I've never been busier in my entire life. I had conversation with Vince McMahon. I was like, 'Look, I'm not holding you up for money. I'm not holding out for this contract but if you're going to sign me you're going to sign me to the best money deal possible and if it's your prerogative to not use me but pay me that ridiculous amount of money. I don't see you being that stupid.'"

His relationship with Vince McMahon: "Honestly, I don't think if Vince ever got me. I don't think he does. I don't know what's not to get but some people just don't see things. I don't know if this is a good example but I don't know if Vince gets The Rock. Vince gets Cold Stone Steve Austin. He gets that guy. I don't know if he gets The Rock but he recognizes that he's a hell of a talent. I might throw myself in that category. I don't know if Vince 100% gets me but he finally has recognized, 'Alright, this kid is the real deal.'

"I've been the same guy since I stepped foot in the WWE. I've always acted like a top guy, not in the regards of, 'I need a limo and first class travel.' I have never let anybody tell me that I can't or I suck or anything like that. I've always had an air of confidence about me, which always rubs people the wrong way. It's like the whole 'best in the world' thing. If I didn't honestly believe that, and it's obviously borderline narcissistic and egotistical but it's like, well, if you don't think you're the best in the world at what you do then you should at least aspire to be the best. Why do you do what you do?"

If Vince likes to knock people down: "I don't try to run the show. It's his company; it's his baby. I think the WWE has knocked me down a peg or two. That's the most frustrating thing about what we do. I don't know if this is the Brock Lesnar legacy. It's just like holy crap, strap a rocket to this guy and give him everything. Then all of a sudden a year later Brock's like, 'Oh, I want to go home.' I don't know if there's a fear that that's going to constantly happen, which is legitimate. I can see that. You put yourself in Vince's shoes and it's like, okay, I get that.

I take this responsibility very seriously. When you are the champion and you are on top, you're pulling the train. It's the tradition in pro wrestling where everybody thanks everybody. 'Thank you for the tour.' The guys on top are the ones that are drawing the houses. You're the reason why everyone on the undercard is getting paid. I get being spooked about that. We've done it way too often with guys like Wade Barrett, Sheamus, with me. I remember the first time they made me champion. Raw ratings went up. I got numbers, house show attendance went up. Then it's like you just constantly cut these guys legs out from under them. After awhile it's just like everyone's middle of the road.

Clashes with Vince McMahon: "There was the Tony Atlas story. Tony wrote about it in his book but I didn't read it so I don't know exactly how accurate it was. I was ECW Champion at the time. I was still living in Louisville, Kentucky. I would go to OVW still and I would maybe work a Dark Match for them and watch the show, talk to guys. Long story short, there was some backstage OVW politics that unbeknownst to me was going on. I went up to Tony to introduce myself because he was down there to talk to the guys about saving your money and drugs and what not.

"I said, 'Hi, Mr. Atlas. My name's CM Punk. How are you doing?' He grabbed my arm and he's like, 'What is this?' I didn't get where he was going. I was like, 'I don't know what you're talking about. Oh the X's. I'm straight edge and I explained it to him.' He's like, 'No, no, no, your arms. They're taped up.' I was like, 'Yeah, yeah, I tape up my arms so I can 'x' up. It's a straight edge thing.' He looks at me and he says, 'It looks like you have two broken arms.' I was just like, 'Great, okay.' I didn't know where he was going and I was confused. 'Okay, sir, alright.' He said, 'I don't think you get it. If you don't listen to your coaches, you're never going to make it to television.' Then I was like, 'Alright I appreciate whatever this is. Thank you, sir.'

"Then I worked the dark match and we had this great dark match. It was like this eight man tag and there was a whole bunch of talented guys in it. Then in the post show meeting, Tony Atlas goes on and on about how everyone's great, everyone has a great attitude, the show is great, the only match he didn't like was that last one. That last match sucked. There was a guy in it with a bad attitude. He basically just started singling me out. I had already lost my mind at this point. I stood up like legit De Niro, 'Are you talking to me?' He was like, 'Yes, you have a bad attitude and I'm going to put it in the report and I hope you get fired.' He said a lot of ridiculous things.

"I stood up and started walking down and was like, 'Are we fighting?' It turned into this big legendary thing where he just started giving me a bunch of s--t and I gave it right back to him. I was like, 'Look, I'm on television and I'm one of Vince's champions.' It turned into this thing and two weeks later we were in England and Vince is like, "I need to talk to you for a minute.

"He's like, 'The Tony Atlas thing - what happened?' I explained to him the story and he's like, 'These old timers don't watch the show. You got to be respectful.' He said, 'Sometimes, you just got to eat a little s--t. I eat s--t all day. I eat red s--t, green s--t, blue s--t, all kinds of s--t. I'm eating s--t all day.' I laughed and I looked at Vince and said, 'I had eaten enough of his s--t and I was full and he looked a little hungry so I thought maybe he wanted to eat a little s--t of his own.' He smiled and said, 'I like that. That's good.'"

The Rock returning to WWE: "I think it's great. Bottom line is it's a business. If Rock is going to put asses in seats then yay for us. There are a lot of misconceptions about how I feel about it. Obviously people love asking me because they know they're going to get the 100% truth. He comes back and he says that he's never going to leave again and then he doesn't come back for months. Yes, he's doing Survivor Series and, yes, it sold out in a half hour. Let's be honest. It's the Garden and it's the 25th anniversary of Survivor Series. The show was going to sell out but I get the bragging. 'Oh, it sold out in a half hour.'

"I sold out the Garden - me and JBL in a cage match so I have that distinction. I can say that I sold out Madison Square Garden, no matter how ridiculous it sounds. The problem I have with Dwayne is that he came back, he said he's never leaving again and I don't appreciate all this, 'Oh, the WrestleMania buy rate was up. Oh, it's because of Dwayne.' Was it? Or was it because of me and Randy Orton or was it because of Miz and John Cena? That's unfortunately something that you can't really ever figure out. A lot of people like to live and die by the ratings.

"It's a big news story that he came back, absolutely. I think he even tweeted me one time saying something like, 'The Rock in the main event makes more money than CM Punk could in a lifetime,' which is obviously a fallacy. That ultimately is where I have the problem with Dwayne. He lives in a fantasy world. No matter if I like or hate whoever I'm working with, I say, 'hello,' to them. I fraternize with them. It's a brotherhood backstage. I'm with these people more than I'm with my little sisters and my family. I just don't appreciate going from limo to dressing room, from dressing room to the ring and not saying 'hi' to any of the boys.

"That's what he does. I was just at a Guns N' Roses show backstage in Chicago and that's exactly what Axl Rose does and Axl's a lot cooler than Dwayne. Part of me gets it but for anybody who wants to say I have a bad attitude or a chip on my shoulder about it - absolutely. I think anybody should. There are guys in that locker room that bust their ass and there are guys that should be in the main event at WrestleMania. Eventually it will happen for everybody as long as you're passionate about it. I'm passionate about. Yeah, it pisses me off."

 

[OwenHart100%legend]

Fair play to Punk he speaks his mind and I find that a very likable quaility, others may take issue with it and that I understand too. However there seems to be a bit of pot and kettle scenario here. He takes issue with The Rock and with what he regards as farcicle comments such as The Rock claiming he sold out survivor series in 30 mins and he was responsible for the WM buyrate so on so forth, but are those comments anymore ludicrous than Punk placing himself in the same bracket as SCSA and The Rock? or Punks claims that the WM buyrate could have been down to Cena v Miz or Punk V Orton???

Im sorry I find the Rocks comments a lot more justifable than some of Punks. Don't get me wrong Im a huge fan of Punk but it seems to me that Punk and Rock seem to be very similer characters, they both think their the best, both will do and have done whatever it has took to get to where they are, and both firmily believe their own hype.

 

[RJJ]

I swear CM Punk has a little army of Cyber Bots who post on here who post the same old tired thing about The Rock 'never leaving'.It's pathetic. He needs to get over it. The only problem for Punk is he isn't getting paid as well when Rock ain't around.

But other than that a great interview.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CM Punk appeared on the The Hot Click podcast and did not hold back his opinions on The Rock, Vince McMahon, The Miz, his near exit from the WWE and a slew of other topics. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

On not sleeping: "We just did a European tour. I would honestly say on the European tour if you want to average it all out, I slept two hours a night... Eventually it gets to you. I know when I start seeing things that I really need to try… It's not like I'm forcing myself to stay awake. It's a thing. I got in late last night. I met up with my buddies, H20, the band and we went out. I got back to my hotel maybe at two in the morning and I had to meet in the lobby at 6 AM so I got a 5:30 wakeup call and next thing I know it's 3:30. I'm reading comic books in my hotel room."

How hard it is being straight edge: "It's not hard at all. A lot of people ask me that. I almost think it's a really weird question. How hard is it for you to wear glasses? How hard is it for you to have back hair? I was born this way so, no, it's not hard at all.

"I just turned 33 so I'm assuming I'm what you call an SEOG: Straight Edge Old Guy. There are not a lot of us. I know everybody that was straight edge when I first claimed straight edge, when I was like 15-20, everybody fell off; everybody sold out. There's like me and my friend Natalie back in Chicago. It's like you find somebody else who's straight edge and you stick together."

On almost leaving WWE: "The last 12 months… I was leaving, I was out the door. I wasn't quitting. My contract was up and I was like, "You know what, my contract's up. I fulfilled my obligations to you. You have fulfilled your obligations to me and you let me slip through your fingers." That was my attitude and I was leaving. One of the conditions of me resigning, I was like, look, if I resign I'm all in. I'm back to old form CM Punk. I'm not sleepwalking through this. I'm not just going to be a robot. I'm going to get excited about things again. I'm going to
watch all the matches and I'm going to praise people, yell at people, give people my opinions, and help out guys. That's what I've been doing.

If he ended up staying for the money: "No, it's not about money. It's funny; on Twitter I get a lot of hilarious tweets. I'll be crabby and complain about somebody. I'll have my headphones on in the airport and I'm eating. I don't know if anyone knows what it's like to have someone legitimately walk up to you and wave their hand like an inch away from your face because I have headphones on and I can't hear them. I don't know if anyone knows what that's like but that happens to me multiple times a day then I complain about it, and then on Twitter I get, 'Oh, shut up crybaby. That's why you're rich.' I was rich before I had any money. Being rich has nothing to do with anything monetary. No, it wasn't about money. I'm not a money guy.

"I know people who are wealthy and they're miserable. I was miserable. I was coming to work every day and I was like, 'This is ridiculous. I'm seeing all this stuff. Miz is the main event of WrestleMania. What is wrong with this world? Okay, I gave it all.'"

If The Miz has a problem with his comments: "No, Miz knows exactly how I feel. I've told him about it... I think Miz doesn't know how to deal with that. It's just my brutal honesty. I think you got to just let it roll of your back or you get confrontational about it.
"I was strictly basing it on the fact that I was the best bad guy. In my world, the best bad guy wrestles the best good guy. I was specifically told, 'Hey, leading up to WrestleMania we don't really know what you're going to do yet but you're going to be John Cena's little TV feud.' I was like, 'I'm nobody's TV feud. That's bullsh-t.' They just continued to piss me off."

What made him re-sign with WWE: "The chance to change this place. One of my best friends in the world is Lars Frederiksen. He plays guitar for a band called Rancid. He told me a story about when the Ramones went into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Marky didn't want to do it; half of the Ramones were dead. The Ramones, as a band, were always musically shunned and he didn't want to do it. He didn't want to show up, accept the award. Lars told him, "Look, you have to. It's your responsibility. You paved the way for guys like me. You have to go accept this award because you think not accepting it is this big middle finger to the establishment but actually accepting the award and being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - that's the middle finger.

"Lars and Joey Mercury, two people who are wise beyond their years, told me, 'You can't change the place from your couch.' I said that on television. That was all real. That's the truth. I couldn't change this place from my couch so I resigned and I'm trying to change it."

If he's happy about re-signing: "I'm very happy. I've never been busier in my entire life. I had conversation with Vince McMahon. I was like, 'Look, I'm not holding you up for money. I'm not holding out for this contract but if you're going to sign me you're going to sign me to the best money deal possible and if it's your prerogative to not use me but pay me that ridiculous amount of money. I don't see you being that stupid.'"

His relationship with Vince McMahon: "Honestly, I don't think if Vince ever got me. I don't think he does. I don't know what's not to get but some people just don't see things. I don't know if this is a good example but I don't know if Vince gets The Rock. Vince gets Cold Stone Steve Austin. He gets that guy. I don't know if he gets The Rock but he recognizes that he's a hell of a talent. I might throw myself in that category. I don't know if Vince 100% gets me but he finally has recognized, 'Alright, this kid is the real deal.'

"I've been the same guy since I stepped foot in the WWE. I've always acted like a top guy, not in the regards of, 'I need a limo and first class travel.' I have never let anybody tell me that I can't or I suck or anything like that. I've always had an air of confidence about me, which always rubs people the wrong way. It's like the whole 'best in the world' thing. If I didn't honestly believe that, and it's obviously borderline narcissistic and egotistical but it's like, well, if you don't think you're the best in the world at what you do then you should at least aspire to be the best. Why do you do what you do?"

If Vince likes to knock people down: "I don't try to run the show. It's his company; it's his baby. I think the WWE has knocked me down a peg or two. That's the most frustrating thing about what we do. I don't know if this is the Brock Lesnar legacy. It's just like holy crap, strap a rocket to this guy and give him everything. Then all of a sudden a year later Brock's like, 'Oh, I want to go home.' I don't know if there's a fear that that's going to constantly happen, which is legitimate. I can see that. You put yourself in Vince's shoes and it's like, okay, I get that.

I take this responsibility very seriously. When you are the champion and you are on top, you're pulling the train. It's the tradition in pro wrestling where everybody thanks everybody. 'Thank you for the tour.' The guys on top are the ones that are drawing the houses. You're the reason why everyone on the undercard is getting paid. I get being spooked about that. We've done it way too often with guys like Wade Barrett, Sheamus, with me. I remember the first time they made me champion. Raw ratings went up. I got numbers, house show attendance went up. Then it's like you just constantly cut these guys legs out from under them. After awhile it's just like everyone's middle of the road.

Clashes with Vince McMahon: "There was the Tony Atlas story. Tony wrote about it in his book but I didn't read it so I don't know exactly how accurate it was. I was ECW Champion at the time. I was still living in Louisville, Kentucky. I would go to OVW still and I would maybe work a Dark Match for them and watch the show, talk to guys. Long story short, there was some backstage OVW politics that unbeknownst to me was going on. I went up to Tony to introduce myself because he was down there to talk to the guys about saving your money and drugs and what not.

"I said, 'Hi, Mr. Atlas. My name's CM Punk. How are you doing?' He grabbed my arm and he's like, 'What is this?' I didn't get where he was going. I was like, 'I don't know what you're talking about. Oh the X's. I'm straight edge and I explained it to him.' He's like, 'No, no, no, your arms. They're taped up.' I was like, 'Yeah, yeah, I tape up my arms so I can 'x' up. It's a straight edge thing.' He looks at me and he says, 'It looks like you have two broken arms.' I was just like, 'Great, okay.' I didn't know where he was going and I was confused. 'Okay, sir, alright.' He said, 'I don't think you get it. If you don't listen to your coaches, you're never going to make it to television.' Then I was like, 'Alright I appreciate whatever this is. Thank you, sir.'

"Then I worked the dark match and we had this great dark match. It was like this eight man tag and there was a whole bunch of talented guys in it. Then in the post show meeting, Tony Atlas goes on and on about how everyone's great, everyone has a great attitude, the show is great, the only match he didn't like was that last one. That last match sucked. There was a guy in it with a bad attitude. He basically just started singling me out. I had already lost my mind at this point. I stood up like legit De Niro, 'Are you talking to me?' He was like, 'Yes, you have a bad attitude and I'm going to put it in the report and I hope you get fired.' He said a lot of ridiculous things.

"I stood up and started walking down and was like, 'Are we fighting?' It turned into this big legendary thing where he just started giving me a bunch of s--t and I gave it right back to him. I was like, 'Look, I'm on television and I'm one of Vince's champions.' It turned into this thing and two weeks later we were in England and Vince is like, "I need to talk to you for a minute.

"He's like, 'The Tony Atlas thing - what happened?' I explained to him the story and he's like, 'These old timers don't watch the show. You got to be respectful.' He said, 'Sometimes, you just got to eat a little s--t. I eat s--t all day. I eat red s--t, green s--t, blue s--t, all kinds of s--t. I'm eating s--t all day.' I laughed and I looked at Vince and said, 'I had eaten enough of his s--t and I was full and he looked a little hungry so I thought maybe he wanted to eat a little s--t of his own.' He smiled and said, 'I like that. That's good.'"

The Rock returning to WWE: "I think it's great. Bottom line is it's a business. If Rock is going to put asses in seats then yay for us. There are a lot of misconceptions about how I feel about it. Obviously people love asking me because they know they're going to get the 100% truth. He comes back and he says that he's never going to leave again and then he doesn't come back for months. Yes, he's doing Survivor Series and, yes, it sold out in a half hour. Let's be honest. It's the Garden and it's the 25th anniversary of Survivor Series. The show was going to sell out but I get the bragging. 'Oh, it sold out in a half hour.'

"I sold out the Garden - me and JBL in a cage match so I have that distinction. I can say that I sold out Madison Square Garden, no matter how ridiculous it sounds. The problem I have with Dwayne is that he came back, he said he's never leaving again and I don't appreciate all this, 'Oh, the WrestleMania buy rate was up. Oh, it's because of Dwayne.' Was it? Or was it because of me and Randy Orton or was it because of Miz and John Cena? That's unfortunately something that you can't really ever figure out. A lot of people like to live and die by the ratings.

"It's a big news story that he came back, absolutely. I think he even tweeted me one time saying something like, 'The Rock in the main event makes more money than CM Punk could in a lifetime,' which is obviously a fallacy. That ultimately is where I have the problem with Dwayne. He lives in a fantasy world. No matter if I like or hate whoever I'm working with, I say, 'hello,' to them. I fraternize with them. It's a brotherhood backstage. I'm with these people more than I'm with my little sisters and my family. I just don't appreciate going from limo to dressing room, from dressing room to the ring and not saying 'hi' to any of the boys.

"That's what he does. I was just at a Guns N' Roses show backstage in Chicago and that's exactly what Axl Rose does and Axl's a lot cooler than Dwayne. Part of me gets it but for anybody who wants to say I have a bad attitude or a chip on my shoulder about it - absolutely. I think anybody should. There are guys in that locker room that bust their ass and there are guys that should be in the main event at WrestleMania. Eventually it will happen for everybody as long as you're passionate about it. I'm passionate about. Yeah, it pisses me off."

Fantacy world?! Lol, you're the one who lives in a fantcy world, punk. Cutting a shoot promo and performing a couple of 5 star matches doesn't put you in the same league as Rock. Rock is a mega-star, he's HUGE. In his prime he sold out more arens(In 1yr) than austin and hogan(An all time record). He brought ALOT of money to the company(2000). If punk really believe that he's as big as rock in drawing power, then the guy have some serious metal issues. It's been proven, ever since rock was named the host of WM(why would vince do such thing, punk?!), the buys increased big time. No, it wasn't becuase of orton, cena, miz, or punk, it's because of Rock(HHH-Taker comes second). Most of the people in the audience came to see him. Hell, the crowd was quit the whole miz-cena match, they were just waiting for rock to come out.


Just like The Rock said: "The Rock in the main event makes more money than CM Punk could in a lifetime." The truth hurts.

 

[ae_wrestler123]

I'm sick of these guys bitching. They should read JR's blog. I get that they want to main event wrestlemania but is it the rock's fault that these guys sent the wwe to the crapper and vince had to beg the rock to come back and literally bend over backwards? Rock is helping these punks and they're bitching. They bitched when he left, now they bitch he's back. To me it is coming across as real jealousy or racist now. Rock is a legend and an international star. What you want vince to do? Put him with the mid carders?

 

[grantedisme]

This interview actually made me a bigger fan of Punk than I was before (my interest was waning after the annoyingly long fake vomit session).

Just like The Rock said: "The Rock in the main event makes more money than CM Punk could in a lifetime." The truth hurts.

Assuming that you implied one of The Rock's main events made more money than the addition of every single dollar that Punk has made in a lifetime, that is factually incorrect.

On a related note, The Rock sure did make the WWE tons of money when he showed up to Raw one night after the PPV. I'm sure he'll bring even more attention to the industry when he shows up this week, the next week, and the next PPV!

Banking on a guy who will not be there to "save" ratings more than once in every four PPVs is awful for the morale of guys with whom The Rock apparently won't even shake hands. The Rock was great in his time, and he would even be great on the mic if he were in the business right now. He was surprisingly decent in the ring, too. However, he isn't in the business. He is a glorified guest host of Raw (mostly via satellite), and the focus he receives from McMahon stunts the growth of every other man and woman who needs time on the screen to expose their characters.

Also, I just want to throw this out there, but Snooki brought more media attention to the WWE than The Rock's return.

 

[closet_fan]

Punk isn't pissed about the Rock coming back. He clearly stated it's great for business. He's just pissed that the Rock craps on everyone in the locker room by not being personable to anyone. They still have to bust their ass to bring a solid PPV. A Rock match isn't the only thing bringing in the money. He's a huge part of it, but it isn't just him.

It's his disrespect-fullness to everyone in the locker room. Does he have to say hello to anyone? No. But that's Punk's issue.

 

[ae_wrestler123]

Dwayne is a very busy man and alot of people has commended him for his personality. If he doesn't say hi i'm sure there is a good reason. I'm also sure if he did say hi, phil brooks would bitch about that too. He bitches bout everything and apparently can't live outside his gimmick. Someone should tell him there is life outside wwe and wrestling.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Awesome stuff from Punk as always. It's pretty apparent that he is having the time of his life right now and is enjoying a lot of support from the company as well. He may have always been open to speaking his mind but without the support from the company, his comments on guys like Rock and Miz might have landed him in hot soup.

His comments on the Miz are pretty interesting. To be honest, he seems more annoyed at himself than at The Miz for having allowed Miz to main event WrestleMania. It seems that during that period he was annoyed at both the management for not seeing his talent and at himself for not being persuasive enough to convince them that he was the real deal. He isn't really badmouthing Miz here. At least not more than he is badmouthing himself.

The only part of the interview I did not like much were his comments on The Rock. Now, it may be true but it sounds like bitching to me. Rock told him that he won't make as much money as he has made. Ever. And Punk questions his attitude? That sounds like weak shit to me. He could have responded to the allegation at hand. He could have questioned how The Rock got their in the first place and how he had great superstars to back him up. It's like an arguement where you have no response and so you try to change the topic altogether. That is what I think Punk has done. Expected better from you here, Phil.

But the rest of the interview, as I said, was pretty good. Punk has a personality even outside wrestling and that is what shines through whenever he talks outside the arena. It was no different here.

 

[The Mighty Tiger]

The Rock returning to WWE: "I think it's great. Bottom line is it's a business. If Rock is going to put asses in seats then yay for us. There are a lot of misconceptions about how I feel about it.

Well it's obvious he get's it.

Obviously people love asking me because they know they're going to get the 100% truth.

You know I don't really think people like asking because of his honesty I think people like asking him because he always has something controversial to say. His provocative & being that way gets the people going.

He comes back and he says that he's never going to leave again and then he doesn't come back for months.

Why are people still on this, I could have sworn The Rock already spoke about what he meant w/this comment so why is he & others still using this as an excuse to have a problem w/the guy.

Yes, he's doing Survivor Series and, yes, it sold out in a half hour. Let's be honest. It's the Garden and it's the 25th anniversary of Survivor Series. The show was going to sell out but I get the bragging. 'Oh, it sold out in a half hour.'

Yeah he is right the Garden was gonna sale out regardless of if The Rock was there or not, but can he say the same about PPV buy rates. That's where The Rock presence benefits the company, he gets people to pay for a view that they may not have paid for if he wasn't there.

"I sold out the Garden - me and JBL in a cage match so I have that distinction. I can say that I sold out Madison Square Garden, no matter how ridiculous it sounds.

I don't think it sounds ridiculous that he sold out the garden but sold out arenas is just apart of the company's goal as for as making profit off the product.

The problem I have with Dwayne is that he came back, he said he's never leaving again and I don't appreciate all this, 'Oh, the WrestleMania buy rate was up. Oh, it's because of Dwayne.' Was it? Or was it because of me and Randy Orton or was it because of Miz and John Cena? That's unfortunately something that you can't really ever figure out. A lot of people like to live and die by the ratings.

He goes back to the "I'm never leaving comment" & is Punk really straight edge cause he sounds like he been taking something. He couldn't possible think Wrestlemania's buy rates would have been the same w/out The Rock being there.

"It's a big news story that he came back, absolutely. I think he even tweeted me one time saying something like, 'The Rock in the main event makes more money than CM Punk could in a lifetime,' which is obviously a fallacy. That ultimately is where I have the problem with Dwayne. He lives in a fantasy world.

It's funny how he took that comment completely serious, seems like it's Punk himself who is living in the fantasy.

No matter if I like or hate whoever I'm working with, I say, 'hello,' to them. I fraternize with them. It's a brotherhood backstage. I'm with these people more than I'm with my little sisters and my family. I just don't appreciate going from limo to dressing room, from dressing room to the ring and not saying 'hi' to any of the boys. "That's what he does.

I don't really believe any of this shit I think he is making it sound good. Now if he is telling the truth & the whole truth maybe Rock doesn't want to speak to those few ********ers that talk bad about him outside of the business. I mean really, does he expect The Rock to be all friendly w/motherfuckers that have talked bad about him?

I take these comments why a grain of salt because more people have complemented Rock on his behavior & respect of others. Overall that was a pretty solid interview besides for the trash he talks about Rock.

 

[WunNightStan619]

CM Punk's problem with The Rock is this in my opinion. Punk LOVES attention. Hence, why he caused such an uproar in recent months. The Rock however, takes that attention away from Punk...Perhaps the person whos REALLY feeling the brunt of all of this is Randy Orton. Between The Rock, John Cena, Punk, Miz, HHH, Nash, Ortons character is nowhere near as relevant as it was a year ago. This is why i really think they have a problem with The Rock. I dont think that if Punks only issue with The Rock is the fact that he doesnt acknowledge any of the boys in the back, he would be as vocal about it. I think its deeper than that honestly. Punk bust his ass, the rest of the guys bust there ass every night, but Rock comes back in for a few nights is automatically in the main event at Wrestlemania. Id be pissed off too..But the fact of the matter is The Rock is a bigger draw and a bigger start than any of them will ever be.

Its kinda like Kobe, Lebron, Wade, and Durrant getting pissed when MJ comes back and is STILL shitting on everyone, and then has the attitude like "Imma show these lil guys how its done.." Thats how i look at it so i understand the frusteration. But Rock is my all time favorite, and has thus far lived up to his end of the deal. He never said he'd be there wrestling evernight, but he's not gone away. he's been there more than Austin, i dont see anybody talking shit about that at all

 

[Jenna.]

I really do love CM Punk and as the months go by he's only going to get better. He's also a smart man. He knew his comments about The Rock was the only thing that was going to be focused on.

Like someone said he likes attention. That's why he's always speaking his mind, because he knows it'll cause a reaction and uproar.

However he seems either jealous or bitter or both. He's the hottest wrestler, and yet The Rock is upstaging him. What does he honestly expect? This is the same man who carried the WWE for years, why wouldn't Vince and the fans kiss his ass? He's a legend, whose to even say you will even reach that type of status Punk?

And let's be honest...you most definitely did not make WM buyrates go up and sell out WM. Lol. If that was the case then The Rock's presence wasn't needed. HELL I for one wasn't rushing home from work and purchasing WM just to see CM Punk. It was all about The Rock.

And the whole he's never leaving comment. I expect this from the bitter fans, but from Punk? You know better then that my dude. Why would The Rock be there every night? For what reason? He doesn't have a full time contract with the WWE anymore and he is a freakin movie star! As it is he shot two movies this year, so where was he gonna fit time to show up at Raw every Monday?

And I don't buy him not speaking to the other wrestlers. That's never been in his character. There's a difference between him not talking to YOU then him not talking to all the wrestlers in the back. And as far as I'm concern you don't really like all of those guys and gals, and I'm pretty sure you don't talk to everyone, so who are YOU to judge The Rock of all people? And even if that was the case, so what...none of those wrestlers are in his league. What's he gonna do? Sit there and waste his advice to the likes of Santino? Come on Punk. We love you but let it go. That's just a battle you can't ever win.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

The whole conversation is really quite comical to me because we all can agree that in the amount of time that the current roster had, they have yet to make a comparable difference in drawing new viewers to the WWE. Collectively, their failures are really a huge part of the reason behind the WWE needing The Rock to come back in the first place.

And then to go around and hate on the very man who was a colossal factor in why the WWE survived well after he left, seems very misdirected.

 

[lilnev2009]

God I swear the IWC really needs to stop with the whole CM Punk thing. He is a good wrestler and great on the mic but i swear the hype of him has overtaken the skill. CM Punk reminds me of how it was with Goldberg. Everyone loves him rather than see what he really is. I get it he likes guys getting over who have been there on a full time schedule, but let's remember who the person who is coming back after 7 years. This is a guy who is more over than CM Punk could ever hope to be and Rock in his first match in years against Cena is of course what should happen. I have to believe that if the Rock and Punk was booked rather than Cena, he wouldn't have anything to say. Every single interview Punk does, he comes off as a bitch because no one thought he would make it and he always believed in himself. He complains because he feels he should be going against the "top Good Guy"? No punk the top bad guy was Orton, not you. And as often as he says it, he isnt the face of the company now. The notion and idea that by publicly complaining got you what you wanted is laughable. Punk was never buried, ever. If Swagger or Morrison said this then maybe I would buy the buried complaint. He has had two factions in the last 16 months and was the leader of both. He joined the nexus at the height of its popularity and managed to kill that off just like the straight edge society. When he was hurt, they put him on commentary. I mean come on dude, get over yourself. Every company he has ever been in he has been put over so he puts this imaginary chip on his shoulder. Who really believed that he would leave WWE? Do you think vince would be stupid enough to allow punk to bring that up on tv. If vince would have called his bluff, punk would have folded. As much as colt cabana is his friend, he wouldn't switch places with him at any point. So as much as he bitches and moans about not getting over, The miz did it without having to complain about what his character was not doing. CM Punk should just shut the fuck up and enjoy the ride that he is getting rather than try and throw dirt on others. Punk talks of fantasy lands, but his fantasy land is more than any others in the business

 

[RJJ]

CM Punk's problem with The Rock is this in my opinion. Punk LOVES attention. Hence, why he caused such an uproar in recent months. The Rock however, takes that attention away from Punk...Perhaps the person whos REALLY feeling the brunt of all of this is Randy Orton. Between The Rock, John Cena, Punk, Miz, HHH, Nash, Ortons character is nowhere near as relevant as it was a year ago. This is why i really think they have a problem with The Rock. I dont think that if Punks only issue with The Rock is the fact that he doesnt acknowledge any of the boys in the back, he would be as vocal about it. I think its deeper than that honestly. Punk bust his ass, the rest of the guys bust there ass every night, but Rock comes back in for a few nights is automatically in the main event at Wrestlemania. Id be pissed off too..But the fact of the matter is The Rock is a bigger draw and a bigger start than any of them will ever be.

Its kinda like Kobe, Lebron, Wade, and Durrant getting pissed when MJ comes back and is STILL shitting on everyone, and then has the attitude like "Imma show these lil guys how its done.." Thats how i look at it so i understand the frusteration. But Rock is my all time favorite, and has thus far lived up to his end of the deal. He never said he'd be there wrestling evernight, but he's not gone away. he's been there more than Austin, i dont see anybody talking shit about that at all

Exactly. That's the ONLY reason why punk is mad at Rock. He can't stand the fact that rock is getting all the attention, whenever he shows up. I'm not sure about your MJ comparison though. The guy is too old to shit on any of those guys you mentioned(Bron, Kobe, D-Wade, or KD). Rock on the other hand, proved that even at the age of 39, he's still above all the rest, from cena to punk, from orton to miz, overall, it's safe to say rock is the best wrestler, today(Unless you wanna count him as a non-active wrestler). You just can't come in and deliever a promo of that quality after being away for 7yrs, let alone his SHOCKING performance at survivor series. To be honest, I expected him to be rusty in the ring, but I was dead wrong. He showed no ring rust at all, and still as goodas he ever was. It was like 2002 again. I really doubt if there is any other wrestler have the mental strength that can match rock's.

 

[RJJ]

God I swear the IWC really needs to stop with the whole CM Punk thing. He is a good wrestler and great on the mic but i swear the hype of him has overtaken the skill. CM Punk reminds me of how it was with Goldberg. Everyone loves him rather than see what he really is. I get it he likes guys getting over who have been there on a full time schedule, but let's remember who the person who is coming back after 7 years. This is a guy who is more over than CM Punk could ever hope to be and Rock in his first match in years against Cena is of course what should happen. I have to believe that if the Rock and Punk was booked rather than Cena, he wouldn't have anything to say. Every single interview Punk does, he comes off as a bitch because no one thought he would make it and he always believed in himself. He complains because he feels he should be going against the "top Good Guy"? No punk the top bad guy was Orton, not you. And as often as he says it, he isnt the face of the company now. The notion and idea that by publicly complaining got you what you wanted is laughable. Punk was never buried, ever. If Swagger or Morrison said this then maybe I would buy the buried complaint. He has had two factions in the last 16 months and was the leader of both. He joined the nexus at the height of its popularity and managed to kill that off just like the straight edge society. When he was hurt, they put him on commentary. I mean come on dude, get over yourself. Every company he has ever been in he has been put over so he puts this imaginary chip on his shoulder. Who really believed that he would leave WWE? Do you think vince would be stupid enough to allow punk to bring that up on tv. If vince would have called his bluff, punk would have folded. As much as colt cabana is his friend, he wouldn't switch places with him at any point. So as much as he bitches and moans about not getting over, The miz did it without having to complain about what his character was not doing. CM Punk should just shut the fuck up and enjoy the ride that he is getting rather than try and throw dirt on others. Punk talks of fantasy lands, but his fantasy land is more than any others in the business

To be honest I've always thought that he's a SCSA wannabe. "What you see is what you get" really, punk?! How many times have we heared austin saying this to vince in 1998? As for his wrestling skills, he's a bit overrated by the IWC. Yes, he's very good, but he's no jericho, eddie, or benoit. Beside, he's an average athlete. On the mic, he can't deliever a great promo without breaking kayfabe. Another thing, he has no creativity, all he does is saying what most of the IWC think/post. Don't get me wrong, he's very good on the mic, but not as good as foley, jericho, austin, flair, rock, austin, piper or any of these guys, and I believe HHH proved that.

 

[Mr.Wrestling#3]

I get it. The Rock is a great speaker and a legend. I also agree that Punk's career and drawing power does not even begin to compare to The Rock. The only thing on these forums that is worse than unreasonable Punk fans are unreasonable Rock fans. I will point out a few issues I have with everyone defending The Rock.

1. The Rock was thrust into the limelight on his debut. It was like a Greek prophecy or something. He was destined to be The Great One. The only problem with that argument is that he had the WWE(F) machine pushing him at all times. Punk has never had the full support of Vince and creative.

2. The Rock and Punk are both very fond of themselves. The difference is that Punk is far more capable of backing it up. He is in The Rock's league in the promo dept. and Rock could never dream of being as good in the ring. Punk uses his new stroke to get Vince, etc. to push others that do not receive opportunities. The Rock uses his stroke to bury Miz and Truth who needed to keep momentum going.

3. I am tired of hearing how great Rock was in the ring at Survivor Series. The only thing I saw was an exhibition where Miz/Truth took all his moves and he never took any bumps in the ring. I believe he took one series of bumps outside the ring along the barricade. The art of wrestling involves giving and receiving. The Rock has always over exaggerated his moves and bumps. The way he overreacts to moves reminds me of William Shatner on a bender. That makes him entertaining, not a great wrestler. Rock is the greatest entertainer wrestling has ever seen. I just don't think box office and entertainment rank higher than fellowship and great wrestling.

I love both guys for what they are. Rock came first but Punk is old-school. I think it is a great dynamic but let's try to keep things in perspective.

 

[BASSER911414]

I get it. The Rock is a great speaker and a legend. I also agree that Punk's career and drawing power does not even begin to compare to The Rock. The only thing on these forums that is worse than unreasonable Punk fans are unreasonable Rock fans. I will point out a few issues I have with everyone defending The Rock.

1. The Rock was thrust into the limelight on his debut. It was like a Greek prophecy or something. He was destined to be The Great One. The only problem with that argument is that he had the WWE(F) machine pushing him at all times. Punk has never had the full support of Vince and creative.

2. The Rock and Punk are both very fond of themselves. The difference is that Punk is far more capable of backing it up. He is in The Rock's league in the promo dept. and Rock could never dream of being as good in the ring. Punk uses his new stroke to get Vince, etc. to push others that do not receive opportunities. The Rock uses his stroke to bury Miz and Truth who needed to keep momentum going.

3. I am tired of hearing how great Rock was in the ring at Survivor Series. The only thing I saw was an exhibition where Miz/Truth took all his moves and he never took any bumps in the ring. I believe he took one series of bumps outside the ring along the barricade. The art of wrestling involves giving and receiving. The Rock has always over exaggerated his moves and bumps. The way he overreacts to moves reminds me of William Shatner on a bender. That makes him entertaining, not a great wrestler. Rock is the greatest entertainer wrestling has ever seen. I just don't think box office and entertainment rank higher than fellowship and great wrestling.

I love both guys for what they are. Rock came first but Punk is old-school. I think it is a great dynamic but let's try to keep things in perspective.

Since its just ur third post we wont hold it against u.

1. The Rock was thrust into the limelight. Thats true but do u know what happened. He got booed the shit out by the arena. Ever heard the chants Rocky Sucks. yeah there was a time those existed. The weird rocky maivia gimmick lasted for a few months before the heel persona of the rock (which he invented himself after being tired of the boos) came and despite being a heel he got the whole world in the palm of his hands simply by his promos.

2. Did u smoke weed recently. Punk is NOWHERE in league of the Rock in the promo department. He cant do a shoot interview everytime in the ring and lets face it. Everyone loves a controversial figure which is what punk is. Thats all. As for in ring talent. Have u ever seen the Rock in the ring minus survivor series. The Rock was the best back in the day with the likes of jericho, eddie, benoit etc. In this case I can say PUNK is in the ROCKS league

3. Watch old Rock videos PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD BEFORE COMMENTING. The Rock was probably the best seller of moves after shawn michaels. Nobody could sell moves like the rock. The rock could make a gore by rhino look like his body was split in two and realistic. The rock could make stunner look strong. and the rock could make a pedigree look fatal.

Lastly as for fellowship. The Rock was close with his friends from back in the day. HHH, the Mcmahons, Taker, Austin etc. Why would he be friends with jealous asses like punk and orton who badmouth him at everyturn they get. And trust me backstage hes probably friends with Cena as well.

Like I said dont comment on anything without knowing the facts.

 

[loojceeb]

Since its just ur third post we wont hold it against u.

1. The Rock was thrust into the limelight. Thats true but do u know what happened. He got booed the shit out by the arena. Ever heard the chants Rocky Sucks. yeah there was a time those existed. The weird rocky maivia gimmick lasted for a few months before the heel persona of the rock (which he invented himself after being tired of the boos) came and despite being a heel he got the whole world in the palm of his hands simply by his promos.

2. Did u smoke weed recently. Punk is NOWHERE in league of the Rock in the promo department. He cant do a shoot interview everytime in the ring and lets face it. Everyone loves a controversial figure which is what punk is. Thats all. As for in ring talent. Have u ever seen the Rock in the ring minus survivor series. The Rock was the best back in the day with the likes of jericho, eddie, benoit etc. In this case I can say PUNK is in the ROCKS league

3. Watch old Rock videos PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD BEFORE COMMENTING. The Rock was probably the best seller of moves after shawn michaels. Nobody could sell moves like the rock. The rock could make a gore by rhino look like his body was split in two and realistic. The rock could make stunner look strong. and the rock could make a pedigree look fatal.

Lastly as for fellowship. The Rock was close with his friends from back in the day. HHH, the Mcmahons, Taker, Austin etc. Why would he be friends with jealous asses like punk and orton who badmouth him at everyturn they get. And trust me backstage hes probably friends with Cena as well.

Like I said dont comment on anything without knowing the facts.

Umm first of all, Punk didn't say Punk dislikes him, Punk loves the guy. So don't compare the Punk isn't as good as the rock, obviously, its like comparing a seed to a tree. The only thing punk doesnt like is his new personality and attitude. Of course, the rock worked his ass for the company and he made it the most electrifying sport. I love the Rock and Im a big fan of his no matter what but I am starting to realize that the Rock is sitting on a high chair. Meaning the Rock thinks hes too good for everybody and thats fine because he worked his ass off. But you don't see HBK, Austin, and Taker doing that right? They come to work, they talk and give advice to everybody. Who in the business doesn't like Austin or HBk? Exactly, everybody does because the moment they come back to the ring, they treat themselves as another WRESTLER. For taker, he is the best right now, When wrestlers are not being respected or being looked down on by HHH, Taker takes the lead. Smackdown superstars respects Taker alot, even though he is the second highest paid wrestler in WWE, he still treats himself like a wrestler and respect everybody else. But what does the Rock do? Hes great, alot of people respect him but does he respect the new kids? Not really, accordingly to CM Punk. The Rock went from a Wrestler to a Celebrity, and now that he brought along that baggage with him, hes not the same Rock we all used to love. This Rock is all about the money drawing and getting huge pops and satisfying Vince. But what about the other wrestlers? He out shines everybody, which is perfectly fine, but the moment that you treat them like they dont exist "Going from Limo to Locker, Locker to Ring, Ring to Limo", even if youre an icon or hero, that's some bullshit. Maybe guys don't respect him because he can't respect them. Like cena, 80% of fans hate cena and alot of wrestlers feel like Cena is always taking the spot lights but have you ever heard any wrestlers say that they dislike cena *besides Michael Tarver*. Everybody respects the shit out of this guy, Cena walks high but when he talks and treats, he also treat and talk high. Hes the most friendly guy in the back and everybody loves him. Hell even Punk respects the guy, thats because Cena doesn't go around saying "I'm the measuring stick" or "I'm the top star" or "You guys will never get to where I am" or "respect me because I'm the top star now", the reason why the guy is respected and loved is because of his dedication and friendliness. *BTW I'm not a cena fan but hes one hell of a respectful guy* Want you know another guy who doesn't get respected in the business? Goldberg, the guy thinks hes the shit and should never lose. Vince sure as hell doesn't want him back, thats why Goldberg is so mad. Had to have Jericho beat the shit out of him in the backstage for him to shut up. Oh and as for Jericho, the guy seems like a jerk and he is a jerk but the guy is hella smart. And you know one thing he does? He likes to promote younger guys. He likes to make sure that they get the spotlight, thats why you always see Jericho as a heel. But enough of that, Rock is on a high chair, hes treating everybody like shit while outshining everybody, its Monopoly...Everybody dislikes a Monopoly.

 

[MikeyBobby]

I'm a huge Punk fan, and his interviews are always great but I don't agree with everything he says, specifically about Dwayne.

Punk is not on a Rock level of stardom. If he was, they'd be selling out arenas every week. They aren't. I think these guys should be more appriciative of Dwayne coming in as it puts more eyes on them. Dwayne doesn't need to do this, and it's not like he's some outsider coming in and stealing all the thunder. Dwayne's not just a movie star, he's a guy that's done it all in the wrestling business. I actually wonder if some of these guys would have the same bitterness & jelousy if SCSA ccame back for a one shot main event.

Don't get me wrong: I love Punk. I'm a huge Punk fan. I just don't agree with him on the Dwayne issue.

 

[Brahma_Bull9]

I get it. The Rock is a great speaker and a legend. I also agree that Punk's career and drawing power does not even begin to compare to The Rock. The only thing on these forums that is worse than unreasonable Punk fans are unreasonable Rock fans. I will point out a few issues I have with everyone defending The Rock.

1. The Rock was thrust into the limelight on his debut. It was like a Greek prophecy or something. He was destined to be The Great One. The only problem with that argument is that he had the WWE(F) machine pushing him at all times. Punk has never had the full support of Vince and creative.

Rocky Maivia? Great gimmick that failed. He made it when he did good work on the mic with promo's. That forced him to get pushed...

He didn't walk into the WWF, "Do you smell what the Rock is cookin?" hit the speakers and started going off. He created that.

2. The Rock and Punk are both very fond of themselves. The difference is that Punk is far more capable of backing it up. He is in The Rock's league in the promo dept. and Rock could never dream of being as good in the ring. Punk uses his new stroke to get Vince, etc. to push others that do not receive opportunities. The Rock uses his stroke to bury Miz and Truth who needed to keep momentum going.

This is just wrong on so many accouts. First of all, CM Punk is garbage on the mic. I'm tired of this, ok he is not garbage, but if you hyped him up like all you do on here then showed him to somebody who never saw him and they knew about wrestling, they would probably be disappointed. If you put him next to the Rock he is garbage. CM Punk is a little better in the ring, I don't necessarily see what he does that is so great but whatever you like him you like him. Yes he is better than the Rock, imo, it is marginal many others would disagree. [/QUOTE]

The second part is just bullshit, you know it, I know it, and anyone who reads that and actually thinks about it knows it. You don't know that, and while the WWE f'ed miz and R-truth shit up the past few months, I don't know if we can attribute that to the Rock.

3. I am tired of hearing how great Rock was in the ring at Survivor Series. The only thing I saw was an exhibition where Miz/Truth took all his moves and he never took any bumps in the ring. I believe he took one series of bumps outside the ring along the barricade. The art of wrestling involves giving and receiving. The Rock has always over exaggerated his moves and bumps. The way he overreacts to moves reminds me of William Shatner on a bender. That makes him entertaining, not a great wrestler. Rock is the greatest entertainer wrestling has ever seen. I just don't think box office and entertainment rank higher than fellowship and great wrestling.

I love both guys for what they are. Rock came first but Punk is old-school. I think it is a great dynamic but let's try to keep things in perspective.

Yea Rock oversells, but the match was worked the way it was imo for a reason. It was to build up the feud and whatnot and make the Rock look stronger. Rock man handles them, Cena gets owned for a few minutes and Rock doesn't help then comes in and wins it.

What is so hard to figure out about that? It had nothing to do with the Rock's abilities or unwillingness you maybe painting.

That last sentence should of went before your post instead of trying to make yourself out to be unbiased.

 

[Brahma_Bull9]

Umm first of all, Punk didn't say Punk dislikes him, Punk loves the guy. So don't compare the Punk isn't as good as the rock, obviously, its like comparing a seed to a tree. The only thing punk doesnt like is his new personality and attitude. Of course, the rock worked his ass for the company and he made it the most electrifying sport. I love the Rock and Im a big fan of his no matter what but I am starting to realize that the Rock is sitting on a high chair. Meaning the Rock thinks hes too good for everybody and thats fine because he worked his ass off. But you don't see HBK, Austin, and Taker doing that right? They come to work, they talk and give advice to everybody. Who in the business doesn't like Austin or HBk? Exactly, everybody does because the moment they come back to the ring, they treat themselves as another WRESTLER. For taker, he is the best right now, When wrestlers are not being respected or being looked down on by HHH, Taker takes the lead. Smackdown superstars respects Taker alot, even though he is the second highest paid wrestler in WWE, he still treats himself like a wrestler and respect everybody else. But what does the Rock do? Hes great, alot of people respect him but does he respect the new kids? Not really, accordingly to CM Punk. The Rock went from a Wrestler to a Celebrity, and now that he brought along that baggage with him, hes not the same Rock we all used to love. This Rock is all about the money drawing and getting huge pops and satisfying Vince. But what about the other wrestlers? He out shines everybody, which is perfectly fine, but the moment that you treat them like they dont exist "Going from Limo to Locker, Locker to Ring, Ring to Limo", even if youre an icon or hero, that's some bullshit. Maybe guys don't respect him because he can't respect them. Like cena, 80% of fans hate cena and alot of wrestlers feel like Cena is always taking the spot lights but have you ever heard any wrestlers say that they dislike cena *besides Michael Tarver*. Everybody respects the shit out of this guy, Cena walks high but when he talks and treats, he also treat and talk high. Hes the most friendly guy in the back and everybody loves him. Hell even Punk respects the guy, thats because Cena doesn't go around saying "I'm the measuring stick" or "I'm the top star" or "You guys will never get to where I am" or "respect me because I'm the top star now", the reason why the guy is respected and loved is because of his dedication and friendliness. *BTW I'm not a cena fan but hes one hell of a respectful guy* Want you know another guy who doesn't get respected in the business? Goldberg, the guy thinks hes the shit and should never lose. Vince sure as hell doesn't want him back, thats why Goldberg is so mad. Had to have Jericho beat the shit out of him in the backstage for him to shut up. Oh and as for Jericho, the guy seems like a jerk and he is a jerk but the guy is hella smart. And you know one thing he does? He likes to promote younger guys. He likes to make sure that they get the spotlight, thats why you always see Jericho as a heel. But enough of that, Rock is on a high chair, hes treating everybody like shit while outshining everybody, its Monopoly...Everybody dislikes a Monopoly.

wow this post makes a lot of assumptions

The only thing I'm going to address is the whole limo to locker to ring to locker to limo thing


Who Cares? Cry me a fucking river so he doesn't stop and say hi to you....

And I don't know his schedule, I'm just going to offer this and you can make what you want out of it, but that Raw before Survivor Series he talked about working out, shooting in the morning in NO, then flying to Boston getting in before Raw.

If that is true, I'm guessing he probably has to be back in NO on a Tuesday so I'm guessing he probably hopped right back on a plane and flew back down their that night.

So who cares... Everybody has their own thing going on, it comes off to me like Punk has never had a real job, never played a real sport or any of that.

Someone doesn't say Hi? I get wrestling has a tough schedule, but so do other people and it's just something so odd to complain about imo. He doesn't say Hi lol so what.

 

[RJJ]

I get it. The Rock is a great speaker and a legend. I also agree that Punk's career and drawing power does not even begin to compare to The Rock. The only thing on these forums that is worse than unreasonable Punk fans are unreasonable Rock fans. I will point out a few issues I have with everyone defending The Rock.

1. The Rock was thrust into the limelight on his debut. It was like a Greek prophecy or something. He was destined to be The Great One. The only problem with that argument is that he had the WWE(F) machine pushing him at all times. Punk has never had the full support of Vince and creative.

2. The Rock and Punk are both very fond of themselves. The difference is that Punk is far more capable of backing it up. He is in The Rock's league in the promo dept. and Rock could never dream of being as good in the ring. Punk uses his new stroke to get Vince, etc. to push others that do not receive opportunities. The Rock uses his stroke to bury Miz and Truth who needed to keep momentum going.

3. I am tired of hearing how great Rock was in the ring at Survivor Series. The only thing I saw was an exhibition where Miz/Truth took all his moves and he never took any bumps in the ring. I believe he took one series of bumps outside the ring along the barricade. The art of wrestling involves giving and receiving. The Rock has always over exaggerated his moves and bumps. The way he overreacts to moves reminds me of William Shatner on a bender. That makes him entertaining, not a great wrestler. Rock is the greatest entertainer wrestling has ever seen. I just don't think box office and entertainment rank higher than fellowship and great wrestling.

I love both guys for what they are. Rock came first but Punk is old-school. I think it is a great dynamic but let's try to keep things in perspective.

1. "Rocky maivia" character was a failure, and he's the one who took all the heat because of it. You really don't know how hard he worked to to turn the "Rocky Sucks" and "Die Rocky Die" chants(with passion!) to "Rocky". He came a long way.


2. lol you mean punk is better than rock technically? So, a 6'4 270lbs guy isn't supposed to be a technician. He's more of an atletic/showman type of wrestler, and guess what..Punk's fat skinny ass could never dream of being as athletic as rock. No doubt one of the most physically gifted athlete in wwe history. Beside, rock is a better storyteller than punk. So, being a great technican doesn't make you a great in-ring performer(Saturn).

"The Rock uses his stroke to bury Miz and Truth who needed to keep momentum going."

LOL you really can't put the word "bury" and "Rock" in the same sentence. The reason why truth and miz didn't get the W because mr.truth was supposed to get a suspension right after survivor series for doing some illegal shit. That's why people didn't get the scene btw rock and cena at the end. I believe cena was supposed to cost rock the match and get rock bottomed in retaliation. No need to mention how many guys did rock put over in the past.

3. Well, the whole point of that match is to make rock look as good as ever, so "recieving" won't help that much in this type of situation. Oh and by the way, he looked great for a guy that been out of action for 7yrs, 7 DAMN YEARS! not to mention that he's almost 40. About the bumps, Rock is one of the best seller ever.

After all, it's an entertainment business. Wrestling skills will get you nowhere unless you have the charisma, the mic ability, and the DRAW power.

You keep mentioning punk's wrestling skills like it's up there with HBK's and Angle's. Wake up! He's very good in the ring at best, nothing special.

Umm first of all, Punk didn't say Punk dislikes him, Punk loves the guy. So don't compare the Punk isn't as good as the rock, obviously, its like comparing a seed to a tree. The only thing punk doesnt like is his new personality and attitude. Of course, the rock worked his ass for the company and he made it the most electrifying sport. I love the Rock and Im a big fan of his no matter what but I am starting to realize that the Rock is sitting on a high chair. Meaning the Rock thinks hes too good for everybody and thats fine because he worked his ass off. But you don't see HBK, Austin, and Taker doing that right? They come to work, they talk and give advice to everybody. Who in the business doesn't like Austin or HBk? Exactly, everybody does because the moment they come back to the ring, they treat themselves as another WRESTLER. For taker, he is the best right now, When wrestlers are not being respected or being looked down on by HHH, Taker takes the lead. Smackdown superstars respects Taker alot, even though he is the second highest paid wrestler in WWE, he still treats himself like a wrestler and respect everybody else. But what does the Rock do? Hes great, alot of people respect him but does he respect the new kids? Not really, accordingly to CM Punk. The Rock went from a Wrestler to a Celebrity, and now that he brought along that baggage with him, hes not the same Rock we all used to love. This Rock is all about the money drawing and getting huge pops and satisfying Vince. But what about the other wrestlers? He out shines everybody, which is perfectly fine, but the moment that you treat them like they dont exist "Going from Limo to Locker, Locker to Ring, Ring to Limo", even if youre an icon or hero, that's some bullshit. Maybe guys don't respect him because he can't respect them.

According to who? Punk?A guy who would do anything to get some attention? Don't talk like you really know what's going on backstage. According to alex riley and cena, rock is down to earth.

 

[Superman38]

I just don't understand why we have to pick a side. I like watching The Rock. I like watching CM Punk. I marked out for both of them at Survivor Series. Is The Rock a bigger draw? Yeah, no question. Does Punk have a point about him not being there all of the time and being presented over the talent who is? Yes, he does. To me, this is a situation where both men believe that they are right and do have valid points. Personally, I think that Rock vs. Punk would be more entertaining than Rock vs. Cena. Don't get me wrong. Rock vs. Cena is the better drawing program, but this one is too one sided right now with Cena taking the high road every time.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I could see why Punk and other stars are excited about The Rock's return but also disgruntled because of The Rock's limited availability. This is his first time back in seven years and has only made a handful of appearances and has wrestled one match since March of this year. The Rock has already done this though and has other obligations like being on a big budget Hollywood movie for 18 hours a day. You really don't hear much about the current WWE stars working on the road for 300 plus days a year now complaining about Steve Austin, Triple H, or the Undertaker's limited status.

The Rock is a big name though that still sells tickets and PPV buys. Maybe Survivor Series and WM27 would have still sold out without the Rock's involvement, but I doubt WM27 would of had over a million buys. Punk even stated that Rock vs. Cena should headline WM28. Rock coming back even in a limited capacity is great for not only the superstars but for fans in general. Of course he isn't back to stay or a full time performer. I like Punk, but I have to agree with The Rock's statement that he can outdraw Punk in the main event, maybe even more then Punk's lifetime.

We will have to wait and see if that is true. Austin and Rock though were in a more popular era then Punk and Cena so they definitely have the advantage. I don't think Punk has any real resentment toward The Rock, but I would love to see these two exchange words outside of internet.

 

[Mr.Wrestling#3]

I appreciate all the condescending responses. I will try not to embarrass myself again. I will take some advice and say this first. The Rock is the greatest entertainer in the history of the business. I do not like Punk more than The Rock. I also mentioned in the first paragraph of my last post that overhyping Punk fans can be unbearable. Rock supporters can do the same.

"1. "Rocky maivia" character was a failure, and he's the one who took all the heat because of it. You really don't know how hard he worked to to turn the "Rocky Sucks" and "Die Rocky Die" chants(with passion!) to "Rocky". He came a long way."

-The "Rocky Maivia" character bombed, true. When that happens, 99% of the time the guy loses all momentum and is either dropped or kept at the bottom. I made the point that the WWE(F) machine just kept pushing him. Am I saying he is not talented or that he didn't work hard? No. You made, my point for me. It takes a lot of time and opportunity to be able to turn it around. Rock is legendary for his work ethic and passion. Thousands of wrestlers had the same amount of passion and work ethic without a fraction of his ability. He made it easy for Vince, etc. to push him. As did Punk. Only Punk had to work doubly hard to overcome him being "minor league" or seen as less than marketable. He was neither, but it took a longer for him to get his major push. As soon as he was given the leeway that those megastars from Attitude era had, he skyrocketed. A few years back, Punk got heat from 'Taker because he didn't dress like a champion. Next thing you know, 'Taker is winning the title in a near-squash match. Nothing was ever said to "Jorts" John Cena. Punk has always had to fight hard to get around these pre-conceived thoughts.

"2. lol you mean punk is better than rock technically? So, a 6'4 270lbs guy isn't supposed to be a technician. He's more of an atletic/showman type of wrestler, and guess what..Punk's fat skinny ass could never dream of being as athletic as rock. No doubt one of the most physically gifted athlete in wwe history. Beside, rock is a better storyteller than punk. So, being a great technican doesn't make you a great in-ring performer(Saturn)."

-I will repeat because obviously you plan on flaming me every chance you get. Punk is a better wrestler. Rock is a better showman. I said it, you said it. You bring up the Rock's size like that has any impact on his wrestling ability. Lesnar, 'Taker, and Swagger are all bigger than Rock and can all outwrestle him. Fun does not equate to ability. I am not talking about who can do the prettiest flips. By your argument of athleticism being more important than skill, JoMo should be on top of business. It is obvious that The Rock is a great total package and JoMo is no comparison. That is just an example of athleticism. I also severely disagree with you when you say Rock is a superior storyteller. With the mike, yes he is superior. In the ring his stories always have the same psychology. "I am a cocky, talented, walking catchphrase and I will kick your ass" or "I am a cocky, talented, walking catchphrase and I will get what is coming to me." Punk matches typically can have three to four different psychologies that can be used. Lately, he is getting stale in this department. He needs to improve that if he wants to continue to progress.

"The Rock uses his stroke to bury Miz and Truth who needed to keep momentum going."

"LOL you really can't put the word "bury" and "Rock" in the same sentence. The reason why truth and miz didn't get the W because mr.truth was supposed to get a suspension right after survivor series for doing some illegal shit. That's why people didn't get the scene btw rock and cena at the end. I believe cena was supposed to cost rock the match and get rock bottomed in retaliation. No need to mention how many guys did rock put over in the past."

- I am noticing a trend where you bring up his first run with WWE(F). I am referring to his current run, as is Punk when he criticizes Rock. Rock is well-respected for putting over people at the right time. I cheered and was very proud of Rock and Foley when they put Evolution over. I am only referring to this most recent match. He can look strong and put over others. Look at 'Taker/ HBK I, II for an example of this. And please remember he has the stroke to influence the booking for the match. I think he would have looked much better if there was even a chance of him losing. I brought up how he takes bumps because they can look overdone. Vince loves when Rock does it, but all insider reports say that Cody Rhodes's push almost initially stalled when Vince thought he oversold. Ric Flair is my favorite wrestler ever. He has a few comedic ways that he takes bumps like falling face down. I think he can overdo this as well. Rock is good at taking bumps, not great.

"You keep mentioning punk's wrestling skills like it's up there with HBK's and Angle's. Wake up! He's very good in the ring at best, nothing special."

- I never mentioned HBK or Angle because they have no relevance to the discussion. Comparing Rock's in-ring ability to either of those two is a much bigger stretch than with Punk's. Punk's resume boasts some impressive matches (5 stars, etc.). Rock's famous matches are typically because of "shock" value or the storyline. He is simply not known as a skilled wrestler. He is one of the best total packages of all time. Punk can wrestle a variety of styles. I am not saying Punk is better than Hart, Angle, or HBK. I am just saying he is a better wrestler than Rock.