[spoiler]But I was still stuck thinking that if Bryan had done the surprise run-in it would have been the loudest noise since Krakatoa. And then he walks out before it‘s done, and the focus goes to Cena (FFS, let Ziggler stand alone!) and five minutes of Helmsley meltdown.Holy moly what a debut at MacGyver Series
[spoiler]Sting![/spoiler]
Sting v Taker Mania 31! Never thought it was ever a remote possibility of happening. Would be incredible.
Whoever came up with the idea to [spoiler]bring back the Anonymous RAW GM[/spoiler] needs to be shot out of a cannon. Fair chance it was Vince.
Whoever came up with the idea to [spoiler]bring back the Anonymous RAW GM[/spoiler] needs to be shot out of a cannon. Fair chance it was Vince.
No, shoot them out of a cannon every week.
Just let hogan do it. Or vince do it- his prescence is really missed on TV. Though he is really starting to look his age now.
Whoever came up with the idea to [spoiler]bring back the Anonymous RAW GM[/spoiler] needs to be shot out of a cannon. Fair chance it was Vince.
JBL and King's reactions here are a good summary of fan reactions worldwide
That was a really hot Raw right until that moment too. Crowd going nuts with D Bry and you could hear the all the atmosphere get sucked out of the building as soon as the farking email tone whent off.
That was a really hot Raw right until that moment too. Crowd going nuts with D Bry and you could hear the all the atmosphere get sucked out of the building as soon as the farking email tone whent off.
Just when you thought the CM Punk chants might be starting to die done, Punk finally tells his side of the story and lets off a nuke. They will be bigger than ever i suspect.
If WWE are smart they will turn Ryback heel asap.
JBL when he first started commentating was a breath of fresh air, now just buries wrestlers and argues with king and cole
I'm blaming Vince on that one, when JBL was on SmackDown when Vince didn't give a crap about that program he was a good commentator, now he can be unbearable at times. Ditto Booker was superb commentating during that 7 match series with Benoit when he was injured and Orton subbed for him, he didn't call the match in character, just as a color guy. He started off decent, then I'm not sure whether it was him trying to please Vince or Vince shouting things down the headset, but decent quickly became "Fab 5; the Dactyl, Brodus is doing the Dactyl and Shucky Ducky, Quack, Quack".
At least some part of the issue with Cole is him parroting things that have obviously been fed down the headset, but he's just not that good a commentator in general, he was decent in the Tazz era but not anymore. His call of Sting turning up and Lesnar turning up are basically a facsimile of each other. I don't think it'd be unfair to compare WWE's commentary team to some of 9's cricket commentary team, specifically Brayshaw, Healy and Slater.
"WWE IS A CREATIVELY STIFLING COMPANY", THE WWE FILM PUNK LOST, VINCE MCMAHON ON UFC: DETAILED PUNK ON CABANA RECAP PART ONE
The interview opened as CM Punk and Colt Cabana joked that this is only the second time Punk has been on. Punk said he's using Cabana as a platform to speak for the first time. It was Cabana's idea as Punk didn't want it to be a "shoot interview" he got paid for as "money isn't everything", which Colt noted is a theme in his story.
Punk said he's going to talk as openly as he can about his reasons for leaving WWE this week and next week, he'll respond to any emails fans have regarding the situation. Cabana said Punk could have exploded in frustration but was really good about keeping things internal. Punk said that a lifetime of watching others throw things out there led to him instead going dark on Twitter, but now, "f*** it."
Punk said he doesn't know where to start but guesses he will with re-signing with WWE in 2011, referring to it as "talking himself" into signing under the guise of trying to change things, saying that was more of a factor then Vince McMahon convincing him. He said that everyone has said he can't change things sitting at home, but he feels that it took him walking out this past January to actually see any changes and wonders if the changes, some of which took place right after he walked, were to spite him. He said that certain people who deserved where they went got what they deserved. Punk said it's not about him claiming he paved the way like an old timer, but just explaining his experiences.
Punk said he doesn't want to sound bitter, although it's OK to be bitter about things. He said that gives you a chance to work through things and there will be some bright spots, but also some things that really get to him still and he will discuss them. He said he doesn't want this to be "let's bash WWE" because he admits when he was backed into corners by them, he wasn't the easiest guy to deal with.
Punk said he's the happiest today that he's been in at least three years having found things that make him happy. He said that wrestling, which he thought he loved, made him miserable. He said he was miserable, "f*** it, I left, I made myself happy."
Punk said there was a lot of stories making the rounds out there. He said there is an element of truth to all the claims (being banged up, not getting the main event of Wrestlemania, wrestling HHH were three he mentioned) but of them, there wasn't one major factor that caused him to leave. He said he left mainly because of his health and he'll talk about that today.
Punk tells a story about being sponsored when some big money sponsors came to him during the 2011 Money in the Bank era, but Vince McMahon shot down when Punk brought it to the table, yet a year later, WWE allowed it for Brock Lesnar. It's a great story on something he wanted to open up as a revenue stream not for just himself but other wrestlers only to be shot down.
Punk also told a great story about Vince McMahon's reaction to when Punk wanted to walk Chael Sonnen to the Octagon in UFC, which just blew me away. Vince actually tried to claim to Punk that someone could die in UFC and that it was dangerous. Punk's reminded Vince that WWE is dangerous too and someone did die working here. Vince was also appalled that they were letting women fight in UFC as well and Punk's recreation of Vince's reactions really made him sound way out of touch. Punk's follow-up was that a week after he was shot down, Triple H was walking Floyd Mayweather to the ring. Punk said he learned his lesson there, which was that it was better to ask forgiveness then ask permission.
Punk referred to the company as a "very creatively stifling environment" and rattled down a number of offers that he had been offered that WWE had him turn down. Punk said that he'd be offered things and go to the office and be told he's not allowed, only to see John Cena do the exact same thing a week or so later. He said it's not about bashing Cena but it just shows the mentality.
Punk noted he was offered the lead in "12 Rounds 2" and Punk was excited about doing it to get a screen credit and get time off from house shows as he had tore his knee up wrestling John Cena towards the end of 2012. He and Cabana joked that Cabana ragged on him not to do the movie because the WWE movies weren't what Punk's first movie should be.
Punk said he agreed to do the film and "was signing all these papers", but when he saw the shooting dates, he warned Triple H that was the same time as the European tour. Triple H told him it wasn't the same time as the tour. Punk at the time was the WWE champion and felt that he needed as champion to make every date and lead the locker room. He noted during that time period, he did everything John Cena did in the same position, but the difference is the company doesn't advertise them like they do John because "John's the face of the company". Hunter said that it wasn't the European tour dates and Punk said he believed it was, so Triple H said he was going to get back to him.
The next day, without contacting Punk, WWE issued a press release that Randy Orton would be signing in the film. Punk called Triple H and asked why they couldn't have called him first and the got a story about how they couldn't change the shooting dates so they went with Orton as the second choice. Punk then asked why couldn't they just tell him first, but "that's how they are."
Cabana asked Punk, from the perspective of the angry fan that thinks Punk owes them everything. Punk said he loves his fans and the ones who wanted an explanation, he is giving it to them now. He said nothing that upset fans are going to hear or get is going to make them happy and that's fine. Punk admitted that a miniscule amount of the negativity "gets to him" but these are things that no one would ever say in public to him. He noted a fan saying, "I bought you your house" and he said it's a generational thing with Twitter and instant gratification, but "I bought my house, motherf***er so f*** you." He said he created CM Punk and WWE didn't. He said it was a pitstop and he won't be defined by a place he worked and pointed out that no one should be.
Cabana pointed out that for every dollar Punk made for himself, WWE made probably $14. Punk said that he knows what his worth is and WWE's job, in some ways, is undermining what he is truly worth so they can have some. He said they needed to profit so they aren't going to pay people what they are truly worth. He said half the people there are like he and Cabana and others who grew up loving pro wrestling and since WWE is the only game in town, they are all put into the position of having to put up with nonsense because they want to be in pro wrestling. Punk said, "Pro wrestling is the weirdest f***ing business in the world."
Punk said wrestling was awesome when it was a few of them driving to Ian Rotten shows for no money, because that was pro wrestling. He said when you put that under the "confines of a publicly traded company" where everyone says they are a "businessman" and Hunter is running around in a suit while he jokes he never wanted a real job because he'd have to wear a suit. He said it's the most bipolar company in the world in that WWE wants you to be your character 24/7 but if you are caught being mean to someone on Twitter, they punish you. "It's just f***ing weird."
It is Thanksgiving in the US, so there's only been a detailed write-up of the first half of the podcast, but here are the major highlights from the rest:
*The most amazing thing to come out of the interview is that Punk didn't quit WWE after all - he was fired. While he left the company in January, he was told weeks later by Vince McMahon via text that he was suspended for two months. The next day, Vince told stockholders that Punk was on a "sabbatical." When the suspension ended, no one in WWE contacted Punk. When Punk finally reached out asking where royalties that were owed to him were, he got a run-around from WWE Execs until he received termination papers informing him he was in breach of contract on his wedding day. So, they technically fired him on his wedding day in June 2014, which Punk said was "going too f***ing far." Punk claimed the company tried to find him in "retro-breach" in June, instead of claiming he breached his deal back in January 2014 and he knew legally, that wouldn't stick.
*Punk said he left WWE the day after The Royal Rumble for one main reason: his health. During the podcast, Punk went into great, esquisite detail about the last several months in the company, which includes Punk being so injured that he's working with broken ribs (thanks to Ryback), a concussion (which he ignored after WWE medical asked him if he was OK to go on a European tour, so he toughed it out, which he noted was his own mistake) and injured knees. During the November tour, Punk was getting so sick that he was puking and dry heaving every night after wrestling, had a fever for months and had no appetite. WWE medical had given him so many antibiotics by that he pooped himself in the ring on Smackdown all while watching his checks shrink. Punk described it as the worst he ever felt in his life and being unable to sleep because he was so sick. This went all the way through the end of his WWE run.
*At the Royal Rumble, Punk suffered a concussion early on and still worked the entire match. The next day, he passed the company's concussion test (which he described as "bullsh**") while texting Colt Cabana and wearing headphones. WWE then told him he passed the test but they wanted him to go run the ring ropes to check him again. Punk said he felt like they wanted him to go run the ropes like some 2 week rookie in front of everyone and refused. At that point, Punk demanded they just decide he has a concussion and admitted that until then he was just trying to deny he was hurt and tough it out.
That same day, the company began pressuring him about signing visas for future tours and taking a drug test instead of listening to his requests to "f***ing help me" because something was obviously wrong with all the issues that had built up. Deciding he had enough, Punk said he decided to tell Vince McMahon and Triple H he was going home. Punk's version of this conversation is something to behold as he calmly tears into Triple H for cutting off his momentum in 2011 (Punk goes into great detail on issues with HHH), complains to Vince that he's stifled Punk's creativity and tells them both it's garbage they aren't considering Daniel Bryan for the main event of Wrestlemania 30, passing him by the way they've passed Punk by. He told them he was done and didn't want to do this anymore. Vince hugged him goodbye in tears and told him he was family, yet later suspended and fired Punk.
*Punk also told a story of going to WWE's doctor because he found a lump on his back during the same time period as the November 2013 European tour. The WWE Doctor, identified by Punk as Dr. Chris Amann, diagnosed it as a fatty deposit. Punk told several stories of asking for Amann to cut it out, but Amann says no because it wasn't hurting Punk. Punk explained that WWE docs cut things out of the wrestlers on a regular basis. Amann declined several times to remove it with Punk describing him as "lazy" in explicit, colorful terms. The day of the 2014 Rumble, Punk told Amann that it was now badly hurting and purple and bigger. Amann told him he couldn't do it then because Punk had to work the Rumble. After the Rumble, Punk demanded it be cut out right now and Amann noted that Punk would need to be on antibiotics, to which Punk responded that had been put on antibiotics WWE docs have given him for three months, which is why he pooped his pants.
*After leaving WWE and still not feeling any better weeks later, his wife AJ Lee convinced him go to her doctor. Her doctor (without knowing who Punk was or having any background information), immediately looked at the lump and diagnosed Punk with a MRSA staph infection. The doctor proceeded to squeeze the lump so hard the puss hit the ceiling. Punk said getting it cleaned out was the worst pain in his life and he needed specific medications for the infection, so none of the meds WWE had been giving him were any help. So, Punk had been wrestling the last few months of his WWE run with a staph infection in his back, which he stated was ignored and/or misdiagnosed by WWE's medical staff. When the doctor asked Punk how long he had the lump and Punk told him a few months, the doctor told him, "You should be dead."
*Punk talked about how badly hurt he was during his 2011-2014 WWE run and that on two occasions, he literally came out of surgery (and in one story, was walking out of the hospital following knee surgery) to find out he was being brought back almost immediately to TV with no time off. After elbow surgery, he was told he was being brought back to the road and TV to cut promos and after the knee surgery, was told he was being brought back in three weeks to work a TLC match against Ryback. Punk's version of these stories were enough to really make you shake your head and really need to be heard in his own voice.
*Punk described his wrestling career as a failure as he failed to get to the main event of Wrestlemania and that he's come to terms with that as he's moving on to the next stage of his life. He said that it was ridiculous that so many current roster members have not been in the Mania main event position. Punk talked about politicking to get to that level, but it was never about winning or being the guy. He said he needed to get there so he could learn to work at that level and get better, draw more and be an asset to the company. He said he would hear he wasn't a draw, but every chance he had, he "shoved it down their f***ing throats." He said that it all comes down to an "out of touch old man" (Vince McMahon) and his decisions.
*Punk said he knew he had the best match at Wrestlemania 29 and he was praised for it, but he knew he didn't get the money that John Cena, Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Rock, and Triple H got for the show.
*Punk said that for anyone complaining he left WWE in a lurch, he didn't hold WWE up for money and didn't ask for anything and didn't walk out in the middle of a storyline. He was chokeslammed by Kane and he was gone. He went home for his health and sanity, although he did note he was frustrated with seeing smaller checks and not getting answers as to how the WWE Network will change the pay scale. Punk noted that everyone was afraid to ask Vince McMahon and even Randy Orton was coming to him asking if he knew anything.
*Punk said that when WWE fired him and issued him a contract breach, he hired a very "vicious" Los Angeles lawyer to go after WWE to fight the breach and in the end, he got a settlement that gave him everything he asked for "and more." He said he's not allowed to talk about the settlement, but pretty much made it clear he got everything he wanted and noted it was stupid of WWE to even advertise him for the next WWE 2K15 videogame. He said he is completely done and clear of WWE and they will never, ever have a working relationship ever again.
*Punk said they were terrified that as an independent contractor for the last ten years, that he would take them to court and ruin their way of doing business.
*When WWE later asked to issue a joint statement between the two, he told them to "F*** off."
*Punk talked in detail about WWE using the independent contractor status, noting the company does concussion testing to help themselves, not the wrestlers. He noted all the money the NFL Player's Union is forcing the NFL to pay for old injuries and medical concerns of players and that WWE is doing all this to prevent wrestlers from being able to say that they aren't. Punk said that if WWE truly cared for the talents, they would allow a union to be created for the talents.
*Punk said wrestling Ryback took "20 years off his life" and talked in detail about how badly hurt he was working with, as Punk described him, "Steroid guy."
*WWE was afraid he was going to TNA, but his lawyer told WWE that he despises wrestling now and will never wrestle again.
------
Here is the full interview for those that want to listen to it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxHRJnZsinQ
“get back to a vertical base†— argh…
Heel Cole ffs
Based on this week, never has my interest in wrasslin' gone from disinterested, to super-stoked, back to disinterested, so quickly.
In fact it pretty much happened on Monday-Tuesday, but the Punk interview has made it worse.
The last 30 secs of Raw killed any momentum they had built via Sting.
I will be very interested to see how this Punk thing plays out…
2nd part of the Punk interview for those that haven't listened to it...
"SUCH A MINDF***!" CM PUNK ON WHY TALENTS DON'T QUESTION WWE, WHETHER WWE REALLY PROTECTS THEIR TALENTS, BEING CALLED TO RETURN TO TV AFTER SURGERY, THE WRESTLEMANIA MAIN EVENT & MORE: PUNK ON CABANA RECAP PART TWO
As they continued their discussion, Colt Cabana said there is an underlying theme is that everyone needs to be happy in your life. He said that for all the money in the world, if you aren't happy, it's not worth being there because of frustrations and of things being taken away despite being the biggest thing in wrestling.
CM Punk said that WWE should be the happiest place to work but they use it as "this bizarre mindf***" He said they tell him to go out to have fun and his reaction is, "F*** you, this place f***ing sucks and on top of that, you aren't paying me nearly enough to do this f***ing sh**." For people who say, you made millions, Punk responded, "Yeah, I should have made ten. That's just the f***ing way it is." He said for as hard as he worked and for never being home, it was not enough.
Punk said his health was an issue but there was also the debut of the WWE Network. Punk said he would ask for months how the Network pricing of PPVs (as opposed to the usual $70 for Wrestlemania) would change the pay scale for his working the show. He said the Network was going to change the pay scale and he was the only one asking questions. He said even Randy Orton was asking him how things were going to change and Punk didn't know. When he would ask Vince McMahon, Vince would laugh to Punk and say, "We haven't figured this out yet", to which Punk responded, "Don't you think you should be figuring this out?" Punk that they didn't know, but they should have figured it out they know how they are going to pay him for the PPVs he was about to work.
Cabana said no one else is asking WWE management questions because they don't want to rock the boat. Punk said that if you do, they take you off house shows, Raw, PPVs so you don't make money and "that's the way they do it."
Punk said WWE doesn't do anything to "protect the wrestlers. They do things to protect WWE." Punk said that again, he doesn't want to come off harsh and as if he's bashing WWE, but, "They don't let everyone know they're doing all these fantastic things for concussions for the boys, they are letting everyone know so it looks good in the public."
Punk said the NFL is getting, "F****ed in the as**" because of the NFL Players' Union telling them they need to pay up for medical issues and past injuries and concussions and the NFL "is paying out the a**" because of it. Punk said Vince McMahon doesn't want to do that ,which is why they are making all the moves now regarding concussions.
Punk said he suffered a concussion in the Royal Rumble match [Note from Mike Johnson: January 2014, the night before he walked out]. Punk said it was obvious he got a concussion and everyone knew he had a concussion. WWE told him they wanted him to take a test and he said, "Your test is bulls***." Punk said he took it while texting Cabana and listening to his headphones, "and I quote on quote, passed with flying colors."
Punk stated that WWE doctors then asked him to run the ropes in the ring. Punk responded that he just passed the concussion test and they said, "But we still think you have a concussion" so his response was, "So, your test is worthless." Punk said he wasn't going out to the ring like a "two week rookie" in front of everyone, so let's just "call it now", meaning diagnose him as concussed. Punk said he was doing the stubborn thing where he said he was fine, because that's the way he's always been and that's what WWE instills in you. "If I didn't work, I'd get punished. I never had a break."
The discussion floats back to "12 Rounds 2", Punk said he would have done the movie as a way to have a break. Since he was the WWE champion at the time, he realized would have only had weekends off but it would have been a break. He said he needed knee surgery at that point, but was still working and was looking forward to the break. He felt that as champion, he needed to keep going and was telling Vince McMahon he would have knee surgery after he dropped the WWE title to The Rock. He said, as soon as he dropped the belt, he would "be a ghost" and be gone. Vince responded that he needed Punk to do the rematch with Rock.
Punk admitted he was pushing not to drop the belt to The Rock and pitched him vs. Rock vs. Cena at Mania or even defending the belt against Undertaker at Wrestlemania 29 as when they counted it out, the show fell on Day 500 of his title reign. He had a bunch of cool different scenarios, but, "I digress, I don't want this to be a shoot interview."
Punk said he didn't take a lot of breaks and was at the point that he became excited when during a European tour, his elbow was locked in a 45 degree angle and not able to move it more then a few inches. He said the excitement was getting surgery and time off, but every night WWE's medical staff would have him do all these exercises where he would have to hold a heavy object up and then relax his arm and they they would straighten it and tape it up so he could go. Punk said he got elbow surgery on a Wednesday or Thursday, then had laser surgery on his eyes right after. Then, Vince McMahon called Friday and said that since it was, "Just your elbow that's hurt, I can have you cut promos." So, Punk was back on the road after just five days.
Punk admitted there was pressure from himself to deliver because he wanted to show WWE that no matter what, he was the best and could deliver. He said that the entire time he was back on the road, he was scared he was going to get a blood clot and die from the travel because that's what happened to Chris Candido.
Punk then told a story that about being at "TV" one day, assuming he would just cut a promo when Michael Hayes informed him he was wrestling. Punk said he wasn't because of the surgery on his eyes and Hayes said, "Well, you could have told someone." Punk said that he shouldn't be working anyway because of his elbow and Hayes tells him he's been cleared to return to the ring. Punk said he hadn't even gone to Birmingham, Alabama to see Dr. James Andrews and Hayes told him to go talk to WWE medical doctor Chris Amann. Amann told him he spoke with Andrews via the phone about Punk and Andrews was clearing him. "What sort of witch doctory bullsh** is that?", Punk said, "I'm going to go see Dr. Andrews before I f***ing wrestle. Book that sh**. I'm not going to wrestle tonight."
Punk said that when the Nexus debuted, WWE hid the entire angle from him and Luke Gallows, so he couldn't warn any of them to not go near his eyes. Then, one of them stuck their fingers in his eyes and he started smacking people. He said Gallows asked him what to do and Punk said to start attacking people and when they did, Ryan Reeves (Ryback) started saying, "But we're going over!" Punk said he was very mad about getting a finger in their eye at the time and joked it was karma for a time when he mocked Cabana when Cabana was poked in the eye accidentally by Ricky Reyes.
Punk said he never felt there was a place for him in WWE. Cabana said that Punk can be an a**hole and asked if maybe how he acted backstage is why he had that feeling. Cabana said that he loves Punk, but he can see how people would react to him negatively, based on how Punk can speak to people. Punk said there are 26 writers who have never been in a fight and if they don't like him, they don't want to write him. He said the Straight Edge Society was the best thing ever but they squandered it away and said, "Shouldn't they be trying to make money with everyone, not just one guy?"
They go into Punk being the champion and going into the pressures of the champion and trying to make everyone he worked. He said he would think, "What would Harley Race do?" He said he was an old school guy and would tape things up and just go. Punk said when he was trying to not drop the title to Rock or make it a three-way, Punk's entire way of looking at things was, "What do you have for me next?"
Punk stated that he felt that Vince went into meetings asking what was next for John Cena and that was really all that mattered to him. Punk noted that he didn't want to turn heel at the end of 2012 but was told The Rock's coming back and wanted to work a bad guy and Punk was the champion. Punk was told he could turn heel or drop the belt to Daniel Bryan. Punk said he would rather be a heel, but this meant they were going to cut his checks in half because he was losing his merchandise checks and at this point was the only person who was moving more merchandise then John Cena. Vince told him that if you turn heel, he will own Punk one.
Punk finally said he would turn heel and then asked Vince what the plan for Wrestlemania. When Vince told him it was going to be Cena vs. Rock II. Punk said, "That's awful" and began pitching other ideas. Punk said that if people say he was trying to be a politician, maybe he was, it wasn't that he was just trying to politic himself into the main event saying, "Let me beat everyone." He suggested WWE do a Three-Way for the title, do an elimination, let him get pinned in five minutes and move on to Rock vs. Cena one on one.
Punk said, "Then I would have done the main event of Wrestlemania and it won't be such a hang-up for me anymore. It won't be such a mindf***." Vince told him that The Undertaker needed someone for Wrestlemania 29 and he felt Punk was the guy. Punk said, "OK but what's after that?" Vince responded, "What do you want to do? I don't know." Punk said when they turned him heel, they decided they wanted to put a heater [someone to be an obstacle babyfaces have to get past to get to him that also helps get a ton of heat for the dominant heel in the act] with him. WWE suggested Big Show, which Punk shot down and then Daniel Bryan. Punk said no about Bryan, feeling they should be kept apart "like Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart" and that the company could come back to them when they needed a great match.
Punk then said some people are going to think he's full of sh** about this but he doesn't care. He noted for the first time (that I know of) that The Shield was his idea. Eric Pankowski, who was head of creative, wanted to give him two guys who were his lackies. Punk suggested they take three guys and make a stable. He went to Triple H about it and they took it to Vince - Punk suggested Seth Rollins, Kassius Ohno (Chris Hero) and Dean Ambrose. They didn't want Ohno and suggested Roman Reigns. Punk said that was fine because they wanted their guy in the act and then he could learn under Punk.
The original idea was that The Shield would be Punk's group but "things f***ing change" and "they" [WWE creative?] take other people's ideas, then take credit for it. He said it "turned" into Hunter's idea. All the way to their debut on PPV, The Shield had no idea whether they were with Punk or not. Punk's original idea was they were with him until Wrestlemania and The Undertaker match and then that left him with three new guys to work with, because it was all about "what am I doing next?" He said the way WWE had it go, it left him "dead in the water" after losing to Taker at Mania 29. He said The Shield is doing great and he's thrilled for them but at the time, it ■■■■■■ him off because he didn't have anyone to work with.
Part 3
Colt Cabana and CM Punk continue their discussion about Punk dropping the WWE championship to The Rock. Punk backs up and notes, "The Ryback stuff took 20 years off my life." Punk stated that WWE presented that program to him as, "He's not ready but you can carry him." Punk said OK, and he had to wrestle "steroid guy." [Note from Mike: That is a direct quote.] Punk said he calls it like he sees it. He said Ryback broke his rib with a stiff kick to the stomach and Punk is still waiting for the apology for that. Punk noted he was already hurt and reiterated that working Ryback "took 20 years off my life." Cabana says that Punk is frustrated but at the same time people are telling him that he's living his dream and to be just happy.
Punk told a story about when he had to start working with Ryback again. He stated he worked a Raw and the next day was on the WWE corporate jet with the creative team. The jet dropped everyone off at Smackdown and then took him to Pensacola, Florida for his knee surgery. Several hours later, he was leaving and he's still all messed up from anesthesia when his phone rings and it's Vince McMahon. Punk immediately had scary flashbacks to being sent back on the road immediately after his elbow surgery. Vince says that he heard the surgery went well and Punk responded that it did and he was going back to his hotel and would start rehabbing that night so he could work on returning.
Vince then tells him that the WWE website just announced Punk would be working Ryback on the first Raw of the New Year in a TLC match. Punk said, "Isn't that in 2 or 3 weeks?" Vince told him his prognosis is 4-6 weeks. Punk said, "So you booked me in a horribly dangerous match with a horribly dangerous opponent?" Vince told him that's when Rock was coming back to WWE, so they needed to start that storyline [Punk vs. Rock leading to the 2013 Royal Rumble] and if Punk did it, Vince would owe him one. Cabana pointed out, "That's two now."
Punk said he agreed but for the first time in his career, he was like, "Eh, OK" instead of wanting to charge ahead and get excited about working. Punk said he called Vince the next day and said when he drops the belt, he's taking time off. Vince said that he needed Punk for the Rock rematch at the 2013 Elimination Chamber PPV and told him no.
Punk said he eventually did drop it, and did the rematch and then Wrestlemania. Punk said that going into Mania, Punk told Vince he wanted out after he was done with that bout against Undertaker. Vince told him that he was going to be the hottest heel in the world. Punk said, "How does losing to a 45 year old man who works once a year make me the hottest heel in world, no disrespect?"
Punk said Rock and Undertaker beat him, and he was still there when they left. He said he worked that match at Wrestlemania 29 with the biggest chip on his shoulder. He said Steve Austin always says you need to work with the biggest chip on your shoulder and he did that for so many Wrestlemanias where he stole the show, but this time it was different.
Punk said that after the PPV, They [he later referenced Vince McMahon and Kevin Dunn] told him, "You really should have gone on last" after Mania 29. Punk said, "You better f***ing pay me like I did. If you do, I have no f***ing problem." Punk then said they did not pay him like he did and he worked the match like he had a death wish and has never watched the match again. Vince told him he should be proud of the match and Punk's reaction was, "F*** you. I was there. Pay me."
Punk said he bruised his patella in the Undertaker match and said he had to kill himself because that was the only way he guarantee he could get time off and had two months off. Cabana said that before when Punk was out, he wanted to go back but this time, Punk "loved his couch." Punk talked about rediscovering life and things he loved. He said he discovered "his bank account" and felt he didn't have to go do this anymore.
Punk said that he has a certain philosophy about the wrestling business that he doesn't think others guys have so they won't question the company. He said he doesn't think guys like Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose will question things. Punk said that doesn't understand why you are having guys who will be on every TV show losing to guys who are around once a year and creating a situation where people will only buy Wrestlemania, hurting his pay all year. The Network was coming in and that was going to change his pay and he has to make everyone else look good - and all of those things make him look like sh** to the casual viewer. Cabana asked if anyone else can go to Vince and say, "F*** you." Punk said he and He knows John Cena did it all the time. Maybe Randy Orton.
Punk said he took time off and made the decision to go to FCW to test his knee on his own. He only told Joey Mercury he was coming and magically, the day he was driving there, Vince called and told him he wanted Punk back in June at the Payback PPV. Punk turned it down as he wanted Summerslam. Vince said it would be against Chris Jericho and Punk said he's worked Jericho enough and turned it down. Vince laid out the storyline for Paul Heyman turning at Money in the Bank and Brock Lesnar vs. CM Punk at Summerslam.
Punk prefaced what he said next by noting that that he knows the business is fake and that in most cases, it really doesn't matter who wins and loses, but, "put yourself in my shoes" and asked Vince who would be going over. Vince told him Brock would. Punk said, "Great. Who's going to be at work on Monday?" There was silence at the end of the phone. Vince said, "Well, you." Punk said, "Why?" Punk said that he is putting over Rock, Undertaker and Brock and they are going away while he watches his own stock dropping amongst the casual fans.
At that point, Punk said he told Vince, "I want to be that guy" who only works PPVs. Vince told Punk he needs him for house shows and Punk said, "Tell Brock to work house shows." Punk then noted that he and Brock get along great as a way to explain that this wasn't about any one other WWE wrestler personally but about the position WWE put him in.
Punk said he knew he will blow it up with Jericho in the ring and he's be energized working with Paul Heyman and then and Brock will steal the show at Summerslam. Punk admitted he agreed to the plans because he "had Wrestlemania main event on the brain" and would think if he blew the company away with his work in the ring, there was no way they could deny him and not realize it was his year to be in the main event.
Then, WWE asked him to work Ryback again and Punk turned it down, noting how Ryback had hurt him before. Vince told him that if you do it, Vince would owe him one [Note from Mike: That's three we are up to in this interview] and convinced Punk to do it. Punk said he would have rather worked with Curtis Axel to try and elevate him since, "Triple H did such a fine job of elevating him, even though he told Axel that he would." Punk then admitted, "This is the bitter part of me creeping out." Cabana said it was bitterness out of not seeing guys that deserve to be elevated actually get elevated.
Punk agrees to work Ryback and goes to him and says, "Clean slate" and says they will work together to show everyone they are both better then WWE thinks they are and turn what's a mid-card deal into a main event attraction. Ryback says he is on board and then in the first match, does a gorilla press slam through a table, misses the table and sends Punk down to the ground outside the ring. It, "tilts my f***ing pelvis" and messes him up for weeks while Punk's trying to compensate for his knees, one of which has been surgically repaired and the other he's been rehabbing. Punk claimed he went to Ryback and accused him of hurting Punk on purpose. Punk said that he told Ryback that he's either doing it on purpose or he's "dumb as f***." Ryback apologized and admitted he's "dumb as f***" at which point, Punk says that he's screwed and there's nothing he can do.
Punk then talked about all the injuries that were piling up and how he began to feel "worse then he's ever felt in his life." Punk said that he got his bell rung working Luke Harper at TV and "Doc was leaning on" Punk, asking him if he's got a concussion or can he go to Europe, as the company was immediately leaving for the November 2013 tour right after the tapings. Punk thought, "You f***ing pigs, I'll go to Europe", which Punk admits is on him and is his fault because he never should have gone and wrestled on the tour hurt.
During that tour, Punk noted he had no appetite, couldn't sleep, couldn't train properly and was either puking or dry-heaving after every match. The Doc tells him he is sick and "Z-Packs [antibiotics] me to death" to the point that Punk. "sh**s his pants" on Smackdown because of the meds and got asked to remove the post when he Tweeted the word "sh**." Punk said everyone was laughing about it when it happened, including Vince McMahon, but he got in trouble over the word sh**. So, Punk deleted the Tweet and blocked WWE's Twitter account.
Punk said he was so hurt, he was getting several MRIs a week and CT Scans and they couldn't figure out what's going on. Cabana said he was seeing Punk getting more and more miserable. Punk said Vince is saying that he will owe Punk one and at the same time, Punk is "seeing my checks shrinking." He said that they know he is hurt and they are having him make the dates. They are telling him to take it easy and they are cutting his pay.
Punk then said he doesn't like to talk about this, but he complained about his Wrestlemania 29 payoff. Punk said that he had the best match, but that doesn't mean sh** because anyone can have the best match. He said that what draws is what matters and he was in there with Undertaker and that match draws for the company. So, he shoudn't get any less than Taker, Rock, John Cena or Brock Lesnar but he knows (big emphasis on the word here) he got way "f***ing less" then all of those guys, who, in Punk's opinion, "couldn't lace my f***ing boots that night." He said that WWE needed to pay him equal and if any of them even got $1 more, it was wrong. Punk said that The Rock wasn't the draw - Wrestlemania was the draw and he deserved the same pay.
Punk said his first PPV as WWE champion was TLC and John Cena wasn't on it and they did more PPV buys than the year before. The PPV when Rock came back, which had an awful buyrate, was blamed on Miz and R-Truth. He said "It's bi-polar" and that WWE "twists and bend the narrative to support their story."
Punk said there are guys who bought into that narrative, including himself, who believed in ratings, PPV buys, etc. PPVs were dying so they launched the Network but no one could tell him what he was going to get paid. They didn't want to tell him, because they didn't know, which was "unacceptable."
Thanks for the posts Dunlop. They’re actually quite very interesting reads.
Can’t believe they’d treat one of their most popular superstars like that. It definitely puts things into perspective in how WWE operate.