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Former WWE champion CM Punk appeared on Colt Cabana's podcast, the Art of Wrestling, which you can download now at www.ColtCabana.com or you can go to iTunes.com and subscribe to Cabana's podcast at this link to get the episode. This is Part Two of my detailed recap of that appearance, where Punk discusses his side of his exit from WWE for the first time.
If you missed Part One, you can read it by clicking here. If you are a PWInsider Elite subscriber, click here for Part One.
As I noted yesterday, I've got a ton of family in town, but I feel this is a big story, so here is as much of a recap as I've had time to write as I post this. Over the next few days, as I have time, I will recap more of the audio, so stay tuned for additional material but I really think to get the full effect, you are best served by listening to this in CM Punk's own words as he is interviewed by Cabana at the links above.
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."
Coverage Continues on Page 2.
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