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Unless you have been off of the internet for a few days, you have no doubt heard about the interview that CM Punk did with Colt Cabana on the Art Of Wrestling podcast. I have a lot of thoughts on the piece, which I will talk about below but I really think it’s worth taking the time to download the interview and listen to the entire thing so that you can make your own determination on what he said. I have seen too many people on social media forming opinions based off of snippets of what was recapped without hearing the entire piece and getting context. I think if you want to form a real opinion, you should listen to the whole thing. It’s very enlightening but also one perspective of the story. I am sure there are things that Vince McMahon, Triple H, Dr. Chris Amann and Ryback would dispute, and that is their right. This was Punk’s tale of what led to him leaving WWE and it should be expected it will be skewed to his perspective. You can listen to it by clicking here.
What I can add is this. I would estimate that we had heard at least 80% of the things Punk said previously (and they have already been reported here). The main area I can’t confirm or disprove is his interaction with HHH and Vince McMahon. Obviously, those three are the only ones that really know what went on between them. I would love to hear Vince and HHH’s side but I don’t expect them to comment. I know that I wouldn’t if I were in their position. There is no upside in it for them. With that said, here are my thoughts on the important issues.
*He’s a quitter. That is the big one that has been driving me nuts when people say it from day one. Here is the truth. WWE has 90 day clauses in their contracts so that they can release a talent whenever they no longer want them around. The talent does not have that same clause. So if you are someone who says, “He should have finished out his contract” tell that to every single wrestler that got “wished well in their future endeavors” after WWE decided that they no longer wanted them around. For those that said he walked out, Punk described his Cleveland, OH meeting with HHH and Vince McMahon, which happened after The Royal Rumble. He talked about getting a concussion at the Rumble the evening before, having two bad knees and a lump on his back that he claimed WWE Dr. Chris Amann wouldn't exorcise, despite being asked to many times. He talked about numerous occasions when he needed time off to deal with injuries but was always asked to come back early. To his credit, he took the blame for agreeing to do so, taking responsibility for his part in the situation. After the Rumble, feeling concussed and ill from being on antibiotics prescribed by Amann for three months (making his digestive system upset to the point where he actually defecated himself in the ring on TV), he told Vince he was going home. WWE didn’t suspend him at the time. In fact Vince McMahon on the first quarter conference call said that Punk was on a “sabbatical”. A sabbatical, by definition, is a leave of absence that the employer granted. Vince may not have meant it, but he said it on the record for investors so no matter how you feel about it, it became the “truth” at that time. To say it wasn’t now would cause issues for WWE with the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission. WWE later suspended him and then fired him, choosing to deliver the news to him on his wedding day. Given it was common knowledge in WWE the day he was marrying AJ Lee, it’s hard to believe that news was delivered that day by coincidence. Now to be fair, Punk also chose to stay home so you could make the case that he knew what it would lead to. But the fact of the matter is, he was fired, he did not quit. And Vince McMahon said he was away before that with the company’s blessing. Also, Punk had made it very clear that he was not going to re-sign with WWE in July when his deal expired. He had told management that. And, he was not in the middle of any program so it’s not like he walked out before a feud could be paid off. To me the bottom line is this, the wrestler should be no more loyal to WWE than the company is to them. WWE can choose to end their relationship so the talent can as well.
*I built his house/he owes me. First off, I get that people invest in their stars. And if they buy their merchandise, tickets to house shows or PPVs, etc., they support them (though if all you do is watch them on TV, you don’t support them as much as you think you do unless you are a Nielsen home). But at the end of the day, the deal between performer and fan is that they entertain you for the money you pay them to do so. There is no term length on the agreement. You don’t own a piece of them or have any right to force them to do anything that they don’t want to do or feel like they are able to do. Punk was hurting, a lot. He didn’t feel comfortable working and honestly the person on the other side of the ring doesn’t want to be in there with a guy that could potentially hurt them due to his brain being injured. WWE doesn’t want that either. And, if he had two more concussions and got brain damaged, none of the fans would be there to help him. A person has to be their own advocate. He was nursing a bunch of injuries and knew his body needed a break, his mind as well.
*The Double Standard. Punk told multiple stories of him being injured and yet was rushed back to TV. He mentioned how when he injured his elbow, he had to come to TV every week to do promos. When you look at John Cena, they never did that when he was injured. He was allowed to rehab and not travel to shows. The difference? Punk was the accidental main eventer. He was languishing in developmental and only got a break when Paul Heyman wanted him for the remake of ECW and was told: Sure, he’s yours, we have no plans for him. He held the WWE Title for over a year and headlined one PPV, while Cena headlined almost every month. Plus, there was the “skinny fat ass” comment, which was HHH saying that he wasn’t muscular. After all that, I can see why he had his fill of the WWE process when he did.
*The WWE Process. Punk confirmed what we have reported for years, that there is no real long term planning for most of WWE. The process starts and ends with Vince McMahon and at times the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing. The fact that The WWE Network had been delayed for so long and the launch has been so confusing at times makes perfect sense after listening to Punk talk about how WWE does things. I doubt his words will change the process but it does emphasize what we have been saying for years about how WWE does things. It would be great for everyone involved if a longer term approach were implemented.
*WWE’s ringside doctor. First let me say that I don’t know much about Dr. Amann but I have always been leery of a worker (in any vocation) having to take the company doctor’s opinion as fact. It happened to me when I worked for Coca-Cola. I was in pain. Their doctor kept sending me back to work. Three months later, after my refusing to work and demanding more tests, it was discovered that I had a cracked vertebrae in my back. Let’s just say the courts were on my side in that case. Dr. Amann works for WWE. As we have seen time and time again, the company believes the show must go on. I have seen guys get staples on Sunday and wrestle on Monday many times and it seems crazy to me. I like that Punk took blame in continuing to wrestle when he should have stood up and said no. I hope that his interview makes WWE reconsider the current process. Wrestling is a tough business and guys will have to work hurt. But there are times when they should be pulled for their health and that of the company. I do believe that WWE does care about their talent but I also know that the Wellness Policy was implemented, at least in part, for public relations purposes. It’s time WWE takes it a step further and add more provisions for the wrestlers. The first thing they should do is make the concussion protocol two-tiered. They should make the talent pass an Impact Test, but also state that they are feeling no effects. A failure for either should take the talent out of action.
*The Network and what it means to talent. We had heard that Punk was one of the few people asking how the Network would affect bonuses and he brought the subject up a few times. It’s a valid point. WrestleMania bonuses are the biggest of the year and launching the Network without knowing how they would be affected and communicating that with the talent would have been a big issue for me as well. Dangling a WrestleMania match with HHH (which Punk stated he would win) is great and all, but when Vince couldn’t tell him what his bonus would be, and more so that the process hadn’t been figured out yet, that would have been distressing to me too.
*WWE not replacing the old royalty check. That one really surprised me. No matter how mad they were at him, a business has to operate like a business. They issued the check previously and can’t refuse to do so when asked. Sure, take the cancellation fee and postage out if you must, but replace the check. Do business the right way.
Those are my quick thoughts on the interview. Stu Carapola and I did an in-depth discussion of the subject on our show today in the Elite section.
Again, you can listen to it by clicking here.
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