TRANSCRIPT: CM PUNK ON AEW, JACK PERRY, NDAs, SHOOT PROMOS AND MORE

By Mike Johnson on 2024-04-02 14:03:00

CM Punk appeared on the MMA Show yesterday with Ariel Helwani. Highlights from the conversation pertaining to AEW:

Ariel Helwani: August of 2023, London. You arrive in London.

CM Punk: Yeah. Oh, I forgot about this. Yeah, go ahead.

Helwani: How does that go? What happens?

Punk: There's nobody there to pick me up. And it's not a big deal. I just got on the tube and I was like, adventure, and you have to figure it out for yourself. Yeah, but that part was fun, but it's completely irresponsible as a company to, leave somebody stranded at the airport. But, I understand the sentiments, people, All the smarties on Twitter oh, can't you just take an Uber? Will you? They cry, baby. I never cried about it once, not once. How do people find out about these things that there are fans on the Tube. Okay. They're taking pictures, like I'm sitting there, I'm just sitting on the tube and I'm just like, this is neat. I'm, do you feel like adult still? I'm still the guy. I, when I fly in and outta Chicago, I'm, I take the blue line home. I'm not trying to, be super fancy and shit like that.

Helwani: Where are you backstage? Jack Perry's on, on, on screen and he says real glass. 'Why don't you cry about it?' Where are you when this is said?

Punk: I was in my locker room.

Helwani: Did you feel like that was directed at you?

Punk: Yes.

Helwani: Why?

Punk: Obviously it was directed at me.

Helwani: Because, okay. So for those that may not know, Apparently he had a trip planned, he wanted to use Glass, you were consulted, you said why would you use Glass, correct me, you lived it, so I'm trying to bring people up to speed. So this is one of those things where it's just there's all these rumors about NDAs.

Punk: Yes. There's a big difference between not being allowed to talk about some shit. are just not wanting to talk about some shit. I don't necessarily want to litigate this again.

Helwani: Again, you've never talked about it publicly, but you...

Punk: I guess I haven't, but that's the thing. Tony's big idea was, separate show, we're gonna separate everybody. And I said, that'll never work, just let me go. Just get me out of here. Just pay me my money I've already been off TV, I hurt this arm, just get me out of here. No, can't let you go, why? Just let me go. Who cares? t's best. These guys don't want me here. This isn't a real business. This isn't a business predicated on making money, drawing money, selling tickets, doing business. It's not what it was sold to me as. So let me go. Oh, I can't let you go. I'm gonna do this new show. You're gonna, you're gonna have blah, blah, blah, and then the second day we have this show, I'm sitting in catering, minding my own business, and Tony Schiavone comes and gets me, and he's hey, can, I really need your help. And I was like, what? He's Jack is, cussing me out, and he's cussed out Mike Mansuri, and he cussed out Daryl from production, and he's cussing out the doctor right now. Why? And I was immediately like, dude isn't supposed to be here, I was told people are getting separated, so there's no problems, and you don't want me involved in this because Just like everything else I've explained before, like y'all need to handle this because if you don't I'm gonna handle it and you're not Gonna like the way I handle it prophetic words So he's begging me now, please. He drags me out of catering. I go up Hook and Jack are doing an angle. I don't know anything about Jack going on vacation. A litany of people that work one day a week and they don't want to. So they want to show up and wrestle and then film vignettes and then sit at home for four weeks. Great. Not my company. Do what you want. But not on my show. That was my attitude. So I said, Tony, do you really want me doing this? And I walked up to Jack and he was sitting in a car. What he wanted to do, it was a rental car, what he wanted to do was smash the window of the rental car with a pipe. And I was just like, it's a rental car and I very politely, because I like Jack, I was just like, Doc's told you no. Daryl's told you no. Mike's told you no. Schiavone's told you no. And now I have to tell you no. And apparently you've cussed them all out. So I'm telling you no. We don't do that here. If you want to do this, go to Wednesday and do it. He had no problem. He said, okay, he said I just thought it was really cool idea. And I said, it might be, but this is a rental car. Boys ruin it for the boys. You're going to smash the window of a rental car and you're going to return it with no fucking window. And now whatever, National, Budget, Hertz, whatever is going to be like don't rent cars to pro wrestlers anymore. This is a thing that's happened. Wasn't trying to throw my weight around. I wasn't like, this is my show and you got to get out of here. I was just like this fucking dumb man. And he wanted to do it because so he didn't have to fly back to Canada. And I, sorry, man, we're privileged to be in this business. We're privileged to do this for a living. Like I get it. I didn't want to go to Canada either. Then, all the flights were delayed, canceled. Everybody's traveled, sucked. But to come to this new show when everyone's supposed to be separated, to get rid of all the drama, and then, swearing at the doctor because the doctor's like it's real glass, you're gonna, shit's gonna go in your eye and I get it, I used to be that kid that was like, young and I want to do this, but there's a safe way to do it. I politely explained that to him, I didn't raise my voice, I didn't cuss at him, I was just like, I very much just said, we don't do that here, this is Saturday, it's a different show, you want to do stuff like this? Do it on Wednesday. That was it. I didn't think there was gonna be a problem. He obviously took something very business minded very personally and that's fine because I've done that before too, but it's very much who he's friends with And shit never got squashed Nobody's in charge and it turned into what it turned into.

Helwani: So he says that clearly a shot at you as you said, the match is over. He goes to the back. What happens?

Punk: I went to Tony, and I was just like...

Helwani: Which Tony, by the way?

Punk: Tony Khan. I was like, Please handle that. Please. And he was like, What do you want me to do? I was like, I'm not telling you what to do. Just be the boss, please. I'm tired of this shit. I told you this was a mistake, and I told you separate shows wasn't gonna work, and now we're all here, and, please handleHelwani: it because if you don't you're not gonna the way I handle it.

Helwani: So you did?

Punk: Yes.

Helwani: What happened?

Punk: Jack came back from his match. I was the next match. I'm sitting there. I got people with me...I'm not gonna say who they are, because I got a lot of friends who work there and I wish them all well. I don't want them to be punished because they're friends with me. I walk up to him and I'm just like, Jack Why do you insist on doing this dumb internet sh** like this on TV, and he's just if you got a problem about it, do something about it. I was just like, man, come on, man. I would f***ing kill you. What are we doing? And it just, it's like Chael [Sonnen] says, sometimes you just can't let them get close. I thought I was doing a responsible thing. I didn't punch anybody. I just choked somebody a little bit. Samoa Joe was there, told me to stop. Then I quit. I turned to Tony and I said, this place is a f***ing joke, man. You're a clown, I quit. I went to my room and then Joe and Jerry Lynn came and got me and they're like, Let's just go out there and kill it. Let's just, and I was just too fired up and I'm fired up now and I'm probably gonna regret, talking about all this shit, but that's what happened.

Helwani: Okay, so for those that don't know, you actually did go out and wrestle. Yes. Do you is that all just a blur for you, that match? Do you even remember?

Punk: No, that match is, I was just like, this is the last time I'm ever gonna wrestle Samoa Joe. You know what I mean? Yeah. This is my last match in this company. Okay. Yeah, I quit. I said, I f**kin quit.

Helwani:So why did you even go out?

Punk: For Joe. For Joe.For Paul Turner, the referee. For Jerry Lynn the agent on the match, because I, respect him, and I thought it was the professional thing to do. All the fans, a lot of fans there. Yeah. Probably a lot of them to see me, so just go out there and give them a show.

Helwani: Hundred thousand fans, right?

Punk: I don't know, you have to check the turnstile count.

Helwani: And you go to the back, what happens then? Your match is over, great match, what happens?

Punk: They told me Jack was told to leave. And I was like, do I gotta leave? I was like, I wanna watch the show. And they're like, no, it's fine. And then, I don't know, a couple matches later, a very nice man by the name of Sam, he was in charge of security, he was like, what are your plans for the rest of the night? And I was like, I was just going to shower and just hang out, watch the show, cause I, the whole solo locker room thing is fucking lame. I had Joe, I had House of Black, I had all these guys with me and I was just like, I just want to watch your match, and then he just looked at me and I went, is it easier for you and your job if I leave? And he's just yeah, it might be. He's but nobody's telling you, you got to go. Like I, and I was just like Sam, I'm. I'm a man to man. I'm not trying to fuck up your day. You got a job to do. If it's easier for you, if I split, I'll split. And then I went and got Nando's for a bunch of the boys and went to my hotel room. When the show was over, they came by and we ate chicken.

Helwani:Tremendous spot, by the way. Nando's is great. Spicy, the rice. Did you have to have a conversation? Because what was told to us was you were fired with cause. Yes. So you said quit. The devil's in the details there, but did you have a conversation with Tony to say okay? This is it. We're done. You Have not talked to him.

Punk: No,

Helwani: Really? The last time you talked to him was backstage at Wembley.

Punk: Yeah.

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TRANSCRIPT: CM PUNK ON AEW, JACK PERRY, NDAs, SHOOT PROMOS AND MORE