WWE superstar CM Punk was interviewed by Mark Madden this week on Pittsburgh’s 105.9 the X radio station to promote his upcoming match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 29. Among the topics discussed were:
- His strategy heading into WrestleMania & how to make the Undertaker seem vulnerable
- Whether not needing the WWE title to be popular being a blessing or a curse
- The “Ric Flair dynamic” of getting cheered as a Heel
- His primary goal during his 434 day title reign
- Being a great talker, being aligned with another great talker in Paul Heyman and avoiding overkill
- If He Gets to slow down and enjoy that he’s one of the top guys in WWE
- Not wanting to be a “Lifer” in WWE
Here are some highlights of what CM Punk said about:
His Match With The Undertaker:
“Everyone is expecting me to try to top the Shawn Michaels matches. But that’s not my goal. My goal is to make this the best that the situation allows me to make it. There’s a chance it could be better than those matches, but that’s not my goal. This isn’t one of those ‘workrate matches.’ I like my pro wrestling when it’s pissed off and angry. I don’t like it when it’s just two dudes going out there and, ya know, just wrestling. I made him mad, I got under his skin, and I got under his skin. Hopefully it’s going to be emotional and psychological.”
Whether He’s Been Able To Enjoy His Run At The Top Of WWE:
“I’m way too busy doing it. I think I put too much stock in being the last match at WrestleMania, so I’m way too angry about not being the the last match. This is real life. I put too much pressure on myself. I certainly don’t enjoy certain aspects. I don’t enjoy ‘the ride,’ so to speak.”
Part-Time Wrestlers Getting The Top Spots In WWE:
“I’m the only guy who says this – ya know, Miz will go out there and be like, ‘It’s great having these guys back!’ and blah blah blah because I truly believe he thinks he has to say that,” Punk said. “The honest reality of it is you bust your ass for 365 days a year and there’s other people who come in and they don’t work as hard, but maybe get paid the same amount of money. So, me as a businessman, it just makes me look at it and go, ‘Okay, that’s the deal I need to get. I need to get the deal where I work 15 dates a year.’ You know what I mean? It makes me work harder, but, dammit, it’s going to burn me out.”
