CM Punk is Renee Paquette’s guest this week on the Oral Sessions podcast. The longtime friends discussed the current state of pro wrestling, what he misses most about the business, paving the way for guys like Daniel Bryan and much more.
They jokingly questioned if Oral Sessions is a wrestling podcast. Punk said he hasn’t wrestled in 7 years and he’s still a wrestler. “I’m Phil, the wrestler” he said. He doesn’t resent that aspect of his past.
What does he think of the state of wrestling and how it’s changed since he left? Punk began, “The more they change, the more they stay the same.” His ego is not as big as some people say it is, but he does feel that if not for him, a lot of top WWE stars would not have the jobs they do. Wrestlers like Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, he paved the way for that and they filled the vacuum created when he left WWE.
They spoke about Punk’s role in the formation of The Shield. A writer pitched that CM Punk have Big Show and Daniel Bryan as his backup. He said it would be better to bring in some “new blood” from developmental.
What does CM Punk miss the most?
What does he miss the most about pro wrestling? He doesn’t think about the live crowds or the adrenaline rush you get from performing. He misses the people, the friendly faces. Unfortunately, when you are outside the bubble, you rarely talk to people inside the bubble.
They discussed WWE Backstage and Punk joked, “You got me to come back to this shit show.” Renee noted how Punk worked for Fox on that project, not WWE. They were so excited to have creative freedom at the beginning, but it did not take long for WWE to end that. It was also a bummer when the show was shut down.
Renee said everyone is dying for CM Punk to get back in the ring. She mentioned how WWE fans still chant “CM Punk” to this day. We are not hearing those right now, since WWE is running shows in the ThunderDome and controls the crowd chants.
Regarding a lack of “CM Punk” chants in the ThunderDome, Punk joked, “They should pump those in if they wanted to make the shows realistic. If they were really interested in giving the fans a true WWE experience, give the Universe what they want. Pipe in the CM Punk chants!”
His MMA Career
Punk spoke about his brief career as a professional MMA fighter. He would have preferred to go the traditional route by starting off as an amateur and building up to the big stage. Unfortunately, it’s the fight “business” and reality took him down a different path. He was told, “Let’s do this before you get too old.” As it turns out, he was too old.
“I’ve been pretty fortunate,” said Punk. “I’ve been offered some pretty cool shit to do in my life. My thing is, I never say no to an exciting opportunity. Whether it’s movies, or fighting, wrestling, whatever. If the opportunity is there and makes sense, you have to at least consider it.”
Renee asked CM Punk to compare Vince McMahon and UFC boss Dana White. Punk said they’re both “right wing weirdos” and Dana is the more generous of the two. Some people criticize UFC fighter pay, but many fighters are getting big bonuses and extra money that the public does not hear about.
Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast is available at Spotify, iTunes, Audio Boom and other services. Listen to the CM Punk episode here:
