WWE has a job advertisement out at the moment looking for a new lead writer. Both former WWE writer Brian Gewirtz and CM Punk responded to a story about WWE’s search for a new writer and cracked a couple of jokes at the company’s expense.

Gewirtz, who now works with the Rock’s “Seven Bucks Promotions”, joked about being the new writer and then pointing out problems with WWE’s booking of Survivor Series:

Gewirtz was with WWE from 1999-2015. He is currently working on NBC’s “Young Rock” series.

• The Rock Reveals Who Will Play Him On “Young Rock” TV Series

CM Punk then responded to Gewirtz. He noted that the two of them can team up to help Kevin Dunn win an Emmy.

“The Lead Writer will have the opportunity to manage, mentor, and develop experienced Writers/Producers with a diverse creative background while simultaneously being accountable for compiling, editing, and developing weekly/long term scripts, storylines, and character development,” reads WWE’s job advertisement.

Gewirtz also recently gave a humorous response to a question posed by New York’s Public Theatre. The venue asked, “What ISN’T Shakespeare but FEELS like Shakespeare?” Gewirtz’s answer was when Eric Bischoff was revealed as the official of the marriage between Billy and Chuck:

CM Punk decided to have some fun at the expense of Chris Jericho. 

On Wednesday morning, Jericho sent out a misleading tweet about the election, which has received responses from various people including wrestlers and CM Punk. 

Jericho tweeted, “Im not a political person, but is it strange to anybody else, that for the first time ever, we have to wait a day…2 days…5 days…10 days…to find out who won the presidential race?”

Punk responded with this: 

It should be noted that elections are oftentimes not called on election day. There have been a few examples of that such as the elections in 2016 and 2000. In fact, the 2000 election took over a month before a winner was declared.

For those who may not know, the mail-in ballots are still being counted and it was known prior to election day that there could be delays. Jericho has been corrected by several people but has yet to delete his tweet. 

Jericho and Punk most notably worked a program in 2012 that saw Jericho challenge Punk for the WWE Title at WrestleMania 28. 

Jim Ross Comments On Wednesday Night Wars: AEW Has Been ‘Kicking Your A**’

UFC 254 took place this weekend from the Flash Forum at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. The main event of the historic card saw Khabib Nurmagomedov unify the UFC Lightweight Championships against interim Champion Justin Gaethje.

Khabib took the win in the second round via Submission. Following the fight the 29-0 Champion would announce his retirement from Mixed Martial Arts, following the death of his father (and trainer) Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov to COVID-19 complications.

Several WWE Superstars reacted to the massive main event and emotional ending to Khabib’s career.

CM Punk, who himself fought in the UFC on two occasions tweeted “Best in the World! @TeamKhabib#UFC254.” NXT Champion Finn Balor simply wrote “Khabib #UFC254.”

NXT UK Superstar Eddie Dennis also reacted to the fight on Twitter. Dennis wrote “It’s a shame he never fought Tony [Ferguson].”

• Daniel Bryan Says Current Run Is His Last As A Full-Time Superstar

The Rock actually admitted to missing the fight, tweeting “gotta crush this training session now but #UFC254 just started. 2pm fights threw me off dammit. Best of luck to all the fighters and put on a great show! Training comes first.. checking my phone for updates. #ineedmyfix #hardestworkersintheroom“

Did you watch the fight? Let us know in the comments

Former WWE/TNA Superstar and multiple time World Champion Christian recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. Christian appeared on the show to discuss the release of the new Cagefighter movie.

Christian also discussed a number of other topics, including the now cancelled WWE Backstage show. Captain Charisma was asked on the show if CM Punk took the show ‘seriously’ and if he was really ‘into’ the concept at the time.

Christian on CM Punk

“I think he took it seriously” Christian began on the show. “I don’t think he would have done it if he was just going to come in and half ass it like that. I’ve never known him to be that type of guy and I don’t see why he would he would do that.”

Christian would then praise Punk for his few infrequent appearances on the show. “But the few times that he was on the show? He was 100% present and like super into everything and had his finger on the pulse of everything that was going on. So he took it very, very seriously and I thought he did a good job.”

The ill-fated WWE Backstage show was reportedly a ‘hit’ on the FOX network. Christian recently stated that the network were very happy with the ratings that the show garnered.

• Updated Raw And SmackDown Rosters After Night Two Of Drafts

When Punk was first revealed as an analyst for the now cancelled show, it was a major story that led many fans to believe he may return to WWE proper at some point. CM Punk has made it abundantly clear on several occasions that he was signed to FOX and not WWE; thus why the Straight Edge Superstar was arguably more candid and ‘honest’ than others on the program.

CM Punk did recently state that he was still ‘signed’ with FOX but his future with the network and WWE is at this time unclear.

Do you agree with Christian? Do you think CM Punk did well on WWE Backstage? Let us know in the comments

Eddie Guerrero would have turned 53 on Friday. The 15-year anniversary of his death will be next month on Friday, November 13th, 2020. Numerous wrestlers and people involved in the wrestling industry posted tributes to Eddie online recently.

Randy Orton wrote a tribute to Eddie on Instagram.

“He saw a young newcomer to the biz who was excited to work with him and he took the time to make me feel comfortable. I take that with me these days, the understanding that the new guys aren’t anything more then exactly how I USED to be. He made me feel welcome,” wrote Orton.

CM Punk posted the following in tribute to Eddie Guerrero:

Rey Mysterio also posted about Eddie. Sasha Banks re-tweeted his comments with a series of heart emojis.

Mysterio also commented about Eddie to BT Sport:

Kurt Angle wrote the following:

“Happy birthday to one of the absolute greatest performers I’ve ever known, Eddie Guerrero. You were a brother to me, but in the ring, you were my fiercest enemy. You continue to be Loved by everyone every day,” Angle wrote.

Kevin Blackwood, who has been on AEW Dark lately, got an Eddie Guerrero tattoo earlier this month:

Retribution member T-BAR, formerly NXT Superstar Dominik Dijakovic, has responded to CM Punk’s recent mocking of his stablemate, Slapjack.

Punk shared a screenshot of Slapjack in his mask following the group’s unveiling on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw. He accompanied it with a jab reading: “When you’re bored in catering and there’s an abundance of paper plates.”

T-BAR replied directly to Punk, calling him out for making fun of his “brother” Slapjack before labeling the former WWE Superstar a “coward.”

“[…] you are a coward like every current and former @WWE Superstar. You tease leading RETRIBUTION but we will not follow you to failure like your New Nexus. We will destroy this place piece by piece, including you if you ever show up.”

The Retribution member later uploaded another tweet, detailing that his name is actually an acronym. According to him, T-BAR stands for Terrorize, Brutalize, Annihilation and Retribution.

Retribution has been making its presence known on WWE programming in recent weeks. Its key members finally unhooded themselves this past Monday only to reveal they all wore masks.

Slapjack wasn’t the only member that had members of the WWE Universe poke fun at them. T-BAR was also likened to a knockoff version of Bane from the 2012 Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises.

AJ Styles was asked about a potential match with CM Punk during a recent Twitch Stream. 

This is where the former WWE Champion stated that this contest will never happen and it’s probably due to their history. 

“Nope,” Styles said. “That will never happen… I don’t have to go into detail about that one. I think it’s pretty obvious where things stand. I’m not a fan.”

So what is their bad blood exactly? It all dates back to earlier this year in the wake of George Floyd’s killing. Punk first tweeted about other people showing their true colors by expressing their words and actions. 

This got a response from a fan who wrote, “Seeing AJ Styles promote streams and shit but couldn’t be bothered to post anything made it clear how he feels. That was a tough unfollow…”

Punk referenced AJ Styles’ history of ‘insensitive’ remarks by responding, “Well. Come on. That one has been obvious for years.”

Thus, if Punk ever does make a WWE return and he wrestles again, which is a big IF, fans shouldn’t expect him to see him share the ring with Styles. 

• AJ Styles Responds To Harsh Comments From CM Punk: “I Don’t Respect Him Anyway”

SummerSlam is a hot topic among fans right now with the PPV being only a few days away and CM Punk also recently joined in on the conversation, revealing which is his favorite SummerSlam match.

The former World Champion recently held a Q&A session on his Twitter account where he answered questions related to life lessons, his film Girl on the Third Floor and more.

In light of the recent revelation that Renee Young will be leaving WWE, Punk was asked how it was working with her on WWE Backstage and he said “Renee is the best. Super excited for her!  Can’t wait for the cook book and the podcast….”

A fan then asked the former WWE star which was the favourite SummerSlam match of his WWE career and CM Punk claimed that it was the one against the Beast Incarnate Brock Lesnar.

• Also Read: AJ Styles Says Former NXT Champion Will Be A Big Name In Future

The former WWE Champion also answered questions related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, possibly writing a book and more. You can check out some of his top replies below:

The match CM Punk talked about took place in 2013 and it was Punk’s last SummerSlam appearance before he left the company.

Brock Lesnar managed to win this no disqualification bout with help from Paul Heyman after hitting Punk with an F-5 onto a chair.

Add CM Punk to the growing list of people who are interested in New Day member Big E breaking off as a singles competitor.

Punk made the comments this week during a SummerSlam 1992 Watch Party with Renee Young, Booker T and Finn Balor.

Punk agreed with Booker T that now is the time for Big E to make a name for himself. He believes that in order to that, Big E needs to detach himself from the New Day. He pointed to how the group has been together for a long time and that to succeed, Big E would need to disassociate with both Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston.

“I definitely think…Big E and New Day they’ve been rolling for like how long?” Punk asked. “I agree with you that he has to dump Woods and Kofi, kick those guys to the curb. That’s what we’re talking about right?”

• Big E Comments On A Possible Singles Run

Booker T chimed in on Punk’s sentiments, adding how he believes that for Big E to make an immediate, memorable impact, he needs to turn heel against his New Day cohorts. Booker T stressed how, although attacking Kingston would send a message, he believes Big E should focus on attacking Woods.

This prompted Young to share how many of the WWE Universe aren’t interested in the New Day breaking up. Instead, they would rather have the group succeed alongside a successful Big E singles push. CM Punk replied how “Sometimes that’s the best thing to do, something that people don’t want to see.”

Both Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods are currently injured. Kingston is expected to be out for up to 6 weeks. Woods, meanwhile, is still rehabbing and recovering from a torn Achilles Tendon. Their absence has placed Big E in prime position for a singles run.3

CM Punk has shared his thoughts on RAW Underground. The new segment was introduced by Shane McMahon this past Monday night on RAW. The segment featured a faux-MMA, Fight Club aesthetic.

Punk joined Renee Young and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T on the latest episode of Watch Along. During the show, Punk revealed he “absolutely loved” RAW Underground. He stressed how he wants to see Nia Jax and women get involved with the concept.

Punk added how he enjoyed the idea of Shane McMahon and all of RAW Underground’s participants hanging around the WWE Performance Center with the show occasionally cutting to them. He explained how “Three hours of no barred fights and strippers” is all he wanted to see.

Luring CM Punk Back To WWE

Booker T then told Punk how, upon seeing the preview for RAW Underground’s shoot-fighting concept, he thought of CM Punk.

He acknowledged how the money would have to be right for Punk to be interested. Booker T then suggested how “maybe this thing will lure Punk back to WWE.”

Punk, who has lost both UFC bouts he has been involved with, responded to Booker T, joking, “You want me to get that first MMA win, right?”

You can view the SummerSlam 1992 Watch Party featuring CM Punk, Bret Hart, Booker T, Finn Balor and Renee Young below:

Konnan recently stated on his podcast that the reason CM Punk never joined AEW is that he was simply asking for too much money. Cody was recently interviewed by TalkSport and confirmed that his understanding is that there were negotiations between AEW and CM Punk and he did ask for a great deal of money. According to Cody, however, Punk is worth it.

“As far as the CM Punk negotiations go, everyone heard the famous ‘he got a text from us’. Yeah, of course, there were negotiations and he did ask for a great amount of money and Punk is worth a great deal of money,” Cody said during the interview.

According to Cody, he doesn’t believe talks with Punk about coming in ever got too serious. He also said, however, that he believes he has a good relationship with Punk and so does Tony Khan.

“I don’t think they ever got too serious,” Cody said in regards to negotiations between AEW and Punk. “Doesn’t mean they won’t one day, but they never got entirely too serious. I think there is a good relationship there. I think I have a good relationship with Phil, I believe Tony does too and I’m not sure really when it comes to him, it’s not so much about the money. It’s about are you interested in doing this?”

Punk recently responded to Tweets from Cody and Tony Khan online regarding the TNT title tournament as well.

• Reported Reason CM Punk Didn’t Join AEW

The full interview with Cody can be read here.

CM Punk noticed a tweet from AEW TNT Champion Cody Rhodes so he decided to respond to it.

It happened on Monday afternoon when Rhodes asked fans about who they would like to see answer his next open challenge. 

This led to Punk reacting to it in a joking way by bringing up people like former WWE star Domino with valet Cherry, “Fearless” Jack Bull, former HWA star Dean Visk, and former ECW wrestler New Jack.

AEW President Tony Khan then commented on Punk’s response by recalling how he witnessed Punk work a house show that also featured Deuce & Domino. He wrote the following: 

“Duly noted. Fun facts: I saw you on a house show in Champaign on Super Bowl Sunday 13.5 years ago with Domino and Cherry (and Deuce). Also, New Jack was really really nice to me when I was a 13 year old kid visiting Philadelphia. My dad loved New Jack.

Punk finds himself on the sidelines in the pro wrestling business as FOX Sports decided to cancel WWE Backstage, which Punk had been working on as a part-time analyst.

As of this writing, there’s been no reports about any interest from WWE about bringing him back. 

• Reported Reason CM Punk Didn’t Join AEW

Tony Khan is said to have been interested in building a wrestling promotion with CM Punk long before he began working with the Elite. It never materialized, however, and neither did a deal to bring Punk to AEW once the promotion had been created.

On a recent episode of his podcast, Konnan addressed the reason CM Punk didn’t join AEW.

“I do remember when I was negotiating with AEW and they were telling me about him, they were telling me that he was asking for like (an) astronomical amount of money,” Konnan said on the show. “They really wanted to work with him but…”

“I’m sure if they wanted to do something with him and Jericho or him and Cody, I’m sure they could,” Konnan continued. “Like I said, from what they told me, he was just asking for way too much. And this is a company that is willing to spend, so who knows what he was asking for?”

Did the UFC and WWE Backstage Hurt CM Punk’s Potential Drawing Power in Wrestling?

Disco Inferno and others on the podcast felt that Punk’s drawing power has decreased recently. They noted that he did not draw big ratings for WWE Backstage. They also noted that his drawing power in wrestling was hurt by his 2 fights in the UFC. Konnan disagreed with this sentiment, however.

“I don’t think that he’s damaged irreparably,” Konnan said. “I think if he was in a real good storyline and the type of promos he can cut, people would get behind it but I don’t think that joining AEW right now is going to mean anything. Timing is a lot of everything.”

• CM Punk Calls Out AJ Styles For Previous Insensitive Language

CM Punk shared an interesting story that he hadn’t told in recent memory that involves John Cena. 

The former WWE Champion did so during Tuesday’s episode of WWE Backstage on FS1. The match was the Men’s Royal Rumble bout that took place at the pay-per-view event in 2008. 

It turns out that Punk was supposed to win the contest. However, plans changed as WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon decided to have Cena win the contest instead. 

This was a big surprise return at the time as Cena was out of action with a torn pectoral muscle at the time. However, Cena, who’s known to recover fast, made a quick turnaround and returned earlier than anyone anticipated.

“I was supposed to win! I was supposed to win that Royal Rumble, then John Cena comes back after three months from a torn pec. Thanks a lot, John.”

While plans for the winner of this contest did change, that didn’t stop WWE’s plans to push CM Punk as a top player in the company. Just months after the Royal Rumble event, WWE had him win the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 24. 

This allowed him to later cash in to become World Champion.

• AJ Styles Responds To Harsh Comments From CM Punk: “I Don’t Respect Him Anyway”

CM Punk was pretty amused at some aspects of an angle that played out on WWE programming last night. Smackdown this week opened up with a scene that implied Jeff Hardy had driven under the influence, hit Elias with his car and then took off. CM Punk then took to Twitter and pointed out what he found amusing about the segment.

Punk also answered a question about his thoughts regarding returning to wrestling:

The angle led to both Elias and Jeff Hardy being removed from the Intercontinental tournament. AJ Styles was granted a bye to the finals. Sheamus then won a battle royal to determine who would face Daniel Bryan later in the night with Bryan winning the match between the two after Hardy returned and distracted Sheamus.

Matt Hardy Praises Tony Khan and AEW

Also last night, Matt Hardy took to Twitter to note he is happy working at AEW with company President Tony Khan.

Tony Khan also responded to Matt Hardy’s comments:

“You’re one of the greatest pros I’ve worked with across sports, what a privilege it is to spend Wednesdays with you. Thank you for everything you do for AEW, our fans & staff & your fellow wrestlers weekly, as you not only lead by example but are so generous with your time & mind,” Khan Tweeted.

• WWE SmackDown Results (5/29): Jeff Hardy Arrested, IC Title Tournament

AEW star Darby Allin recently appeared on the AEW Unrestricted podcast. The former pro skateboarder discussed a number of topics during the interview with Tony Schiavone and Aubrey Edwards; these included his love of documentary film-making and his straight edge lifestyle.

Arguably the most famous Straight Edge (no drink, no drugs, no casual sex) wrestler in history is CM Punk, who used the movement and its beliefs as part of his on-screen gimmick. Although in reality Punk is actually sXe, with his father’s alcoholism being one of his main driving factors towards the clean living lifestyle.

Although Darby Allin does not explicitly bring up his Straight Edge lifestyle on television, it is a huge part of his belief system and mentality.

Darby Allin on sXe lifestyle

“There’s lots of reasons” Allin began, describing why he decided to live a sXe lifestyle. “But, you know, just growing up and having friends, close friends and family members kind of waste their life on drugs or alcohol? It kind of sucked to see that they couldn’t reach their full potential in life.”

Darby Allin elaborated further, saying “they’re sitting around wasting life, blaming it. ‘Oh, I didn’t make it to where I wanted because of alcohol and drugs.’ I was sick of hearing these excuses. So I told myself, a long time ago. If I fail in life? I can’t blame it on alcohol or the drugs, it’s gonna be 100% my fault. I have no one to blame it on except my own self.”

Unfortunately drug use and professional wrestling have gone hand-in-hand over the past few decades; with iconic performers losing their lives due to misuse of alcohol, illegal drug use and prescription pills.

“Since I’ve started with wrestling I haven’t taken a pain pill or anything” Darby Allin revealed. “I don’t even take aspirin. And that’s a shock to some because of the stuff that I do. All I’d have to credit for it? It’s just stretching and like, you know, icing and just eating, taking care of yourself.”

Do you think that Darby Allin could end up being one of the biggest stars in AEW? Let us know in the comments

Also Check Out:

• FTR To Do Sit-Down Interview On Next Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite
• Jim Ross Says AEW Planned For House Shows Before Pandemic
• AEW Double Or Nothing Trending To Do Big PPV Numbers

CM Punk got fans talking over two posts on his official Twitter account that started out with responses. 

Punk responded to a tweet from FITE TV asking fans about their favorite all-time Punk moments, which the former WWE Champion responded with a simple “TBD,” which means to be determined. 

Of course, WWE has taken the interesting approach of building the rematch between Randy Orton and WWE Hall of Famer Edge as “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever.” This wrestling match will take place at the upcoming Backlash pay-per-view. 

The two stars just worked a Last Man Standing Match at WrestleMania 36 in April. Punk promoted his appearance on next Tuesday’s episode of WWE Backstage on FS1 in another tweet. 

This is where he called the episode the greatest show in the history of the series. 

With Punk watching WWE programming again through his work on the WWE Backstage show that airs weekly, there have been some rumors about his status with the company.

However, as recent as March, it was reported that there’s been no communication between the two sides about working together again. Time will tell whether that changes. 

• Kofi Kingston On The Advice He Received From CM Punk Before His WWE Debut

Kofi Kingston got to work with CM Punk numerous times during Punk’s WWE career and the two were even a tag team for a while, holding the World Tag Team Championships together one time as well.

The New Day member recently had an interview with Swerve City Podcast where he talked about his relationship with the Straight Edge star among other things.

During the interview, Kingston also claimed that he considers Punk to be his brother and revealed the advice Kofi received from him before his debut:

“Punk is one of the guys in the industry who I consider to be my brother; he helped me out when he didn’t need to help me out. People were more about keeping other people down and their spots being taken.

I remember, I’m about to go out for my debut and I’m doing push-ups.” said Kofi Kingston. “I see a set of wrestling shoes, I look up, and there’s Punk. He goes, ‘Just remember, they’re out here to see you.’ That eased my nerves going out there. He didn’t have to say that to me.”

• Also Read: Seth Rollins Responds To Jim Cornette’s Comments About Becky Lynch

The former champion also recalled the time he won the tag team championships with Punk and said that he learned a lot from the now former wrestler.

Kofi Kingston won the World Tag Team Championship with CM Punk back in October 2008. Though their reign didn’t last for long and they lost the titles to the Miz and John Morrison in December later that year.

New Japan Pro Wrestling star Will Ospreay recently addressed CM Punk’s comments on the ‘Aerial Assassin’ being a potential match up he would consider. In a recent interview, CM Punk stated that if the “conditions were right” then he would consider discussing potential matches against John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio and Will Ospreay.

Obviously, Ospreay is the only name on that list that does not currently work for WWE. This has lead many to believe that not only does Punk keep up with New Japan Pro Wrestling, but that it might be a consideration.

Will Ospreay vs CM Punk?

Whilst there’s no confirmation of this whatsoever, Will Ospreay has publicly stated that he would like the match at Wrestle Kingdom in January next year. Appearing recently on the Chris Van Vliet podcast; Ospreay said that the ball is completely in Punk’s court when it comes to the potential match.

“It can happen and the only person that can make it happen is him” Ospreay began. “We live in this world of possibility. Anything is possible and the whole ‘Never Say Never’ thing? But like whenever someone goes ‘Will are you ever going to go to WWE?’ like my natural reaction is to go like ‘no.’ But the reality is it IS never say never.”

Punk Has Left Wrestling?

Will Ospreay would elaborate further, saying how he really never considered facing CM Punk a possibility, due to the way he left WWE initially. “But like, Punk? I didn’t really consider this a possibility at all. Because the way he talked in the Colt Cabana interview? He was DONE with wrestling. And when he showed up in the UFC it was ‘all right so this is him just pretty much done with wrestling.’ It was only when I saw that (aforementioned) interview.”

“Because my phone just went off on a random day, my phone just started going off. And when Punk did that interview and he said like, ‘I would listen to your idea if it was John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Daniel Bryan or Will Ospreay!?’ and I was like, ‘dude those three are legends right there. That’s the cream of the crop stuff. So no matter what you say about my confidence in ability or whatever? Like, they’re there (up in the echelons). I’m here, I’m not even on the screen down here (laughs).”

The Pipebomb

Ospreay also mentioned that whilst he was taken aback by the suggestion, he knows that Punk is at least aware of what is happening in Japan. “I thought, If he’s coming back he’s going to WWE. But then I always remember that promo where he sat cross legged, and he was like, ‘maybe when I’m done here I could go to New Japan Pro Wrestling, maybe I could go to Ring of Honor.’ So he does watch. And that was back in 2011. He’s still watching (New Japan), because I wasn’t around in 2011.”

Do you think that we could see Punk vs Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom? Let us know in the comments

Also Check Out:

• CM Punk Says It’s Impossible To Watch Wrestling Without An Audience
• CM Punk: “It’s Completely Strange’ For WWE To Hold WrestleMania Right Now
• NJPW President Pens Open Letter To Fans Regarding Event Cancelations
• CM Punk On How Brock Lesnar Is In Real Life

ESPN will be running a Brock Lesnar marathon this Sunday and the channel will be showing content related to the Beast including some of his UFC bouts throughout the day.

Before this marathon, the organization spoke to many WWE superstars and other personalities of his life and asked them to describe the current WWE Champion in real life.

When they asked former WWE star CM Punk about Lesnar, the Straight Edge Star said that he doesn’t want to ruin his image, but described the former UFC star as a sweetheart:

“I don’t want to ruin his image, I think he’s a f—in’ sweetheart. This is a guy, when I got into MMA and I left wrestling, he was texting me, ‘Hey, if you need any help.’ I’m always kind of a standoffish guy. It’s hard to open up and trust people in the pro wrestling world. I think Brock has got a big heart, and that’s something a lot of people don’t talk about. “

Punk also discussed his match with Lesnar from SummerSlam 2013. He said that he didn’t know if the Monsterous Athlete would be receptive to any ideas. However, the match turned out to be fun and it was everything he loves about wrestling.

Rey Mysterio On The Human Side Of Brock Lesnar

Rey Mysterio who was there for Brock Lesnar’s first run with WWE recalled how Lesnar had become miserable during his run and explained how this shows the human side of him:

“I remember at one point Brock being miserable, This is right before he left WWE in 2004 the first time. We were going to Europe, and my wife and I were sitting right behind Brock on the charter plane. I just saw Brock biting the f— out of his nails and looking at a picture of one of his kids.

It really hit him, the fact that he had to travel so much. That was the human side of him. The father instinct that he has. Shortly after that, he was like, ‘I’ve gotta get out of here, bro. I can’t f—ing do this anymore.'”

Mysterio went on to claim that seeing Lesnar like that put things into perspective for him and it made him see his personal life in a different way as well.

The article also featured comments from the likes of his on-screen advocate Paul Heyman and Jim Ross. You can check out the full piece at this link.

CM Punk recently did an interview with No Sports Report where he talked about WWE’s decision to push forward with WrestleMania 36.

WWE had to make the change to the location of the event due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, which has been impacting their event schedule. It was moved to the Performance Center and held in front of no fans. It’ll also be a two-night event. 

“Even from a business standpoint, a fan standpoint, you gotta push the date, reschedule, have it in June/July. What is the silver lining in that? Maybe you can have it in an open-air arena in the midwest when it’s warm. 

Punk says the situation is almost as if WrestleMania is cancelled, but they’re moving forward anyways. He also revealed that there’s buzz behind the scenes that certain performers are sick.

“Yeah, I think it’s completely strange. You know, I hear all the rumors of who’s sick.”

– CM Punk

Then you’ve got all these guys that are whether the culture there has changed or not, are going to be job scared so they’re going to show up and then they get somebody else sick. Obviously, that’s how the virus works.”

Punk continued by noting that he thought the decision was just so obtuse and the wrong decision. He stated that he wouldn’t have made a two-night event. He then brought up how they pre-taped segments and questioned the insanity of watching it come Sunday if there are spoilers. 

Punk also talked about how it must suck for the performers to work in front of no fans under these conditions. 

It is not entirely surprising that CM Punk is outspoken about WWE’s practices. He is known for speaking his mind almost as much as his ring work. He is also not on very good terms with WWE, despite occasional appearances on the FS1 Backstage show.

• WWE’s Relationship With CM Punk Is Even Worse Than We Thought

You can listen listen to CM Punk’s comment about WWE moving forward with WrestleMania below.

It sounds like the possibility of having CM Punk jump back in the WWE ring is getting less and less likely.

Recently, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer discussed Punk’s current relationship with the company. Meltzer noted how often Punk has been featured on the WWE Backstage program on FOX. It was noted that Punk’s contract is through FOX, not WWE, meaning he is not an employee of the Vince McMahon-owned company. It was also speculated that the former WWE Champion’s contract is likely for one show a month.

With that being said, ever since Punk came back into the WWE fold, there has been a lot of speculation regarding whether or not he’ll return to the ring. Meltzer noted that WWE is actually “very negative” on the idea of Punk wrestling for them again. This is due to a mixture of several reasons. First, WWE believes they already have enough part-timers with the likes of WWE Hall Of Famers Goldberg and Edge, amongst others.

Also, there is still bitterness between the two sides given how toxic of a falling out they had all those years ago. However, Meltzer added that there appears to be “more bitterness on WWE’s side.”

All that being said, it doesn’t sound like the highly-anticipated WWE return is in the cards for Punk anytime soon. Of course, crazier things have happened in the professional wrestling business. Perhaps it’s only a matter of time before all the chips fall into place.

Punk departed WWE back in early 2014 shortly after the Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV). He cited several issues with the company as his reason for leaving, and has since gone on to do more acting, comic book writing, and even dabbled in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) with two UFC fights under his belt.

• Details On Whether WWE Has Reached Out To CM Punk

With CM Punk watching WWE programming again through his work on the WWE Backstage show that airs weekly on FS1, there have been some rumors about his status with the company. 

For those who are wondering whether WWE has contacted CM Punk for a return at WrestleMania 36, there is no truth to any rumors going around about this possibility, according to PWInsider. 

Last year, Seth Rollins had called out Punk for a match. This was around the time that Punk signed with FOX Sports for a role on WWE Backstage. For whatever reason, rumors started up again recently that WWE could book Punk vs. Rollins at WrestleMania but that’s not true. 

In fact, the report states there has been zero communication between WWE officials and Punk. This includes a match or an appearance on television let alone WrestleMania. 

WWE never made an offer to Punk and the rumored talks never took place. Also, there has been no internal talk about using Punk in WWE

WWE hasn’t even promoted Punk’s appearances on the FOX Sports show in recent months after some comments he has made on social media. To be clear, he is not signed with WWE but rather he is signed to FOX.

Rollins is slated to wrestle Kevin Owens at WrestleMania. Despite his recent jab at Roman Reigns over WWE holding WrestleMania 36 in an empty venue is one way to guarantee no boos for “The Big Dog,” things haven’t changed between Punk and WWE. 

CM Punk On Plummeting WWE Backstage Ratings

Despite having CM Punk as the analyst and other special guests on the show, WWE Backstage has seen a decline in the ratings in recent times and just last week it made a new record for the lowest viewership in the show’s history.

During his recent appearance on Swings & Mrs. show, the Straight Edge star talked about a number of things and also commented on the plummeting ratings of the show.

Punk said that WWE Backstage is an interesting show. He knows many people who don’t watch it, but he is not sure if Fox officials are concerned about the ratings very much:

“It’s an interesting show. I know a whole bunch of people don’t watch it, but I’m not so sure they’re concerned about ratings. I think they just want to have a discourse about the show and see what we can talk about to make things better in a way. I have a ton of fun with the show; me and Booker get along great. I love working with Renee.”

CM Punk continued by mentioning how the show has allowed him to meet many WWE stars who were not in the company when he was there like Ember Moon and more.

Apart from this, the former WWE Champion also said that he would be open to a wrestling return against the right opponent. You can check out his comments about potential in-ring return at this link.

Quotes via WrestlingInc

CM Punk is no longer an active talent for WWE, but he certainly has some stories from his run with the company.

Recently, the former WWE Champion-turned-UFC fighter was a guest on Cody and Jennifer Decker’s Swing and Mrs. podcast, where he discussed his professional wrestling career. During the interview, Punk mentioned a recurring elbow injury he dealt with during his WWE run. The injury forced Punk to continuously ice his elbows and knees regularly.

As a result, Punk claims he was made fun of by other members of the WWE locker room for his icing practices. He was even compared to WWE Hall Of Famer Diamond Dallas Page. Punk discussed how childish he viewed this, and didn’t understand the “bully culture” for doing such a simple thing.

“It’s a bully culture. I remember somebody — every time I would ice my elbow, because I constantly had a chronically bad elbow. And I would ice my knees and that was more of a maintenance thing. After a while I did get a surgery on my knee. But they would always laugh and make fun of me.

“And they would look and point and say, ‘Oh, look, it’s DDP!’ And I’d be like, ‘Why are we making fun of somebody for icing?’ It was always the stupidest stuff. The bullies backstage, I would always think like — is that a weakness, really? And look at billion dollar NBA teams that are mandatory icing guys after games and stuff like that.

“But like, the macho bulls**t. I’m not a man because I’m icing my knees? Okay, cool.”

Currently, Punk is attached to the WWE brand once again by serving as a frequent guest on the FOX studio show, WWE Backstage. It’s not a return to the squared circle by any means, however, perhaps it could lead to exactly that down the road now that the bridge between Punk and WWE seems to be mended.

• CM Punk Open In-Ring Return Against The Right Opponent

H/T 411Mania for the transcriptions