CM Punk will be discussed on the season finale of Something Else To Wrestle on the WWE Network.
WWE Network News is reporting that Bruce Prichard and Conrad Thompson will be discussing the early WWE career of CM Punk. The timeline of this podcast will be the period of 2006 through to 2008. During this time, it featured his run in ECW and winning the World Title.
Since he departed from the WWE in 2014 after the Royal Rumble PPV (pay-per-view) event, fans have wanted to see Punk compete in the squared circle again. Instead, he took his talents to the world famous Octagon in the UFC.
The former WWE Champion fought Mike Jackson in a welterweight bout at the UFC 225 pay-per-view event on Saturday, June 9, 2018, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. As seen in the fight, Jackson dominated it and Punk showed a ton of heart but was winded after the first round. Jackson was able to pick up the unanimous decision win. He lost in his MMA debut against Mickey Gall at UFC 203 in September of 2016 by first round submission.
Do you plan on watching this episode? Sound off in the comment section.
CM Punk’s latest UFC challenger, Mike Jackson, was recently a guest on WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T’s podcast, Heated Conversations, to talk about fighting the former WWE Champion. Jackson said that he knew he was on a different level from Punk mixed martial arts (MMA) wise, and admits Punk was extremely confident heading into the fight.
He also truly believes that Punk thought he could win the fight by submission if he got it to the ground:
“I do believe that he did. I legit felt that in his mind that he was going to take me down and submit me. I believe that 100%. No man is going to get into a fight with nothing but winning on their mind. I don’t believe that. Outside of the bums who are just joining for a check, I don’t think he was doing it for a check,” Jackson said.
“He could have made the money elsewhere off of his brand. I felt that in his heart he thought that he was going to take me down and submit me, but like I said I was at a different level than where he was at. I had to shut all that down.”
Jackson then addressed SmackDown Live star Daniel Bryan’s recent comments in which he said he thinks he could beat Jackson on the ground. Jackson pretty much laughed that challenge off and said that if Bryan really wants to fight he’d happily accept the challenge:
“I saw that and I just laughed. I remembered seeing it scroll through my headline but I didn’t know what it was so I kept scrolling and didn’t pay any attention to it because I just thought it was a CM Punk reference. I just kept scrolling—I was in Chipotle and was trying to get me a bowl and next thing you know my phone is blowing up,” Jackson said.
“People were like, yo, Daniel Bryan said—I was like, dude, this is getting ridiculous now. I was like, what? Like I said, I kind of drifted away from pro wrestling once he grew in popularity, but I am very familiar with pro wrestling and the whole ‘Yes!’ chant and things like that.
“I know that he has a little background in catch wrestling and things like that, but my thing is that I know you have neck problems. I know where you are restricted in your abilities so why would my name even come out of your mouth? If Daniel Bryan wants this smoke, they call me ‘Chimney Man’ because I have all this smoke.”
You can listen to Jackson’s interview with Booker T on Heated Conversations by clicking here.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently took to his podcast, The Ross Report, to talk about several professional wrestling topics. “Good Ole’ JR” first commented on the criticism that former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has been under for her promos in WWE.
While Ross notes that the former UFC champ isn’t the best on the microphone, she’s improving time after time:
“I hear experts talk about, ‘well, Ronda’s verbal skills are not as refined as…’ and they’ll give you another example of a talker. Well, hell, of course it’s not.” Ross explained, “this is new to her. Don’t be pissed off at Ronda Rousey because she’s in a new world that she was invited to join and make worth their while. I don’t get why that’s a bad thing. I think she’s doing fine, I really do. Look, she won me over a long time ago as a badass athlete.
“Great skillset all the way around. She’s a different breed of cat. She’s like Kurt Angle was when he first… full of P and V, when he came to WWE. He was on a different athletic level than most of the other guys. As a matter of fact, I would say all of the other guys. He was that good he was able to separate. And that’s what happens when you win gold medals when you’re in international competition.
“You excel there. Ronda did that, 17 year old Olympian, bronze medalist. So I think her verbal skills have improved. I’d give her some bullet points. I’d keep her off TV in that role. It’s just soundbites because people won’t remember it anyway. That’s the kind of society we live in. So her athletic skills are still amazing.”
Ross also touched on the older professional wrestlers that seem to have an issue with Rousey’s WWE run. The Oklahoman declared that they’re likely just jealous:
“When I hear ex [pro] wrestlers or older wrestlers b—h about Ronda Rousey, I believe it’s based on jealousy.” Ross continued, “and the fact that a lot of men are still having a hard time with the females taking up so much of their time on television. Their time?
“It’s our time. So it was the same thing in the territories. When [Fabulous] Moolah’s girls came to a territory, four girls came in and four guys were sent home with no pay. If [the women] were there for two weeks, [the men] wouldn’t be booked for two weeks. No paycheck, no guarantees. You don’t get paid unless you work.”
On the topic of CM Punk, Ross said that he hopes the former WWE Champion’s last outing inside the UFC’s Octagon was his last:
“Hey the guy lost a unanimous decision.” Ross said, “he went three rounds against Mike Jackson. I don’t know how much Jackson celebrated himself there. He didn’t impress Dana White and it looks like, according to what White has said, this was likely CM Punk’s last UFC fight. I hope Dana’s right.
“I hope that’s an accurate prediction. Hey look, I love CM Punk’s willingness to try something new, boldly try something new, compete on an entirely different canvas. But let’s be honest – at his age and skillset, I hope that Phil Brooks will look elsewhere for a new challenge.”
Finally, Ross revealed that he doesn’t see Punk ever working for another professional wrestling organization full-time again:
“I don’t see Punk ever, ever, being full time for any [pro] wrestling company again. See what I did there, a little Chris Jericho thing?” Ross joked. “At this stage in [Punk’s] life and his recent experiences in the pro wrestling biz, plus, he’s not in a cash-strapped situation. He [has] got nothing left to prove. He doesn’t owe the wrestling fans anything. He [has] given it all to you.
“What more do you want? How many more years? So he [has] got a lot of marketable skills, Phil Brooks. I think he’d be a great broadcaster in many areas. He [has] got a lot of interests. But CM Punk is, as Gordon Solie used to describe ‘Cowboy’ Bill Watts in Florida Championship Wrestling, when Gordon would say, ‘that ‘Cowboy’ is a strange enigma that many simply do not understand. Uh-uh.'”
You can listen to The Ross Report by clicking this link here.
Last weekend (Sat. June 9, 2018) former WWE Champion CM Punk participated in the second mixed martial arts (MMA) fight of his career at UFC 225 on pay-per-view (PPV). Punk fought former Houston Golden Gloves winner Mike Jackson.
Punk was able to last all three rounds, as opposed to his first fight where he lost via submission in just over two minutes, but that was largely due to his opponent dragging the fight out. Punk has received a lot of criticism for his MMA career, with many suggesting he should simply return to professional wrestling.
UFC President Dana White recently jumped to Punk’s aid, saying he was following his dreams and put a ton of dedication into his new venture. He also blasted fans by saying it’s easy for them to criticize Punk, who is fighting three five minute rounds inside a cage, while they’re sitting in their living rooms watching:
“This guy was actually a huge star at WWE, came over here and put it all on the line twice in front of the whole world. Now if people can’t respect that, then you’re a f–king idiot anyways,” White said about Punk when speaking to the MMA Roasted podcast.
“You can’t tell somebody don’t do the thing that you want to do the most. CM Punk wanted to be a UFC fighter. He wanted to come and he wanted to fight here. He wanted it so bad that he f–king dropped everything and focused on nothing but mixed martial arts. Next time you talk to Duke Roufus or [Anthony] Pettis or any of those guys, talk about how this guy was driving back and forth from Chicago to their place and would drive for hours to come out and train and would train forever and they all ended up respecting him.
“The guy went in there and put it all on the line. Tell me one guy that can walk into the UFC at 38 years old and compete after he’s been training for f–king months,” White said. “He was just a regular guy. The only reason Brock Lesnar did as well as he did is because he was a real wrestler. The guy actually came from collegiate wrestling and he was one of the best.”
With all that being said, White doesn’t see a third UFC opportunity in Punk’s future, but credited him for having the guts to do it in the first place:
“I don’t think he really wants a third chance,” White said. “Hopefully after this last fight, the guy he’s got balls and he’s got guts and he went on the world stage and he gave it two shots. A lot of people want to talk s–t on CM Punk, get in there, come on over. Fight one of these guys. It’s easy to f–king sit in your living room and talk s–t. Come in here.”
Thanks to our sister site, MMA News, for the quotes. Go there for the latest in everything MMA now!
In a recent episode of his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, mixed martial arts (MMA) expert and UFC commentator Joe Rogan discussed former WWE Champion CM Punk’s UFC 225 performance this past weekend.
Punk took on former Houston, TX Golden Gloves winner Mike Jackson in a three round welterweight contest. He lost the fight via unanimous decision, getting virtually dominated throughout the entirety of the fight. Rogan wasn’t too big a fan of Punk fighting in the UFC, and said that Punk doesn’t have any physical talent like other athletes who make the transition into MMA:
“The whole thing was very weird,” said Rogan. Like, right away, when you see CM Punk holding his hands up and moving stiff and throwing kicks, [I’m like], ‘oh Jesus.’ Like, I don’t like that being on pay-per-view. I understand that they are selling pay-per-view cards, but pay-per-view in the UFC should be the elite fighters. It’s like you took a dude [with] no wrestling background, no nothing, and you go, ‘alright, this is what I want you to do. This is a jab.
“This is a right hand. When you throw a kick, I want you to pivot your hips. Go in there and spar. I mean, he just doesn’t have the ability to move his body right. There’s a lot of guys that you could take out there—track and field guys, or football players, and you could get them to fight better than him in a couple of weeks. Easily. Because they’re athletes. They’re athletes. They would understand how to shift their weight, [and] throw a punch… he doesn’t have any talent.
“That’s all it is. He just doesn’t have any physical talent. For whatever reason. Whether it’s his approach, his intensity. It’s not his coaching. He’s with Duke f–kin Roufus. If Duke just grabbed some dude from a gas station that has been drinking beer and smoking cigarettes his whole life, and had him in a fight in six months, how much can you possibly expect?”
Colt Cabana has opened up on his friendship with CM Punk.
Cabana recently appeared on Busted Open Radio to talk with Bubba Ray Dudley and Dave LaGreca. During the interview, he was asked about the status of his friendship with Punk following their recent lawsuit that was brought against them from WWE doctor Chris Amann. We’re… we’re what we are, you know? Yes. Of course we are.” Cabana continued by stating, “Me and Punk [are] like you and Taz,” said Cabana (transcript courtesy of Wrestling Inc).”We’re friends.”
Following his second pro-MMA loss to Mike Jackson by unanimous decision at the UFC 225 pay-per-view event, there has been some speculation that Punk might make a return to professional wrestling.
Cabana made it clear that he doesn’t think Punk will go back to the WWE but never say never. “I think he has no desire to ever go to WWE, but, you never know,” said Cabana. “In 10 years, something can be different. His mindset could be different, his pocket book could be different, these are factors that I don’t know. Like, right now, I think he hates wrestling, and everything is kind of… it’s weird, because it’s done everything for him, and it’s also done everything against him. So, I think he has a bad taste for wrestling in his mouth but, you know, in four, five, 10 years, who knows?” Cabana added that Chris Jericho’s involvement with NJPW this year goes to show that there are other options other than being in the sports entertainment company. Cabana added that he feels sad for Punk because after becoming so successful in the WWE, it ultimately cost him to lose his passion for wrestling.
What are your thoughts on Cabana’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
As we’ve noted, current WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar has broken CM Punk’s 434 day World Title reign and is now the longest reigning World Champion in the history of the modern era of WWE.
Punk set that record with the WWE Championship, while Lesnar broke it with the Universal Championship. Since winning the Universal Title from Goldberg at WrestleMania 33 last year, Lesnar has only defended the Universal Championship 10 times (including live events).
According to reddit user cheikhyourselfm8, at this rate Lesnar is going to take 16 years and 9 months to match Punk’s amount of title defenses during his record-setting reign as WWE Champion. This really puts into perspective just how little Lesnar has been defending the Universal Title since winning it.
While Lesnar may now be the longest reigning World Champion of the modern era in WWE, there’s no way he can match the true all-time record. That record is held by late WWE Hall Of Famer Bruno Sammartino – who held the WWE Title for eight years from 1963 until 1971. That’s a reign of 2,803 days and a record that will likely never be broken.
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar has reigned as the World Title holder for over a year now, and in the process he has broken a record.
Lesnar has been Universal Champion for 435 days, officially passing former WWE Champion CM Punk’s record of 434 days. The Beast is now the longest reigning World Champion in the Modern Era of WWE.
Of course, Punk and Lesnar held different World Titles, as the Universal Title wasn’t implemented until after Punk had already left WWE. But seeing as they are both considered World Titles, Lesnar’s reign is still considered longer than Punk’s in the record books.
Of course, as one Twitter user points out, Lesnar’s amount of title defenses compared to Punk’s is ridiculously lopsided:
Punk still holds the longest reign for the WWE Championship in the Modern Era nonetheless. Unofficially, the longest WWE Title reign belongs to the late WWE Hall Of Famer Bruno Sammartino – who held the belt for eight years from 1963 until 1971. That’s a reign of 2,803 days and a record that will likely never be broken.
Corey Graves is evidently not CM Punk’s biggest fan. The color commentator for both Raw and Smackdown seemed to revel in Punk’s loss at UFC 225 on Saturday night.
“Maybe abandoning everybody who stood by your side, even when we weren’t supposed to, only to have you turn your back on us wasn’t the right move after all?” Graves Tweeted not long after the fight ended. “No anger. Only sadness.”
Graves seems to be echoing sentiment once expressed by Chris Jericho; that Punk didn’t keep in contact with people who considered him a friend in WWE.
“The first rule of ‘punk rock’ is loyalty, and this guy betrayed it all,” Graves continued. “I still love you, “friend” and I’m sorry you got lost.”
Don’t worry, hey @VinceMcMahon this has nothing to do with you.
“Awww. Seems the “fans” are disappointed. Maybe you guys should know that “That Dude” held my first son before I did because I was on tour and I trusted him,” Graves continued. “I had dinner with him the week after he quit.”
About 4.5 hours into the Twitter tirade, Graves then came out with the following:
Graves then spoke with Fightful.com about his Tweets.
“What really set me off was this week when he essentially disowned the business that made him,”Graves said. “My only issue with him was that he turned off people that actually loved and supported him. Beyond “the business” and he never wanted anything to do with us…yet continued to present himself as this ‘Punk’ hero.”
Graves continued to say that nothing he said had anything to do with WWE or the recent lawsuit.
“Dude, this has ZERO to do with court, or testimony or any of the above. Nothing that I tweeted was corporate,” said Graves. “I’m simply hurt/pissed off that a guy that I looked like as a big brother-type has turned his back on me and everyone that loved and supported him only because of the name on my paycheck. I’m definitely not the only one. I won’t name names, but there is a large group of us to this day that inexplicably lost a solid friend because of where we work.”
After losing his second straight bout at UFC 225 on Saturday night, dropping a lopsided three-round decision to fellow 0-1 fighter Mike “The Truth” Jackson, it looks like CM Punk is done as a UFC fighter for now.
UFC President Dana White was asked about Punk’s future in the organization after losing for the second time in two fights, as Punk lost via judges scores of 30-26, 30-26 and 30-26 after fifteen minutes of action at the United Center in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois at last night’s pay-per-view.
“It should be a wrap,” White said. “The guy is 39 years old. I love the guy — he’s the nicest guy in the world.”
White would go on to say more about the future of the former WWE Superstar in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and also explained why his opponent, Mike Jackson, also lost his job with the UFC due to his antics inside the Octagon with Punk. Check out more by clicking the appropriate links below.
CM PUNK — UFC 225 COVERAGE
For those who missed it, we have video highlights of the Punk-Jackson fight, as well as all of the details regarding Punk’s future in the UFC and the incident during the fight that led to Jackson losing his job with the company as well.
Well, he got his second chance and when all was said and done, he went 0-2 inside the Octagon. Apparently high-level MMA isn’t for CM Punk.
Former WWE Superstar Phil “CM Punk” Brooks lost a unanimous decision to fellow 0-1 MMA fighter Mike “The Truth” Jackson in the opening bout on the UFC 225 pay-per-view card in Punk’s hometown of Chicago, Illinois on Saturday night.
Punk came out looking decent in the first round, winning the round on many media members and fans scorecards, however from that point on, things got ugly. Fatigue set in and the lack of experience shined through as Jackson took over the fight en route to a unanimous decision victory on judges scores of 30-26 x3.
Check out video highlights of the CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson fight from UFC 225 below.
For more video highlights of the CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson fight, visit our MMA affiliate website at MMANews.com. For complete results of tonight’s big pay-per-view in Chicago, click the following link: UFC 225 Results: Whittaker vs. Romero II
The Octagon travels to Chicago, Illinois this weekend, as UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero II goes down live on Saturday night, June 9th, from the United Center, airing live on pay-per-view. As is always the case before a big MMA event, our MMA affiliate website, MMANews.com has you covered from multiple angles with pre-fight analysis and insight from multiple veteran MMA writers.
MMANews.com staff writers Matt Boone, Andrew Ravens and Ian Carey will break down the fights scheduled for the main pay-per-view card, which includes a star-studded lineup and two championship fights. In the main card opener, former WWE Superstar Phil “CM Punk” Brooks returns to the Octagon to fight fellow 0-1 rookie Mike “The Truth” Jackson.
With that said, let’s take a look at what Boone, Ravens and Carey think about tonight’s Punk vs. Jackson fight.
CM PUNK VS. MIKE JACKSON PREDICTIONS
Featured below is the pre-fight analysis and predictions for tonight’s CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson main card opening bout at the UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero II pay-per-view.
Matt Boone: So, you want a tough assignment? Break down CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson from an “expert” standpoint. And … GO! Good luck! This is as big a question mark as any fight you’ll get, as it is essentially two guys that have fought once, against the same guy, and lost in one-sided fashion. We’ve seen neither man do anything inside the Octagon yet, other than take punishment and get finished in the first round. Having said that, “The Truth” is supposed to be some kind of standup artist and Punk likes jiu-jitsu a lot. Who knows. I’ll go with Jackson. (Prediction: Mike Jackson)
Andrew Ravens: There is not a ton of footage to go off of the previous fights that both fighters have had. It’s a real pick em here. It could go either way. Although you could make the argument that Jackson should win this fight, this is Punk’s best chance of winning a pro-MMA fight. I see Punk dominating with his jiu-jitsu because that is what he has been training for over the last several years now and ultimately getting a TKO win in the first round. (Prediction: CM Punk)
Ian Carey: With all do respect to CM Punk, he’s going to get embarrassed again. Is Mike Jackson a great MMA fighter? Absolutely not. Is he an actual MMA fighter tho? Yes, yes he is. CM Punk is not. Jackson had his first amateur fight over 9 years ago. Punk started training a few years ago. At some point in Jackson’s training coaches would have told him he’s skilled enough to compete. Punk signed a UFC contract before he started training. The UFC is supposed to be for the top fighters in the world, not just the ones who draw the most money. You could put a Kardashian in the octagon and it would draw money, it doesn’t mean you should do it. Let’s call it for what it is, Punk’s fame bought him a paid trip to MMA fantasy camp. The fantasy ends on Saturday. (Prediction: Mike Jackson)
CONSENSUS: Mike Jackson (2-1)
For analysis and predictions for all fights on tonight’s UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero II pay-per-view card, check out the full article at MMANews.com by clicking the appropriate link. The same can be said for live round-by-round results coverage of tonight’s show.
WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins took to Twitter last night and noted that he hung out with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star Juice Robinson on Wednesday. Rollins said that Robinson is one of his favorite people, and put him over as the future of NJPW.
Unfortunately, The Architect said he and Robinson were having so much fun that they forgot to take a picture together:
Hung out with Juice Robinson yesterday. One of my favorite humans and the future of @njpw1972. I should’ve taken a pic, but we were too busy livin’. #budtweet
Former WWE Champion CM Punk is gearing up to make his second UFC appearance tomorrow night, when he takes on fellow 0-1 record holder Mike Jackson on the main card of the UFC 225 pay-per-view (PPV) in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois.
During a media scrum, Punk was asked about the current controversy surrounding Super Bowl winners The Philadelphia Eagles not visiting the White House this year, as per tradition.
When asked if he’d ever accept an invitation to the White House from United States President Donald Trump, Punk claimed he wouldn’t and called Trump a racist:
This comment received praise from former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Batista, who took to Twitter and said “just another reason to love this dude!!”:
On Saturday night, “The Best in the World” returns as Phil “CM Punk” Brooks will make his second walk to the Octagon to the tune of “Cult of Personality” in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois, when he fights Mike “The Truth” Jackson at the United Center, live on pay-per-view.
Punk vs. Jackson is scheduled as the opening bout on the pay-per-view card at UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero II on Saturday night, in a match pitting two fighters with 0-1 pro MMA records on a card that features multiple former UFC World Champions on the preliminary card leading up to the pay-per-view.
Okay, with that out-of-the-way, let’s take a closer look at the actual matchup between two fighters who we know very little about.
CM Punk and Mike Jackson have each fought one professional MMA fight, and it was against the same man — Mickey Gall. Gall defeated both via first-round stoppage, as he submitted Punk with a rear-naked choke at 2:14 of round one in their fight at UFC 203 in September of 2016, and Jackson via RNC in just 45 seconds in their fight at UFC Fight Night 82 in February of 2016.
Both Punk and Jackson have had two years since their only fights inside the Octagon to improve their skills, and on Saturday, we will see just how much they have improved.
In the case of Punk, leading up to his first fight against Gall, there was a lot of buzz from high-level fighters about his talents. Ben Askren, who helped Punk with his wrestling training, was careful not to hand out too many compliments, however others, such as former UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis and Roufusport head coach Duke Roufus, were quick to sing Punk’s praises any time a microphone or camera was in front of them. This time around, however, that is not the case. Roufus is still supporting his guy, claiming Punk has improved “incredibly” since UFC fans have last seen him in action nearly two years ago.
In the case of Jackson, again, we don’t know much. He claims to have a solid background in striking competition, touting an undefeated record in boxing and kickboxing with all of his victories coming by way of knockout. I have yet to see a lot of these bouts, but he insists that they are out there. Punk claims to be a big fan of jiu-jitsu, and touts some kind of karate background for his striking credentials.
If you look at the numbers, Punk is a 39-year-old longtime pro wrestler with a beat up body who has been terribly distracted by one of the most grueling issues he has faced in his life, a long, drawn-out lawsuit against WWE physician Chris Amann, which coincidentally wrapped up the same week he was finishing up his training for the biggest fight of his life. Meanwhile, Jackson is only 33, and appears to be a decent athlete, if nothing else. In terms of height and weight, they are the exact same, as they each weigh 170 pounds and they each stand 6 feet, 2-inches tall.
Once again, another dead end.
Last and certainly not least, we go the odds route. The betting odds, as of this writing, have Jackson at -210 and Punk at +180. What this means is that Jackson is slightly more than a two-to-one favorite to defeat Punk, while Punk sits at a nearly two-to-one underdog spot. A $100 bet on Punk, if he were to win, would profit you $180. On the flip-side of the coin, it would take a $210 bet on Jackson with the current odds, to profit $100 if he were to pull of the victory as expected.
Again, not a lot is learned.
When Bruce Buffer finishes his infamous pre-fight introductions and gets out of the way and the guy with the black shirt and latex gloves on tells these two to fight, your guess is as good as anybody’s in terms of how the fight will play out. Clearly Punk has a lot riding on this one, as does Jackson, as a loss will surely spell the end of either guys run in the UFC. Punk might have a slight chance of getting a third shot as an 0-2 fighter, although the public out-cry might force UFC President Dana White’s hand on that one. Certainly Punk won’t be on any pay-per-view cards as an 0-2 fighter making his third walk to the Octagon.
Things will be very interesting when the bell rings to kick off round one of the opening fight on the pay-per-view card when UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero II touches down at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on Saturday evening. If you’re not ordering the PPV, make sure to join us at our MMA affiliate website, MMANews.com, for the best round-by-round live results coverage of UFC 225.
What are your thoughts on the CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson fight? How do you think the fight will play out? Sound off in the Comments section below.
In that interview, Punk addressed potentially appearing at All In in September and if he would return to wrestling. The former WWE Champion stated that “it’s not happening” regarding appearing at All In.
He would go on to say that, “Nobody has ever asked me, like straight up asked me, to come wrestle for them. Nobody.” Punk added, “[People have said] hey, if you ever wanna do anything… Nobody’s ever been like, ‘hey, here’s the deal, we’re having a show, we’re paying you X amount and you’re working this guy. Whaddaya say, yes or no?’ Nobody’s ever done that.”
This led to a lot of fans speculating that if someone did make him an actual offer then he might consider returning to the squared circle.
Fast forward to Thursday (June 7, 2018), Punk clarified his position about a potential return while speaking with Aaron Bronsteter of TSN during media day.
“Yesterday, I said a bunch of stuff about wrestling and how I never got a true offer, this doesn’t mean that I want to wrestle. I’m done with professional wrestling. A lot of people want to be mad at me about that, make fun of me for losing my first fight and that’s fine because you are entitled to your own opinion but you don’t own me and I am entitled to do what I want to do.”
He went on to say that wrestling is in the rearview mirror for him and has been trying to do that for the past five years but some people don’t want to let go. He added that he understands that wrestlers come and go from retirement but this is his head space now [in MMA].
After dealing with injuries and not wanting to wrestle anymore, Punk decided to take time off the sports entertainment company on the Monday following the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in 2014. He would later be served with his termination papers from WWE on his wedding day later that year. Since he departed from the WWE, fans have wanted to see Punk compete in the squared circle again. Instead, he took his talents to the world famous Octagon in the UFC.
What do you think about Punk’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
CM Punk did offer some advice to Ronda Rousey before her in-ring WWE debut.
Rousey made her WWE in-ring debut by teaming up with Kurt Angle to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a Mixed Tag Team Match at WrestleMania 34 in April.
Punk, who is good friends with the former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, continues to make the media rounds to promote his welterweight bout against Mike Jackson in the opening bout of the main card for the upcoming UFC 225 pay-per-view event on Saturday, June 9, 2018, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Punk was asked by media members on Wednesday if he gave any advice to Rousey about her journey from MMA to the WWE.
“The only thing I told her was to just have fun,” said Punk (transcript courtesy of MMA Fighting). “I don’t know what it’s like back there in this current environment. I know she’d probably get treated differently, just as I know I probably get treated differently here. The only thing I ever told her is, ‘I know you’ve got a lot of people telling you, do this, don’t do this’ — whatever you do, when you go out there for WrestleMania, make sure you have fun. Period.” Punk did mention that although he didn’t watch the match, he was able to see some clips of it.
“No, I did not,” CM Punk said. “I saw a couple of clips here and there. And still, when I say it’s hard for me to watch wrestling, it’s not like an anxiety thing, it’s not like an, ‘ugh, I can’t do it.’ I literally, I can’t get through eight seconds without being like, ‘OK, umm, can I change the channel? I’m bored, I gotta watch something else.’ It’s like going to a baseball game at [New York Mets stadium] CitiField. I like Wrigley Field, it’s old school. Going to a baseball game at CitiField, it’s like a guy gets ball four and they blow off fireworks and there’s LED screens on everything. “Wrestling now is completely like that. There’s LED screens everywhere and there’s flashing lights and I feel like I’m gonna have a seizure.”
What are your thoughts on Punk’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
It’s a big fight week in the world of MMA with the UFC 225 pay-per-view event taking place this weekend. To keep up with Punk’s fight week activities and to get your latest MMA news, make sure to check out our sister site,MMANews.com.
With the defamation lawsuit behind him, CM Punk is now free to focus on his UFC return against Mike Jackson at this Saturday’s UFC 225 event from Chicago.
However, while there is ample excitement about Punk’s return to Octagon, there are some wrestling fans who are more interested in knowing about his future in the industry instead.
During a recent interview with MMAFighting.com, the former WWE Champion talked about the case against Dr. Chris Amann, his upcoming fight and more.
In the closing minutes of the interview, the former WWE Star was asked about possibly being part of September’s wrestling show and he replied negatively:
“It’s not happening” Punk said
Continuing on the topic, the UFC Star revealed that while he has been told that the doors are open for him, nobody has ever come up to him with an actual offer for a wrestling return:
“[People have said] hey, if you ever wanna do anything… Nobody’s ever been like, ‘hey, here’s the deal, we’re having a show, we’re paying you X amount and you’re working this guy. Whaddaya say, yes or no?’ Nobody’s ever done that.”
It’s worth mentioning here that Punk had made similar comments about a possible appearance at the show during a short interview immediately following his trial.
However, you can never say never in the wrestling business and as Booker T believes, things could change if the former Champion is defeated in his second UFC fight as well.
You can check out the full interview of CM Punk in the video below:
As UFC 225 continues to rapidly approach, former WWE Superstar CM Punk is gearing up for his second trip to the Octagon. Before he does so, which goes down this Saturday night near his hometown of Chicago, Illinois at the United Center, Punk closed a very important chapter of his life and career this week.
Punk won a trial against WWE doctor Chris Amann this week, stemming from a lawsuit that was filed years ago when the former pro wrestler left WWE in pursuit of his MMA dreams in the UFC.
Following the court case, which wrapped up in his favor this week, our own Steven Muehlhausen spoke with CM Punk for Fightful.com. During the discussion, Punk spoke about his thoughts on the entire process of dealing with the lawsuit against Amann.
“Yeah, this has been … in a word, I think this has been pretty frivolous and I’m shocked it made it this far, but I was always confident because all I had to do was tell the truth, and in the end I’m super grateful towards the jury for coming to the correct verdict,” said Punk. “But still, being in court is nerve-wracking. So, the fact that this is all over, well, I’m hoping this is all over, and I hope I never have to talk about it again or hear certain names or certain words. I don’t have to re-live me being forced to work through concussions anymore and hear people’s testimony about it. I’m just happy it’s over. It’s a good day.”
When asked if the end of the lawsuit was one of the happiest days of his life knowing that the WWE chapter of his life is officially behind him, “The Best in the World” responded with a pretty intriguing answer.
“I mean if we can 100-percent without-a-doubt say that, yeah, this would be one of the happiest days of my life,” Punk quipped. “But I’ll always be looking over my shoulder [laughs].”
Of course, it wouldn’t have been a proper discussion with Punk if the question regarding how the trial being so closely scheduled to his second fight in the Octagon affected his preparations.
“I feel good and I look good,” said Punk with a laugh, while his wife, fellow former WWE Superstar A.J. Lee chuckled in the background. “I’m not trying to cut a promo or anything, but I think that in a weird way this trial made me even more ultra focused on what I have to do on Saturday.”
Check out Steven Muehlhausen’s complete discussion with CM Punk above. If you haven’t had your fill of CM Punk-related content heading into this Saturday’s UFC 225 pay-per-view, check out some of the following links:
During the trial between CM Punk & Colt Cabana vs. WWE Dr. Chris Amann, a lot of information came to light. At one point in the trial, Tweets were read aloud that were directed towards Amann on Twitter.
WrestleZone recently reported that a hashtag of #FireDrAmann was Tweeted by a user who’s name was Mike Litoris. Many in the courtroom begun to chuckle at the joke. Now that the trial is over, and was ruled in favor of Punk and Cabana, Colt took to Twitter to comment on Mr. Litoris’ Tweet:
As we’ve noted, Lio Rush is expected to be making his 205 Live debut soon. Rush had some run-ins with Velveteen Dream in NXT previously, and now Dream believes that because he gave Rush the “rub from The Dream,” he’s responsible for the call-up.
He also teased his NXT TakeOver: Chicago opponent, Ricochet, that he can do the same for him too:
CM Punk is currently gearing up to compete in his second mixed martial arts (MMA) fight this weekend on the main card of the UFC 225 pay-per-view (PPV) in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois.
The former WWE Champion will be taking on MMA journalist Mike Jackson, who holds an 0-1 record himself. Jackson and Punk both lost to the same man, Mickey Gall, in their professional fighting careers.
Jackson lost first in under a minute, and as a result Gall won the opportunity to welcome Punk into the UFC. Several months later, Punk fought Gall and lost via first round submission after two minutes.
Now, two years later, Punk is seeking his first victory of his fighting career. Punk is currently in the middle of his weight-cut, as he must weigh 171 pounds or less come fight night, and he isn’t looking great:
Punk looks extremely tired and sucked in here, but this isn’t uncommon for fighters in the middle of a weight cut.
Discussion: What are you expecting from Punk inside the Octagon this weekend? Will you be watching?
The big news on Tuesday was about the lawsuit that pitted CM Punk and Colt Cabana against WWE doctor Chris Amann.
The case had been heard by a jury since last Wednesday in Illinois, just outside of Chicago.
The WWE doctor brought the lawsuit forward due to the comments Punk made during an appearance on Cabana’s “Art of Wrestling” podcast from November of 2014 about Amann and Punk not receiving proper treatment of a “lump” on his backside while in the WWE.
The jury ruled that they are in favor of Punk and Cabana on all counts filed by Amann. Thus, neither Punk or Cabana will have to pay anything. The WWE doctor had been seeking about $4 million for defamation among other things.
Nick Hausman of WrestleZone, who has provided some great coverage of this case, caught up with Punk and Cabana after they were let out of the courtroom to get a brief interview about winning the case.
EXCLUSIVE: @CMPunk’s 1st post-trial comments following he and @ColtCabana’s victory over Dr. Chris Amann.
Punk lost in his MMA debut against Mickey Gall at UFC 203 in September of 2016 by first round submission. He is set to fight Mike Jackson in a welterweight bout at the upcoming UFC 225 pay-per-view event on Saturday, June 9, 2018, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
What are your thoughts on the decision made by the jury? Sound off in the comment section below.
CM Punk is off the hook in a civil lawsuit that was filed against him by a WWE doctor for defamation following his exit from the company in 2014.
A jury in Chicago ruled in Punk’s favor after Dr. Chris Amann filed the lawsuit after the former WWE superstar spoke about the treatment he received while under contract and the misdiagnosis that could have resulted in a serious medical condition.
Dr. Amann filed a lawsuit in excess of $1 million against Punk and fellow wrestler Colt Cabana, who hosted the podcast back in 2014.
After testimony that started last week, the jury deliberated for only a couple of hours before handing down a judgment siding with Punk and Cabana in the defamation lawsuit.
Punk was reportedly very emotional after the verdict was read while hugging his wife and fellow former WWE superstar A.J. Lee, who was also in attendance for the trial.
CM Punk has just won his civil lawsuit against WWE Dr. Chris Amann. He was in court all morning here in Chicago. Hugging his wife and crying in the courthouse. All this, four days before UFC 225.
With the trial behind him, Punk will now turn his attention to his fight on Saturday night against Mike Jackson on the UFC 225 main card.
Punk will be making his second appearance in the UFC after suffering a first round submission loss in his debut back in 2016.
While the trial undoubtedly took at least some of his focus away from the fight, Punk can now rest easy knowing that he won’t be on the hook for any kind of financial penalty as a result of the civil lawsuit filed against him.
Heading into this weekend’s highly-anticipated UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero II pay-per-view at the AllState Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, UFC continues to unload promotional material around several of the more high-profile fights on the stacked fight card.
One of which is the bout that pro wrestling fans are looking forward to more so than any other on the card — CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson.
Although both fighters are 0-1 inside the Octagon, and in their professional MMA careers in general, there is a high level of anticipation for their showdown this Saturday night from the pro wrestling community.
In a new video released this week, CM Punk and Mike Jackson both speak about their previous loss, which was against Mickey Gall for both guys, as well as their thoughts on fighting each other in their second Octagon appearance this weekend in the Chicago area.
According to CM Punk, he “can’t lose” fighting in his hometown this Saturday night.
“I feel like I can’t lose with that hometown advantage,” said Punk in the video. “I want to get this win for the entire city of Chicago. I’ve grown leaps and bounds and I have gained a ton of experience and knowledge, and I will bring that into the cage, and I will defeat Mike Jackson.”
Check out the complete video, which features more comments from Punk about his decision to return to the UFC, his preparations for the Mike Jackson fight and more by checking out the following article on our MMA affiliate website (MMANews.com):
Make sure to visit MMANews.com this Saturday night for live round-by-round results coverage of UFC 225, including the CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson fight. Sound off on this Saturday’s big showdown in the Comments section below.
CM Punk Says He “Can’t Lose” In Chicago At UFC 225 With Hometown Advantage – https://t.co/TziBeXN5yx
CM Punk took the stand today as part of his ongoing trial. Dr. Chris Amann is suing Punk for comments he made on his friend Colt Cabana’s podcast regarding the medical care he received while with WWE.
A reporter for the Chicago Tribue, Gregory Pratt, is live at the trial and noted some interesting testimony was given by Punk this morning. His Tweets from the courtroom are below:
Punk was asked if there is anything he would change about his comments on the podcast.
“CM Punk took stand mid-morn,” Pratt tweeted. “His attorney asked if there’s anything he’d change about podcast, he said he swore a lot on there and wouldn’t today. Acknowledged being bitter then and wrestling being his whole life. Lots of things on the podcast he just doesn’t care about anymore.”
Pratt also acknowledged that Punk confirmed “CM” stands for Chick Magnet.
“He confirmed “CM” stands for Chick Magnet,” Pratt continued. “Remembers first promo after hitting someone w roll of coins: ‘All’s I’m saying is, I’ve got a lot of cents.’ Amann atty won relevance objection”
“Punk explained his character saying it was heavy on straight edge — no drugs/alcohol subculture — and make no excuses for who you are. When a good guy, focuses on core good guy values, when bad guy, gets a little preachy, like call for cutting off beer sales if he wins match”
The Tribune also noted that lawyers from both sides debated the relevance of showing a video of CM Punk after having been put through a table. Evidently, the attorneys needed to explain to the judge who Kane was.
“There was a lawyer fight between Amann and Punk reps over video of CM Punk laying after going thru table,” Pratt Tweeted. “Amann counsel didn’t want video to show Kane chokeslamming Punk thru table. Judge:’ I don’t know who Kane is.’ Attorney: “The big man without a shirt.”
On a recent edition of WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T’s Houston Sports Radio 610 show, Heated Conversations, he discussed former WWE Champion CM Punk’s upcoming UFC fight against Mike Jackson.
Punk left WWE back in early 2014 and soon announced he would begin training for a career in mixed martial arts (MMA) after signing a multi-fight deal with the UFC. He lost his debut fight via first round submission back in 2016 to Mickey Gall.
Now he will make his second go of it on the main card of the UFC 225 pay-per-view (PPV) on June 9th. Booker T said that if he loses his second fight in the UFC, he believes Punk will be at the upcoming “All In” event with Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks, beginning his return to pro wrestling:
“I think he’ll be at All In,” said Booker. “I think if he lose this fight, he’ll be at All In, with the Young Bucks [and] Cody Rhodes, making his way back to the pro wrestling world. I really think CM Punk [misses] the wrestling world. I just think he had a bad taste in his mouth, but he can get it back.”
You can listen to Booker T on Heated Conversations by clicking this link here.
Punk looks extremely tired and sucked in here, but this isn’t uncommon for fighters in the middle of a weight cut.