The court trial that has been in the making for four years has finally begun May 29th, 2018.
Crook County, Illinois was home to the trial. WWE’s doctor, Chris Amann is seeking $1 million dollars in damages from CM Punk and Colt Cabana explicit comments toward his practice from the “Art of Wrestling” podcast that occurred back in November 2014.
According to the PWInsider, Amann was “short and curt” during his testimony. Amann was said to be very upset from the comments made by Punk as it trashed his reputation.
The jury listened to the infamous podcast in its entirety and according to Chicago Tribune reporter Gregory Pratt, Punk seemed to be very serious throughout the entire trial, but chuckled and grin at certain points during the podcast listening.
The trial is to resume on May 30th, 2018.
Cabana Missing Live Events
Mr. Shake and Bake Colt 45 is going to take some time off from wrestling to attend some court dates.
The CM Punk and Colt Cabana vs. Chris Amann court trial has already begun and it’s forcing Cabana to pull out of his live events.
I’m sorry to the fans of @Compoundpw. Due to mandatory court obligations I’ll be unable to attend the show this Friday… I’ll still be in NY for @ringofhonor doing commentary though. Thanks.
November 2014 is the month that CM Punk and Colt Cabana collaborated on Cabana’s podcast “The Art of Wrestling” and would attract the media of CM Punk’s grief with the WWE. In the podcast, Punk would go on to mention WWE doctor Chris Amann, and how his treatment for his staph infection was more detrimental than helpful. Comments like those are what sparked the lawsuit by Amann with WWE covering his legal fees.
Time will tell how long the trial will last and if it will continue to cause Cabana to cancel more wrestling appearances.
CM Punk, the man who’s name still gets chanted at almost every WWE event despite leaving the company four years ago, is still in high demand. Tickets for his meet and greet during “All In” weekend sold out almost instantly on Wednesday.
Only 200 tickets were allocated, so it was inevitable for the event to sell out so quickly due to Punk’s popularity, especially in his hometown of Chicago.
Being the awesome guy that he is, Punk took it upon himself to allow fans who missed out on tickets to still have a chance at meeting him by hanging around after 4pm.
Because all of the tickets for the @CMPunk appearance sold out rather quickly…. Punk has decided to accommodate as many fans as possible, he will stay later and have a walk-up option starting at 4pm. This will be a limited to time. pic.twitter.com/izEpiEAECm
Nikki Bella will appear on NBC’s American Ninja Warrior reality competition series on Thursday night (5/24) to promote Red Nose Day, an annual event to raise money and awareness for children living in poverty.
https://youtu.be/cHgYgIwGPv4
XFL Merch
Vince McMahon’s revived XFL football promotion is now selling official merchandise at XFLShop.com. The league is scheduled to kick off in 2020.
The #XFL kicks off in 2020, but you can gear up now with the launch of our official store: https://t.co/2KaTaKoefZ
Last weekend, the All In press conference took place from the Pro Wrestling Tees retail store in Chicago, Illinois. It was an eventful afternoon to say the least. In addition to the announcements that Rey Mysterio is All In and Cody Rhodes will challenge for the NWA Championship on the show, All In sold out 10,000+ tickets in just a half hour.
Jenn Sterger hosted the press conference and dropped a bombshell during an appearance on Collider’s Bodyslam podcast. Sterger says
“I’m just saying [All In] literally might be the best in the world. I will only say someone wearing sweatpants and training for something walked into the back of the building that the press conference was in, with marks, mind you, lining the entire sidewalks in the front of the building, and I just kept thinking ‘If they knew you were back here, they would literally tear down the front of the store.'”
Best in the world .. training for something .. if that wasn’t obvious enough, she added,
“What better way, if you were going to make your return to wrestling, than the biggest indie show ever?”
As reported earlier this month, a CM Punk meet and greet event will be taking place in Chicago during “All In” weekend (8/31) at the same venue this press conference took place. We’ll find out on September 1st if CM Punk is in fact All In, but it’s remarkable either way that Cody and the Young Bucks didn’t even need a confirmed appearance from CM Punk to sell out the event.
You can listen to a clip of Jenn Sterger’s comments below:
According to a report from Austin Kellerman, the trial for CM Punk and Colt Cabana against WWE doctor Chris Amann has been delayed. It was set to take place this morning but apparently the case was reassigned to a new judge, Judge Elizabeth Budzinski, thus the reason for the delay:
WWE Superstar Maria Kanellis recently took to Instagram to post a lengthy comment to her critics. Here’s what she had to say:
“Tell me again how I don’t belong, how I don’t deserve it, how I am talentless… thanks for the inspiration a-holes. I worked in WWE for 5 and a half years before working on the Indy’s. I could have quit after WWE. Married some rich dude ‘to take care of me.’ I didn’t. I worked my ass off. My house was foreclosed on in 2012. My reality show got dropped. I kept working.
“So, I graduated with honors with a bachelors degree. My husband had a drug addiction. So, I fought for my marriage. I got pregnant. So, I started a business. I had a baby… so, now I’m working my way back. I’m not done. ‘Fans’ keep running your mouths. And I’ll say thank you because one of my favorite things to do is prove people wrong. ‘Fans’ forget I love this business. I love wrestling. I love managing. And I’m not done.”
Fans attending Bullet Club’s “All In” event will be able to attend a Meet and Greet with CM Punk the night before. The Pro Wrestling Tees retail store in Chicago has just announced Punk will be at their location on August 31st, 2018, the night before All In.
Our special guest appearing Aug 31st, 2018 at the Pro Wrestling Tees retail store in Chicago, IL will be CM Punk. Limited meet & greet tickets go on sale May 23rd at 12pm ct. Visit our retail store events page on ProWrestlingTees or our Facebook event for details. @CMPunkpic.twitter.com/RqTu8G0RPO
Cody Rhodes re-tweeted Pro Wrestling Tees’ announcement of Punk’s Meet and Greet. This could fuel speculation of Punk’s further involvement with the event. That news of Punk’s meet and greet in Chicago is coming just before tickets go on sale this Sunday might be a coincidence.
Punk has an upcoming MMA fight to worry about first, however. He takes on Mike Jackson at UFC 225 on June 9th, 2018. UFC 225 will also be held in Punk’s hometown of Chicago.
Punk previously teased the idea he would be appearing at the September 1st, 2018 event earlier this year. Punk posted a Tweet saying fans had been asking him if he’s “All-In”. He followed it up with a post about being “In” for the Chicago Cubs upcoming season, however.
Recently, a lot of people have been asking me if I'm "in"… 1/2
Punk’s friend, Matt Jackson, said this of Punk in an interview he gave earlier this year:
“I will say this: I text message Punk on a weekly basis. We’re good friends,” Matt Jackson said. “We talk wrestling. He still loves wrestling, of course, he does. We’re pro wrestlers. That’s what we do. Even when you quit or retire or whatever, it’s still in your blood.”
Punk has said he’ll never return to WWE but he’s never fully closed the door on a return to wrestling either. On the now-famous episode of Colt Cabana’s “Art of Wrestling” podcast, he did mention the idea of wrestling with the likes of the Young Bucks for promotions such as Pro Wrestling Guerilla. Ever since signing with the UFC, however, Punk’s focus has been solely on MMA it seems.
Former WWE Champion CM Punk is set to return to the UFC’s Octagon in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois on June 9th from the United Center.
Punk left the WWE back in January of 2014 citing several issues with the promotion. He then signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC and announced his intentions to pursue a career as a mixed martial artist.
Following two years of training, Punk made his official MMA debut against welterweight prospect Mickey Gall at the UFC 203 pay-per-view (PPV) event. Gall immediately took Punk to the ground and battered him before locking in a rear-naked choke for the first round submission win.
Despite the lopsided defeat, the former professional wrestler announced his intentions to continue fighting and refused to give up. Now, two years after making his MMA debut, Punk is back and will be challenging fellow 0-1 professional record-holder Mike Jackson.
Jackson is actually an MMA journalist who fought Gall back in 2016 for the opportunity to welcome Punk to the Octagon. Jackson lost that fight to Gall via first round submission as well after being rocked by the New Jersey native.
In fact, Punk lasted much longer in his fight against Gall, as Jackson was finished in just 48 seconds. Punk was submitted at the 2:14 mark. Despite this, Jackson believes he will pick up a dominant victory over the former WWE Champion.
Jackson recently did an interview with TMZ and said he’s going to show Punk that MMA isn’t for him. He also claimed to be the real draw in the match-up:
“I’m just going in here to beat him up a little bit and show him it’s not for him.”
“If you bring in someone else … it’s not gonna get this type of buzz. It’s getting this type of buzz because of me. This is a storyline not even Vince McMahon could write.”
For the best MMA news coverage available be sure to visit our sister site at MMA News.com
It was rumored for months that the former WWE Champion CM Punk will be having his second fight at UFC 225 in Chicago and now it has officially been confirmed.
UFC made the following tweet from their official account, confirming that the Straight Edge Star will be going head to head against Mike Jackson on June 9:
This is not a big surprise as President Dana White had previously confirmed the reports of Punk facing Jackson in his return bout and Chicago has always been the rumored place for this fight.
The longest reigning WWE Champion of the Morden Era, Punk, walked away from the company back in 2014 due to being unhappy with his bookings and several health issues.
His WWE contract was officially terminated in June 2014 and in December it was revealed that the former Champion has signed a multi-fight contract with UFC.
CM Punk made his debut for the MMA League against Mickey Gall in September 2016 at UFC 203 and lost the bout via a rear naked choke at 2:14 of the first round.
In the following few months of his dominating loss, it looked like Punk’s career at Ultimate Fighting Championship was over but in the last few months a second fight started looking more likely and now it has officially been announced.
– Former WWE Champion-turned-UFC welterweight CM Punk took to Twitter and defended the WrestleMania 34 crowd for chanting his name during the show, and playing with beach balls as well. Former 2011 Tough Enough competitor AJ Kirsch ripped fans for their antics during the show.
Punk responded with the following in defense of the crowd:
I wonder how much those fans spent to throw beach balls and chant @CMPunk's name.
I mean…tickets to the show, flights, hotels, food, and probably drinks and maybe merch.
That's a lot of money to spend just to show everyone you're an asshole.
– HBO posted the following clip on their YouTube channel of an interview with “Andre The Giant” documentary director Jason Hehir. Hehir described what it was like seeing Andre in the ring for the first time:
“When I was seven or eight years old, WWF – at the time – was on at eleven A.M. every morning in Boston. My brothers were huge fans, my older brothers, I wasn’t quite old enough to be that into it. But I vividly remember them coming and finding me and saying, “After the commercial break, this guy Andre The Giant is gonna be on, you have to see him!”
“I said, “Is he an actual giant? What’s the deal?” And I’ll never forget, watching him walk through the crowd and up into the ring in this moment of – you know I’m seven years old and I’m just coming off of reading fairy tales and these fictional, larger than life stories.
“And this guy is the physical embodiment of some of the characters who are in those fairytales, so I was immediately hooked seeing him as to who the guy was – I wanna know more about him: where he’s from, how big is his bed, what does he eat. Is this a real person? How is a giant walking around amidst these other larger-than-life wrestling characters.”
CM Punk and Batista were both at the C2E2 expo in Chicago recently. An interaction between the two former wrestlers involved Punk not wanting to eat chickpeas.
Punk and Batista’s careers have followed a somewhat similar pattern. Both were champion wrestlers who left the business to pursue other interests. Each of them has a professional MMA fight on their resume, tho Batista won his and Punk lost.
They’ve each been employed by Marvel as well as Punk has written an edition of the Thor graphic novels and Batista has a reoccurring role in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. It does not appear they share the same interest in chickpeas, however.
UFC President Dana White has officially confirmed that not only will Phil “CM Punk” Brooks get another fight in the largest MMA promotion in the world, he went one step further by confirming who his next opponent will be inside of the Octagon.
Punk made his UFC debut in a welterweight bout against Mickey Gall back at the UFC 203 pay-per-view event in September of 2016.
As seen in the fight, Gall dominated Punk and submitted him in just minutes in the very first round. This fight also marked Punk’s pro-MMA debut.
Punk continues to tease on social media that he will fight at the upcoming UFC 225 pay-per-view event. There has been speculation that Punk could fight part-time fighter and media member Mike Jackson, who fought Gall under the UFC banner.
White confirmed in a recent interview with TMZ Sports that Punk will indeed fight Jackson. It should be noted that White did not confirm when they would fight but it’s likely going to be at UFC 225.
UFC 225 pay-per-view event slated to go down on Saturday, June 9, 2018, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
The main card will air on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET while the preliminary card will air on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass. It should be noted that this event would be ideal for Punk as this is his hometown.
For more on Punk’s next fight in the UFC and the latest MMA news, make sure to check out MMANews.com.
Former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey is slated to team up with WWE Hall of Famer and current Raw General Manager Kurt Angle to take on Stephanie McMahon and Triple H in a Mixed Tag Team Match at WrestleMania 34.
Her signing with the sports entertainment company was spearheaded by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon’s daughter, Stephanie, and her husband, Triple H.
The former UFC champion appeared on ESPN today promoting WrestleMania 34. During the interview, she once again discussed her desire to work with CM Punk. Here is what she had to say (transcript courtesy of 411 Mania):
“I would really love to work with CM Punk. But um, I don’t know if that’s possible. No, I wish I did. I wish I was breaking the news right now that me and CM Punk are taking over the world together, but no, I’ve got no news to break. Just pleading eyes.”
Former WWE Champion CM Punk is expected to make his mixed martial arts (MMA) return at UFC 225 on pay-per-view (PPV) in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois on June 9th. There has been a ton of speculation that fellow 0-1 record-holder Mike Jackson will be his opponent, however, nothing has been officially confirmed as of this writing.
Punk made his debut at UFC 203 in September of 2016 when he took on Gracie jiu-jitsu brown belt Mickey Gall in welterweight competition. “The Cult Of Personality” was immediately taken down, battered on the ground, before subsequently being choked out via rear-naked choke. Punk’s coach, Duke Roufus, recently joined The Luke Thomas Show on SiriusXM Rush 93 to offer his thoughts on Punk returning to the Octagon.
Roufus said that he believes Punk will be “200 percent” better upon returning to the cage. Punk will have had two more years to hone his craft when he returns to fight in June (quotes via MMA News):
“200 percent [better]. I’m not even his coach. We were friends first before we did this. I would not do this with anyone else except for my friendship with him from before he decided to fight. He’s just one hell of a guy. He’s a celebrity but he’s different than a lot of celebrities I know. Great guy. He works his ass off. He’s very well-liked on our team and he’s improved a lot.”
Rousey has praised CM Punk in previous interviews and says she’d be honored if she could work with him in WWE one day.
“I think everybody on Earth would love to see [CM Punk] back in WWE, and I would completely fall all over myself and be honored if he wanted to be involved with me in any way, shape or form.”
As much as she (and many wrestling fans) would love to see Punk back in a WWE ring one day, Rousey says it’s Punk’s life and he needs to be passionate about whatever he’s doing. Many people would love for her to fight in UFC again, but she never fought for the fans, she fought because it’s what she loved.
Rousey continued talking about Punk, stating that he had a special gift as a pro wrestler. She’s eager to work with him in WWE, but he’s got her full respect no matter what the future holds for him.
“Everyone in the world knows he has a gift for wrestling and he has something special, and if he ever feels like sharing it with us again, then hell yeah, please, even if it’s not with me, I just hope I’m there to see it. If he never wants to get back in that ring again, he has every reason not to, and all the respect in the world from me.”
Visit our affiliate site MMANews.com for much more on CM Punk’s next fight and all the top stories in UFC and MMA.
A pro wrestling beef that reportedly goes back nearly seven years doesn’t mean that ‘The Miz’ wishes any ill will on former WWE superstar CM Punk as he prepares for his second fight in the UFC.
Several years ago, ‘The Miz’ (real name Mike Mizanin) and CM Punk (real name Phil Brooks) were engaged in a reported backstage feud regarding how WWE was booking each of them and it led to some back and forth comments in various interviews.
Then back in 2016, Punk made his UFC debut after leaving WWE and he was submitted by Mickey Gall in the opening round of their fight. The next night as part of the “Elimination Chamber” pay-per-view, The Miz and Dolph Ziggler choreographed an almost identical set of moves in their match that mimicked — or mocked — Punk’s UFC performance.
“I wouldn’t say that because the guy was going after a dream,” The Miz told TMZ when asked about Punk. “He always wanted to do that and whenever you go after a dream, why smash on it? He’s going to do his best, he’s going to try his hardest and I imagine he’s training his heart out to do the best he can in the Octagon. I hope he does well.”
As far as Punk’s chances to win in his second UFC fight, the Miz says that really comes down to who he’s facing and what kind of challenge he might receive inside the Octagon.
The Miz only knows one thing for certain — anything Punk is doing is for himself and not as a response to the haters who continuously jab at him over social media.
“I don’t think CM Punk is the type of person to really look into that. If you come from WWE, you have a thick skin because you’re hated on all day, everyday,” The Miz said. “This is just the norm for him.”
Will you be watching CM Punk in his second UFC fight? Sound off in the comments to let us know.
It’s been several years since A.J. Styles crossed paths with CM Punk when both performers were working on the independent circuit before each of them became superstars in the WWE.
Most recently, Styles has become one of the most recognizable names on the WWE roster where he currently reigns as heavyweight champion.
While Punk has given no indication that he’d ever return to wrestling much less work with WWE again, it’s tough to ignore the fantasy matchmaking to see him mixing it up with Styles in a pairing that would pit two of the best in the business against each other.
For his part, Styles knows that ultimately money will probably play a part in whether Punk decides to return to wrestling or not but he also knows some burnt bridges can never be rebuilt.
“Money talks but there’s some issues there that I don’t know enough about. A lot of guys [ have had issues] and like I said money talks,” Styles told “Loper and Randi In the Morning” on Friday ahead of his appearance at WWE Fastlane in Columbus, OH.
“But some guys have bigger issues than others. Who knows.”
The ‘bigger issues’ likely references Punk’s ongoing lawsuit with WWE doctor Chris Amann, who sued the former pro wrestler after comments he made about being mistreated by the physician while on the company’s roster.
There have been rumors that the lawsuit will go to trial soon but it’s unknown if that will put an end to the feud between Punk and the WWE or only further escalate it.
Either way it certainly seems fun to think about pairing up Styles and Punk for a match one day in the future.
Would you like to see AJ Styles take on CM Punk in the WWE? Sound off in the comments and let us know.
Last night (Feb. 25), seven men entered the Elimination Chamber structure. Only one man walked out as the winner and his name is Roman Reigns. He will go on to WrestleMania to challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal championship.
Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, The Miz, Elias, John Cena, and Finn Balor will have to wait until next year for a chance to headline the “Showcase of Immortals.” WWE posted an interview where Balor admitted to being disappointed after having a ton of fan support:
“Yeah obviously it adds to the disappointment. Huge opportunity at stake tonight, (I) lost. The chance to go to WrestleMania to challenge Brock Lesnar for the title I never lost, goes away. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been chasing that title since I had to relinquish it the day after Summerslam over a year ago. The chase will continue. You can’t wipe the smile off this face with just one loss.”
Darren Young Says CM Punk Embraced Him After Coming Out
Former WWE superstar Darren Young recently appeared on Cerrito Live. When asked about CM Punk mentoring him, Young revealed that Punk embraced him after revealing he is gay:
“One great story I have about CM Punk is when I came out publicly and it was around Summerslam. I remember he had a match with Brock Lesnar. And right after his match with Brock Lesnar in catering, he was all iced up from head to toe. He approached me in catering in front of everybody and he told me to stand up. And I stood up and he gave me a hug. And he said ‘I’m very proud of you for coming out. If you have a problem with anyone because of this, you tell me and I’ll take care of it.'”
CM Punk recently got wrestling fans worked up that a return to the industry could be in the cards for the 39-year-old. Punk and the Young Bucks have trolled fans in a similar fashion previously, however.
Is CM Punk All In?
Recently, a lot of people have been asking me if I'm "in"… 1/2
While no location for the event has been announced, it is rumored Chicago could be the host city. This is not confirmed, however. If the event is held in Chicago and Punk plays any role whatsoever, one would have to assume the chances of selling out a 10,000 seat arena increases significantly.
Posted February 21st, 2018 in News. Tagged: CM Punk.
The Young Bucks aren’t going to give up recruiting CM Punk. In fact, it appears the tag-team is going “All in” in their efforts.
Punk and the Bucks recently had a back-and-forth on Twitter which some fans took as an attempt to get Punk to wrestle at the planned “All-In” event in September.
Punk and the Bucks have teased fans like this before. Matt Jackson has told fans they’ve done everything they can to get Punk out of retirement and the ball is in his court. Jackson has also told fans that Punk told him he’d be the first one he’d call if he does decide to come back.
Chicago is one of the cities heavily-rumored to be hosting All-In on September 1st, 2018.
Posted February 19th, 2018 in News. Tagged: CM Punk.
While not yet confirmed, it’s increasingly looking like CM Punk’s next UFC fight will be taking at UFC 225 on from Chicago, Illinois.
Our partner site MMANews.com reports that talks are underway for CM Punk to fight Mike Jackson at the June 9th show. Jackson is also 0-1 in UFC. Like Punk, he got steamrolled by Mickey Gall in his debut.
CM Punk’s teammate at Roufusport and UFC welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley, is rumored to be defending his title against former UFC lightweight champion, Raphael Dos Anjos, in the main event of UFC 225.
CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson
Jackson has previously called out Punk by posting a wrestling-inspired promo on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SK2QiMqll0
Following Punk’s loss to Mickey Gall at UFC 203, Dana Whtie did not sound optimistic about him fighting again. Recently, however, White has changed his stance on Punk fighting in the UFC again.
Here is what White had to say in regards to Punk at a UFC 220 presser 2 weeks ago:
“I like that guy. He’s a good dude,” the UFC President said. “He wants one more. He wants to get another shot, I’m going to give it to him. He’s a completely different case than most normal human beings, so I’m going to give him another shot.”
Visit MMANews.comfor all the latest UFC & MMA News.
Posted February 8th, 2018 in News. Tagged: CM Punk.
Former WWE Superstar and top member of the Bullet Club Cody Rhodes has addressed rumors of CM Punk being considered for his #AllIn event taking place later this year.
During a recent Twitter Q&A Cody made the following statement on the former WWE World Champion and UFC fighter:
“We would LOVE to have him. Wrestling fans never gave up on him. (but the idea for this show stemmed from the success ROH/”BTE”/BC was having & that is my current focus)”
Of course Punk would be on the radar for any promotion that could make a play for him, although his stint in the UFC has thus far been less than stellar his name value is still a commodity and would help elevate the #AllIn card immensely.
All In takes place on Saturday, September 1st from a location soon to be announced. Talent already confirmed for All In includes:
IWGP United States Champion Kenny Omega
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks
“The Villain” Marty Scurll
“Hangman” Adam Page
Stephen Amell of the hit series Arrow
Tessa Blanchard
1. Are you booking any legends? 2. Can we have Green Arrow in a match in his full outfit? 3. Is Brandi competing? 4. Can you get Pete Dunn or Tyler Bate to be #AllIn? 5. Can you address CM Punk rumors? #AllIn
1. Yes 2. Hmmm 3. Brandi runs my corp, she's always in the mix. 4. Marty wants to limit Brits' to just him 5. We would LOVE to have him. Wrestling fans never gave up on him. (but the idea for this show stemmed from the success ROH/"BTE"/BC was having & that is my current focus) https://t.co/LWlAjTnyTd
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross was recently a guest on The Sam Roberts’ Wrestling Podcast to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Ross discussed who he’d hire if he was head of WWE Talent Relations now, how he’d get CM Punk to come back to WWE, getting Shawn Michaels to return several years ago, and much more. You can check out the highlights here below:
Who he’d hire today if he was head of WWE Talent Relations:
“Well, I’m certainly going to try to find another way to bring Chris Jericho back at some point, maybe at a WrestleMania, not [2018], but [2019]. Looking ahead. I’m probably going to try to get Kenny Omega signed. I’m going to find out the interest [level] from Kazuchika Okada because I think he’s one of the best in the whole world. He’s a good looking young man. He’s 29 [years old], I think. He’s 6’3″ or [6’4″], 6’3”, I think. He’s really, really good. I had his three matches with Omega this year on AXS TV on the Friday night show I do for [Mark] Cuban’s network, so he’d be a guy.
“I would certainly welcome Cody Rhodes back with open arms. Yeah, and The Young Bucks, I would try to get under contract because I like those kids. I like their entrepreneurial ability. I like the fact that they have a little bit of an attitude. Hell, I don’t care. I don’t know if they like me or if they don’t like me. I don’t have any idea. That’s their prerogative I like them and I love their work. But I think as many shirts as they think they’re selling now at that Topic place, what’s that place? Hot Topic. Get under that WWE umbrella and see how [many] shirts you sell. Oh, brother. It’s just the footprint is so much bigger. Hot Topic’s not going to stop buying shirts because they’re WWE shirts.”
Figuring out a way to get CM Punk back:
“I would try to figure out a way if there’s one more run in CM Punk. And ‘one more run’ to me means this: a WrestleMania, not 10, not two, not three, a WrestleMania. Start with let’s build to the right build and the crescendo is WrestleMania. And the only other way I’d do him is have him return at WrestleMania and not be on television. Sign, train, vignettes, vignettes, little angle, boom. His first match is WrestleMania. Yeah, that way there’s no pressure on anybody.”
When he got Shawn Michaels to come back to WWE:
“When I talked to Shawn Michaels about coming back to WWE and wrestling, he had been out four years. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Attitude Era time. I flew out from Stamford [Connecticut], LaGuardia specifically, to San Antonio [Texas] to visit with him and his lawyer, agent, whatever.” Ross recalled, “but I talked to him about coming back and I said, ‘many people, including myself, consider you one of the top one or two performers, in-ring performers, of all time, of all time. Unfortunately, there’s going to be a whole generation that don’t know you for that.
“They know you for the guy who lost his smile and the guy that hurt his back and had to take a four-year break. I’m just suggesting that that’s not the image, legacy, you want to leave. You have too [many] good things going on. And if nothing else, I’d like you to come back and have one match if you can. If not, let’s figure out a role for you. We would like for you to be able to share what to do, what not to do, and help these young guys who look up to you as their favorite.’ So I thought we’d get him back for one more match and he had several! And all of them were badass.”
Not having seen the best of Shinsuke Nakamura in WWE yet:
“I broadcast Wrestle Kingdom 9 live at ringside in Tokyo [Japan],” Ross continued, “and I thought he was one of the most fascinating personalities I had ever seen in my career and when I got back from that I did the old texting and let the appropriate folks know that I saw a guy that [they] might really want to take a look at because the influences for his game are derived from what’s the guy’s name that sang for Queen? Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson. And I never heard of a professional wrestler saying that their influences are Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson and he has that great MMA background.
“He’s physical. I’ll just say this because I don’t know what the answer is other than I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Shinsuke Nakamura yet. There’s much more there. The question is will it be revealed, discovered, or utilized. I don’t know those answers and I don’t believe anyone does. But I find him fascinating, but I want to see some of that more physical, more snug. What we know is there, we are not getting. And I don’t know if that’s him. I don’t know if he’s injured. I don’t know what it is. But I’d love to see him be turned loose.”
Nakamura and A.J. Styles’ rivalry compared to Omega vs. Okada:
“I understand Kenny Omega, who WWE, I’m sure, would love to sign someday, I would think. He’s proven to have an ability to connect with an audience. He’s very talented [and] fundamentally sound. But he’ll want to move there someday because the older you get you can’t wrestle that crazy multiple bump, big bump style per match. And they do a lot of bumps on the apron, which is very dangerous and more jarring. And I understand their willingness to provide entertainment and all that good stuff. But Omega and Okada had three great matches this year, obviously. I called all three of them at some point with Josh Barnett, but I thought that the Nakamura/A.J. matches that I called were right there with them.”
You can listen to Jim Ross’ appearance on The Sam Roberts’ Wrestling Podcast by clicking here.
During a media event to promote this weekend’s UFC 218 pay-per-view from Detroit, Michigan, UFC boss Dana White revealed that he’ll be meeting with CM Punk to discuss his future with the promotion.
“CM Punk is coming to Detroit and wants to talk to me,” White said. “I love the guy. We’ll see what he’s doing.”
Punk’s professional MMA record stands at 0-1 after getting steamrolled by Micky Gall last September at UFC 203. The 39-year-old was choked out just minutes into the first round of his debut fight.
Punk continues to train at the Roufusport MMA Academy in Milwaukee, but there are no guarantees he’ll get the green light to compete in the Octagon again. Of course, if the whole MMA thing doesn’t work out, Punk certainly has some options in the world of pro wrestling that don’t involve working with WWE.
Just a few weeks ago, Punk’s coach Duke Roufus posted the following photo on Instagram, noting that Punk was, “Working hard & getting better every day. Working on his next Fight”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaNDjb1jDFi/
Posted November 29th, 2017 in WWE, News. Tagged: CM Punk.
It has been over a year since Mickey Gall defeated CM Punk at UFC 203. Dana White said Punk should “probably not fight in the UFC again” after the bout but he has never officially released him from his contract.
During a media event for this weekend’s UFC 218, White revealed that Punk will be in town for the show and the two will be meeting.
"CM Punk is coming to Detroit and wants to talk to me. I love the guy. We'll see what he's doing." – Dana White
Punk’s team at Roufus Sport say they have been lobbying for Punk’s next fight since not long after the Mickey Gall bout.
While Punk is under a contract with UFC he is unable to fight for other promotions. If the UFC won’t offer him another fight, Punk could request a release from his contract.
Depending on the terms of his contract, the UFC might be required to offer him a fight within a certain time frame. Punk signed a multi-fight agreement with the promotion in late-2014.
Posted November 29th, 2017 in News. Tagged: CM Punk.
Former WWE Intercontinental Champion and UFC fighter Ken Shamrock recently did an interview on the Primo Nutmeg podcast to discuss a variety of topics. Shamrock was asked about whether or not WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar should return to the UFC, CM Punk losing his MMA debut, and the backlash Punk has taken for his loss in his mixed martial arts (MMA) debut. You can check out the highlights here:
If Brock Lesnar should return to UFC:
“Well I think that’s up to him,” Shamrock said. “Only he knows where he’s at, where his body’s at to be able to compete, so each individual really only knows what they’re capable of doing or what they’re desire is.”
Punk’s MMA defeat and if she should continue fighting:
“He’s already started that journey, and if he’s like me, if that would’ve happened to me then I would go back to the drawing board and get better,” Shamrock said. “I mean I’m not gonna give up, I’m not gonna quit on it, I’m gonna keep coming and I’ll figure it out. But I don’t know if he’s that way, I don’t know if he has that desire.”
People who mock Punk because he lost:
“When he first went into it I warned people, I said, ‘Listen, this guys is taking a risk. Respect that risk. Don’t bash him if he goes out there and loses because all these other people he’s going against, he’s fighting all the odds because they’ve all got fights under their belts, they’ve all got experience under their belts. He’s coming from a pro-wrestling organization, he’s trying to experience something that he loves, which is completely different from pro-wrestling,” Shamrock said.
“So he takes that chance; isn’t that what this world is built on, people that take chances to go out there and follow their dreams or follow things that they desire to do? And if by chance they fall down and don’t succeed, we gotta give them room to get back up and continue to keep going, whatever direction it may be. We don’t stomp on their heads and say, ‘Oh you tried man, we’re gonna crush you now because you failed.’ To me, that’s ridiculous because it’s not fair.
“This guy did something that I thought not too many people would have the balls to do, to step out of a pro-wrestling ring and into an MMA ring, and he did that,” Shamrock continued. “And he trained for it, he worked for it and it didn’t work out for him. God bless him, man. But don’t step on his head and not let him back up to try to make a recovery. That would be just wrong.”
You can listen to Shamrock’s interview on the Primo Nutmeg podcast by clicking here.
Ring of Honor Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks recently spoke with Rolling Stone to talk about various topics. Here are the highlights:
Reasons they are avoiding signing with the WWE:
Nick: That has some to do with it. Other parts, the schedule’s just crazy and there’s a lot of elements to that. There hasn’t been a right situation for us to go there, so that’s why nothing’s ever gotten to the point where we did go there. There’s never been a scenario where they called us or pitched an idea or any of that. The only communications we’ve really only ever had was a few years ago. They wanted us to come in for a tryout and at that time we felt like we were above tryouts, because we felt like we had enough work for them to watch and we didn’t have to go there to do that. That was the last time we really communicated with them about coming to work there, but now I don’t know. It would have to be a situation we’d be comfortable with and a situation we really wanted to do, because like Matt said, we’re in control of our characters now and we’re having a blast and we like our schedule. We’re very happy.
Matt: It’s funny, because when you’re a teenager your goal is to go there, and you don’t care what the circumstances would be, you just want to go there. But now, when you mature as an adult and a performer and you’ve built these characters and personalities for years and you do it yourself like Nick and I have, now we’d have to hand over the keys. And that’s terrifying. It’s like, “Here’s all this hard work that we have done, now please, please don’t ruin it.” That’s difficult and that’s a gamble.
Nick: We have 13 months left on our current contract, and I have no idea what we’re going to be doing in 13 months.
Matt: What’s so funny is that, only in pro wrestling, can a company threaten legal action on you, but then probably offer you a job a year later. Of course [the WWE] is interested. They’d be interested in just taking us just so New Japan and ROH doesn’t have us. In no other business would that be a thing.
Wanting CM Punk in the Bullet Club:
Nick: Matt and I have been saying this a lot lately: We would love to work with CM Punk. I think it’s just a matter of time for him to realize that he’s missed so much. I don’t think he realizes that the fans would just be so happy to see him back. To be able to work with him would help business even more, wherever that would be. It would be huge if we could get him over at Ring of Honor or New Japan and work something out. That would be one of my main goals, to get him back into wrestling
Matt: I talk to him a lot. I bugged him for like, I don’t know, a year or two? I was really aggressive and at one point I realized that I should probably let him make his own decisions. He knows that there’s an offer there and he knows that I’m the first phone call that he should make if he decides to get back into the business. He’s told me that, he says when or if or ever he does decide to possibly get back into it, I’ll be the first guy he calls. It’ll be interesting. Whether or not he plays on our team or an opposing team, it’d be fun. When we’re talking about guys, another guy would be Bryan Danielson [WWE’s Daniel Bryan]. I don’t see him necessarily joining Bullet Club, but he’d be a fun guy to wrestle or to work with or whatever. Just to have him in the ring with us would be incredible.
Posted November 14th, 2017 in News. Tagged: CM Punk.