SteveJRogers Posted March 7, 2014 Report Share Posted March 7, 2014 The other thing that points to Punk being an unprofessional jerk is his radio silence. Yes he doesn't owe a public explanation, and I know he doesn't give a shit about his own public perception, but all that is needed, as I said, would be a Tweet or PR release saying that he'd like this to be handled privately and would say something if the time was right. Because, well he is a public figure and all, it does come with the exposure of being a top star in a billion dollar entertainment machine. That would probably make it seem somewhat understandable for people like me that see it as an unprofessional dick move. In other words, okay its unprofessional, but there are underlying reasons behind why it went down the way it did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Jiz Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 Steven, your argument is understood, and there's no point in dragging this out since it's getting repetitive. Me personally, I don't see how you can argue Punk owes you or anyone else an explanation. It'd be nice to have an explanation - certainly I'd be interested for the historical record - but he is more than entitled to do as he pleases. He's not some peasant making no money and going nowhere, and hence has to accept his employer treating him like shit. He's a guy who has made an awful lot of money because of the value he brings to the company; they did no charity for him. If he feels the need to leave and never wants to discuss the matter again, it's his right - ethically and legally. That you think otherwise is insane - and honestly, it's no wonder some wrestlers like Punk and Lesnar hate wrestling fans with that sense of entitlement to peer into their private lives. I'll add something else since I have a very similar mentality and struggle as Punk in my own sphere in dealing with an establishment full of shitfaces. Punk is an artist who cares about his craft. If his heart isn't into it, he walks away or begrudgingly does what he's told. For people with a sense of pride and dignity, he only owes an explanation to himself. In my opinion, Punk deserves better than having to subject himself to a passive-aggressive management that prefers to treat him like a pawn than as a guy who brings a lot to the table. That doesn't make him a martyr at all; that's life. But if he has the means and the need to walk away because his heart is no longer in the project, then more power to him. More people should be like that - otherwise, we wouldn't have a world where asskissers and establishment whores are the ones calling the shots, since that's the easy way out rather than to defend your position with pride, passion, and reason. Good for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southofheavy Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 What a pro wrestler owes you = jack shit. He's made his money. He's in very bad physical shape. There isn't much left for him to do. Another feud with HHH? Didn't work so hot the first time. I say park a garbage truck full of cash in Austin's driveway for a match vs. Punk at WM 31, then let Punk ride off into the sunset. If he never wrestles another match, good for him. Leaving on his own terms and with enough loot and viable outside interests to never return is far, far better than most wrestlers can claim. The product is not suffering in his absence, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Farmer Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 I don't know why he walked, but to walk away from $300,000+ a month it must have been major. For a guy who reportedly doesn't take medication it could have simply been a physical wear and tear. Or it could have to do with the day to day dealings with staff, which has changed a lot in the last few years. It's a complete corporate vibe among the staff and less of the locker room feel it once had. Dealing with the bureaucracy can be frustrating and so can the lack of character development. Like Steve Austin he may regret it, not just the loss of money (and Austin was pulling in more than Punk was). But I respect him for walking away and maintaining his silence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 Do we know that he didn't give Vince all the reasons for leaving? Just because we don't know, does not mean that Vince does not know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Jiz Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 I don't know why he walked, but to walk away from $300,000+ a month it must have been major. For a guy who reportedly doesn't take medication it could have simply been a physical wear and tear. Or it could have to do with the day to day dealings with staff, which has changed a lot in the last few years. It's a complete corporate vibe among the staff and less of the locker room feel it once had. Dealing with the bureaucracy can be frustrating and so can the lack of character development. Like Steve Austin he may regret it, not just the loss of money (and Austin was pulling in more than Punk was). But I respect him for walking away and maintaining his silence. You would know more than I would, but is it truly possible that the guy was making _that_ much money? That's almost 4 million per year!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 Something else to remember is that many wrestlers have said that mentally checking out is what often leads to injuries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 All this talk about how unprofessional Punk is being reminds me of those old-timers who were pissed at The Rock for disrespecting the business by getting out with his physical and financial well-being intact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJRogers Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 All this talk about how unprofessional Punk is being reminds me of those old-timers who were pissed at The Rock for disrespecting the business by getting out with his physical and financial well-being intact. FWIW, The Rock planned out his for realz exit in 2003 (I'm not counting his brief cameo run in 2004), and it didn't matter (no pun intended) if he jobbed to Goldberg or not, everyone knew he was leaving and he made sure his affairs were all in order. Ditto Brock Lesnar, Goldberg and Batista as well if you want to look at it in the vein of "I've had enough, playing out my deal and I'm DONE!" If "old-timers" were pissed, it probably was out of jealousy that Dwayne found something that he realized he could be more successful at in a way that was beyond B movie/straight to video popcorn action flicks (not that he's done award season worthy work or anything) that pepper Pro Wrestlers' IMDB listings to this day. Sure he left a business just as his prime was starting and did seem to treat it as "beneath" him, but it did seem that the criticism said more about the people doing the criticizing than it did about The Rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyonthewall2983 Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 Dwayne also saw his father go from bringing the people on their feet at MSG to toiling in obscurity, so he knew full well how the business chewed people up and spit them out before he even put on a pair of trunks. And surely Punk has seen it happen with his own eyes, so he knew the score as well. Plus he seems the type to have wanted to burn out than fade away, so I think the Chicago show and the company's reaction are vindication enough that he left a mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJRogers Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 Thinking about it a little, you can draw comparisons with Punk and Shawn Michaels in terms of how Vince is handling the situation. Obviously Punk not being a drug and booze addicted fuck up that needed the spotlight of his profession to keep him going, Punk isn't as ready to accept Vince's "advances" as Shawn was back in the 1990s. Too bad they never will follow up on what could have been a hell of a program with Punk vs. HBK after the interaction at the Slammys Raw. But given what we know now about Punk and Vince, could easily be great fodder for blogs and podcasts to crack jokes that it really was a match more for Vince's affections than it was a straight wrestling match! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazer Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 Punk probably sold more t shirts than Rey and Jericho combined. No fucking way this is true. Johnny logic # non withstanding. Jericho has been in and out. Mysterio has been hurt mostly. I don't doubt this for a moment. Punk EASILY outsold both of them. Easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Redman Posted March 9, 2014 Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 I can believe that maybe Punk sold more t-shirts than Rey. I don't believe for a second Punk has sold more merch than Rey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted March 9, 2014 Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 Yeah, those Mysterio masks were at every show. When you look at the run Mysterio had from 2002-2011 as a regular performer with those masks, he sold a shitload. From 2011 on and maybe even before that, Punk T-shirts covered a huge part of the crowd. I don't think Jericho ever had a t-shirt as popular as the least popular Punk shirt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eduardo Posted March 9, 2014 Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 Meltzer was asked this question on Wrestling Observer Radio last week. He said, "Yesterday, Punk. History, Mysterio." Overall, I have to imagine Mysterio has to be up there as one of the top merchandise sellers in company history. Also, wasn't Mysterio one of the top two or three workers that led to a boom in Italy a few years back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Waco Posted March 9, 2014 Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 I was at a house show where Rey didn't even wrestle and the masks sold out in 30 mins. They also sold out at mania 27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted March 9, 2014 Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 It's kind of a shame that Rey had so many injuries/contract issues, etc during the PG era, because really, he was made to be the centerpiece of it. It's also a far lesser shame that Hurricane was so broken down in 08-09 to the point where his matches were like watching a guy stumble through molasses since he's another guy who should have been custom made for WWEPG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Farmer Posted March 9, 2014 Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 I don't know why he walked, but to walk away from $300,000+ a month it must have been major. For a guy who reportedly doesn't take medication it could have simply been a physical wear and tear. Or it could have to do with the day to day dealings with staff, which has changed a lot in the last few years. It's a complete corporate vibe among the staff and less of the locker room feel it once had. Dealing with the bureaucracy can be frustrating and so can the lack of character development. Like Steve Austin he may regret it, not just the loss of money (and Austin was pulling in more than Punk was). But I respect him for walking away and maintaining his silence. You would know more than I would, but is it truly possible that the guy was making _that_ much money? That's almost 4 million per year!!!!! Yes it's pretty close. Some quarters are better than others (Mania, Video Game, and European tour all bring huge money). A few years back during a time when he wasn't pushed nearly like he is now, Randy Orton was going through a divorce and his reported average monthly income was $292,000. And Orton wasn't pushed and featured like Punk had in over the last two years. As for merchandise, remember back during the "Summer of Punk" his merch flew off the shelves. And his t-shirt (the white one) was one of WWE's hottest selling shirts since Steve Austin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russellmania Posted March 9, 2014 Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 It's kind of a shame that Rey had so many injuries/contract issues, etc during the PG era, because really, he was made to be the centerpiece of it. It's also a far lesser shame that Hurricane was so broken down in 08-09 to the point where his matches were like watching a guy stumble through molasses since he's another guy who should have been custom made for WWEPG. On that note, I'll never understand how Delirious never got a shot in WWE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherwagner Posted March 9, 2014 Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 Also, wasn't Mysterio one of the top two or three workers that led to a boom in Italy a few years back? Yes. Spain too. Rey and Batista were the biggest stars. Nobody else was on their level or even close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini Bennett Posted March 9, 2014 Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 It's kind of a shame that Rey had so many injuries/contract issues, etc during the PG era, because really, he was made to be the centerpiece of it. It's also a far lesser shame that Hurricane was so broken down in 08-09 to the point where his matches were like watching a guy stumble through molasses since he's another guy who should have been custom made for WWEPG. On that note, I'll never understand how Delirious never got a shot in WWE.Honestly, if they could turn the Sheepherders into the Bushwhackers, I could totally see The Briscoes being turned into an act marketed towards kids. And no I'm not high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisZ Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 Punk is returning to TV next week................on the Breaking Bad post show Talking Bad next Sunday night and Chris Hardwick referred to him as the "former CM Punk....Phil Brooks" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowboy hats Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 Nit-pick, but just so we're clear, Talking Dead, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisZ Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 Yeah I got my AMC shows mixed up there..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJRogers Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 Punk is returning to TV next week................on the Breaking Bad post show Talking Bad next Sunday night and Chris Hardwick referred to him as the "former CM Punk....Phil Brooks" I don't know if that's Hardwick being a douche or not, but doesn't Punk own his stage name? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.