CM Punk on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling

[Timbo Slice]

Basically any industry where information is a valuable commodity.

[goodhelmet]

Great write up by Bix.

[SteveJRogers]

 

That is the alcoholic I assumed you meant.

"Meltzer will always be a mark when it comes to the biz brother. HH" - @hulkhogan

Pro wrestling - the only business which figures if you're a fan of said business, you're an idiot.

In the last decade or so, maybe the NFL?

[Childs]

The NFL doesn't assume you're an idiot if you're a fan. They assume everyone is a fan and will be until the end of time.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

The NFL doesn't assume you're an idiot if you're a fan. They assume everyone is a fan and will be until the end of time.

I do like that they have gone with the full heel authority figure nowadays. Has spiced things up.

[efrim]

Does anybody recall Punk giving the old "Wait and see where it goes, fantasy booking dorks" line of BS shortly after Night of Champions 2011? I recall that he had a rant to this effect, but I can't remember where it may have been.

 

I'd like to be able to cite it because I'm considering writing a question asking if such sentiments are a brave public face while he is upset behind the scenes, or if he basically has WWE stockholm syndrome.

[EvenStevenBooking]

Colt actually acknowledged/brought that up, saying Punk desperately tried to convince him that it was going to lead somewhere.

[efrim]

Colt actually acknowledged/brought that up, saying Punk desperately tried to convince him that it was going to lead somewhere.

 

I did hear that and assume that's what he was talking about, but I'd like more elaboration about the self-delusion and if that's coming from him or from external sources or a combination. It feels like a lot of guys have this at some point and I'd like to hear more about the details of it

[bradhindsight]

Yeah but you have to remember this self-delusion you're talking about was without the benefit of hindsight. I would like to know how they pitched that story originally ending.

[jpchicago23]

Alvarez mentioned on todays podcast that triple h was furious over the whole thing and basically said he wants to kill Punk, not literally but yea. I find it so funny that someone that thinks theyre such an alpha male and tries to make himself look like top dog ant chance he gets is so pissed at someone he sees as beneath him. It just makes him look insecure and the line about asking Triple H if he took the piss test was awesome. I truly think triple h will be way worse with grudges when it comes to doing business as well. Hes so sensitive I just wish I could see his reaction to hearing about the podcast

[Matt D]

Just finished it. I listened to it off and on today. My take away, based on years of reading this stuff, is that WWE is a pretty fucked up place, Punk was pretty much reasonable for leaving how he did, though he had lost all perspective with the main eventing Wrestlemania thing, especially when he was so together on so many other things. I actually feel sort of bad for being so excited to be going the Rumble as my first live show in ten years, but I'm a jerk and I'll have shaken that within a month or so.

 

I'm glad the guy is happier. My two dream jobs as a kid were doing something with wrestling and writing for Marvel so good on him. Hopefully he's got the chops there.

 

I do kind of wonder if he's gotten the lucha set from Will. Someone should ask him that or if he's so against wrestling he doesn't want to watch awesome 80s lucha. OR maybe not since we know the WWE lawyers will be listening.

[BigBadMick]

I'd like to know his frame of mind after leaving the Raw after Rumble. Had he no intention of wrestling again before his contract ended in July? Or was it a 'wait and see' approach he was taking? He didn't make it sound like Vince ringing him a week or two later was completely unreasonable to him.

[Strummer]

Alvarez says Hunter and Steph are livid at Punk going as far to say Hunter wants to "kill him" How much do they want to reverse the SS stips now? It wouldn't surprise me if they did somehow

[JNLister]

Something that I've not seen mentioned anywhere is that, at least from how I've heard recaps of the interview, Punk technically refused to take a urine test on the day he quit. While the circumstances might make that perfectly understandable in reality, I'm surprised WWE didn't have that as a major gotcha in legally arguing they could suspend/fire him and/or dock pay and royalties.

[JerryvonKramer]

Not all the way through yet, but this is fantastic. I think Punk comes across as reasonable, and someone who was dicked on quite a lot.

 

But I also think to an extent "that's life". 45 mins left.

[goodhelmet]

Matt.. he does not have the lucha set and nor does he want it. His love.for wrestling is gone. That would be a wasted question to ask him.

[Matt D]

The poor bastard.

[hammerva]

Alvarez says Hunter and Steph are livid at Punk going as far to say Hunter wants to "kill him" How much do they want to reverse the SS stips now? It wouldn't surprise me if they did somehow

The question is how do they deal with it. I mean Punk is perfectly fine never going back. Well for a couple years at least. I know he is a huge mark but i don't think he sees the HOF as that vital. You can't really punish Cabana too much. It isnt like his podcast is riddled with WWE stars lately. Plus Colt realizes he has no chance in the WWE in any form a long time ago. So I guess that leaves AJ. Problem there is that it would be so obvious there would be big backlash

 

Vince's reaction is interesting. I guess the reason he isn't completely pissed because he figured would it come out eventually

[SteveJRogers]

 

Alvarez says Hunter and Steph are livid at Punk going as far to say Hunter wants to "kill him" How much do they want to reverse the SS stips now? It wouldn't surprise me if they did somehow

The question is how do they deal with it. I mean Punk is perfectly fine never going back. Well for a couple years at least. I know he is a huge mark but i don't think he sees the HOF as that vital. You can't really punish Cabana too much. It isnt like his podcast is riddled with WWE stars lately. Plus Colt realizes he has no chance in the WWE in any form a long time ago. So I guess that leaves AJ. Problem there is that it would be so obvious there would be big backlash

 

Vince's reaction is interesting. I guess the reason he isn't completely pissed because he figured would it come out eventually

 

 

I know Road Dogg has gone on the offensive on Twitter telling everyone there are two sides to every story, to say nothing about Ryback's Twitter offense.

 

I don't think there is anything to do publicly really, other than announce sweeping medical staff changes.

 

Oh, and FWIW, as bad as you think the WWE's staff is at this point, look up New York Mets and their history of injuries getting mis-diagnosed or electing not to have surgeries leading to more complications over the last couple of decades.

 

Generation K (two different versions), Matt Harvey, hell never mind pitching, how about Ike Davis, Jose Reyes, David Wright...etc

 

The point being, the WWE as an entity may be awful on its own when it comes to their medical staff, but there are instances of it being that bad, or even worse, in professional sports that at least are seen as being of a higher standard by the mainstream mass audiences.

[kjh]

 

 

 

Just spit it out man!

 

For real. There's been too much of the "I know, but I'm not saying" schtick happening on the board lately.

 

This. If you can't tell the whole story don't tell any of it.

 

 

Pretty sure I've mentioned all of this in a thread here before, but it may have been on another board. In any event, I'm pretty sure Dave was fed wrong info by Flair.

 

 

This probably wouldn't be the first time. Remember how Dave reported that the backstage fight between Batista and Booker T was a work?

[WingedEagle]

Matt.. he does not have the lucha set and nor does he want it. His love.for wrestling is gone. That would be a wasted question to ask him.

 

Maybe its just me, but that's the most disturbing thing I've heard since this all broke. We're only lucky to find so many passions in this world outside of friends and family, it really sucks to lose one.

[El-P]

He said he was the happiest he's been in years. So no, it's not disturbing. Good for him. Whatever works.

[SteveJRogers]

 

Matt.. he does not have the lucha set and nor does he want it. His love.for wrestling is gone. That would be a wasted question to ask him.

 

Maybe its just me, but that's the most disturbing thing I've heard since this all broke. We're only lucky to find so many passions in this world outside of friends and family, it really sucks to lose one.

 

 

That is typical for various occupations that you go in as an uber passionate fan of. You can lose your passion for it once it becomes more of an occupation, whether its finding out how much of a dirty, low down business it is, or simply because it feels more like a soul crushing job.

 

The latter is clearly not the case here, but I've heard people who've tried for years to get into the television business because they didn't want a "real job" bitterly complain about aspects of working on a TV show being akin to the same gripes "real job" people give (time it takes to get to your job, long hours of unproductive-ness, not being in complete control of the finished product, etc) when it seems they are about ready for a complete career change.

[SteveJRogers]

Surprised no one has picked up on the boxing-MMA bit.

 

I understand Punk's point about how it does seem hypocritical, especially if Vince keeps saying that the WWE is not competing with UFC. But it does seem to be more in line with the whole way boxing is treated today and the various MMA organizations.

 

I think the idea, well first is that Vince is off his rocker thinking MMA is worse of a blood sport than boxing ever was, that boxing is still considered the king of fighting competitions, even though it hasn't been that way for quite some time to the mainstream audiences.

 

Perhaps its due to the Alphabet Soup of title belts and events are arranged more by the venue as the promoter, or two-bit car salesmen like the Don Kings and Bob Arums where...well its everyone singularly out for themselves as opposed to an organization, while MMA promotions are organized as wrestling promotions are (UFC, Bellator, etc). To say nothing about MMA shows occurring on a more frequent basis and boxers can sometimes go a year between title bouts, even in the heydays of the sport.

 

But I think its more that Vince, and people of that generation (and a few afterwards) that cling to the notion that boxing is still on its top pedestal, and that's where they'd should be in order to get the mainstream acceptance that the WWE generally craves. Despite the obvious usurping that MMA, and to some extent even pro wrestling, has done to boxing over the last few decades.

[Fando]

The funniest part about the Mayweather/boxing thing, which Meltzer mentioned on the show, was that no one even acknowledged who HHH was on air (a nobody compared to 50 Cent and Bieber) so it was pretty much pointless compared to the pop / hip factor Punk would have likely got for the company if they let him do it.