CM Punk chat

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

5 minutes ago, StrongStyle said:

I think that's what would keep Punk awake at night more than anything: that a recording artist with almost zero experience carries himself, performs like and ultimately is a bigger star than he could ever dream of being.

That is not exclusive to Punk though is it. The list of actual stars involved in wrestling beyond the obvious big three of Dwayne, Big Dave and Cena is very short. Roman, Cody, Brock, Kenny, Logan Paul, Pat McAfee, Bad Bunny.

Anyone wishing to argue that McAfee isn't a star had better be able to counter the fact that College Game Day had an average TV rating of 2.1 million last year and has gone up 8% since Pat joined, and he has just signed an 85 million dollar deal with Disney for his show to be ESPN for the next four years. Sounds like a star to me. 

Edited June 19, 2023 by Lion_of_the_Midlands
Phone shenanigans

[mim731]

3 hours ago, StrongStyle said:

I think the quality acts in wrestling are really showing Punk up for what he is right now. He's old, he's knackered, he's angry and he's a couple of steps away from shouting at the clouds.

I might be wrong, but wasn't that the point of his promo. He's been doing the "can he still keep up, or is he knackered thing" since he started in AEW, and now he's acknowledged he's not "being nice" anymore. I'm not arguing he's at his athletic peak now, but it seems an odd criticism when that is exactly the character he's playing. If he's coming across like that, surely it's working (partly because that is him in reality but turned up to 11)? 

[Vamp]

How much is that actually played up in the results of his matches though. I remember him doing the whole "I want to face the young guys" things when he came in and proceeded to beat the hottest young star in the company in his first match. 

[CavemanLynn]

Saying one thing and doing/being another is very much in Punk's wheelhouse; it was just more fun when he was clearly doing it for boos in the SES. This Collision shit though? If a wrestler says they don't care if we cheer or boo him (as he did), then that tells me you're not very good at doing the one funda-fxxxing-mental thing every wrestler is supposed to get you to do. The whole promo reeked off "I'm doing this for ME!" which is classic heel shtick, but utterly muddied by their deliberate chase for cheers in Chicago. "Oooooh" worked-shoot digs without naming names. GO AWAY. 

And to be clear, anyone in AEW or any other wrestling company at any level doing the above can fxxx right off too, not just Punk or the Elite.

[gmoney]

1 hour ago, CavemanLynn said:

And to be clear, anyone in AEW or any other wrestling company at any level doing the above can fxxx right off too, not just Punk or the Elite.

And that's a shoot brother! Bleep that, Moo!

[Pinc]

On 6/19/2023 at 1:53 AM, Suplex Sinner said:

2. His on screen/in-ring contributions were not missed one bit. The show on didn't suffer and the actual real life superstars such as Sting, Moxley, Danielson, Cassidy, Allin, MJF carried the roster without any bother at all.

Does anyone actually believe this? Dynamite felt directionless for months after Punk disappeared, and most agreed that MJF’s title reign was a damp squib until the Iron Man match.

They’re definitely sucking diesel again the last month or so, but One Bill Phil’s absence was absolutely felt when he first left and it took them ages to get the shows working again. It’s only really with the BCC/Elite feud clicking into gear that they got their groove back.

[DavidB6937]

I wouldn't say that was because Punk was gone. I don't think his contributions were ever that big that they relied on him so much that it fucked everything up when he went. They were great before him too. It was just a mess and the fallout wasn't good for them.

[CavemanLynn]

31 minutes ago, Pinc said:

Does anyone actually believe this? Dynamite felt directionless for months after Punk disappeared, and most agreed that MJF’s title reign was a damp squib until the Iron Man match.

You don't get to flip the table over because you're losing the game and storm off, then turn round at the people picking up the pieces and say, "See! Look at the mess you're in without me!"

[Guest]

Remember it wasn’t just Punk we left, the elite had to get taken off tv and they had a raft of other injuries as well. No wonder things felt rushed and directionless as they course corrected losing top of the roster guys 

[The King of Old School]

So if Punk and The Elite can't share a dressing room does that mean that we'll never see a PPV with them both on again?

Seems a bit far fetched to me.

Edited June 20, 2023 by The King of Old School

[Bus Surfer]

I know the majority here are far into the bubble, but do people actually think they won't end up working together? No way is Punk coming back to sit on some C show away from all of them. There is far too much money left on the table and the logistics of keeping them apart indefinitely are just too much hassle. 

[CavemanLynn]

I'd imagine it depends on how much individual show gates matter to the talent, and whether they truly care about growing the company. If anyone's on a sizeable wedge and doesn't directly benefit from increased ticket revenue, then it comes down to a talent knowing their name on the bill will give those below them a better deal.

The guy kicked off publicly against the other biggest names in the company, then walked away for months. Once he was at the top of the card, any idea of working with emerging talent disappeared, although not that he was at the top of the card long enough. I've not heard mention of him working with talent behind the scenes to coach, advise, or otherwise transfer knowledge.

I'm not advocating a return to "darker days", but one's pay being vastly dependent on working hot angles with any talent for maximum gate would seem to have been a great motivator in this situation.

[The King Of Swing]

Omega and The Elite are currently tied up in their own story lines and you also have Forbidden Door on the way.

If they do have something planned with Punk then they need to get all of that out of the way first. 

[gmoney]

Apparently ticket sales from upcoming shows have pretty much doubled since Saturday, which isn't as impressive as it sounds given they hadn't sold very many, but still good indication of renewed interest. 

20 minutes ago, CavemanLynn said:

I've not heard mention of him working with talent behind the scenes to coach, advise, or otherwise transfer knowledge.

It was mentioned in quite a lot of places that he was working with and helping younger talent, and giving advice where asked. I don't think that was a problem with Punk. 

Edited June 20, 2023 by gmoney

[David]

Just now, Silky Kisser said:

I know the majority here are far into the bubble, but do people actually think they won't end up working together?

I'd think it's a given that they will. If the company was serious about having them stay apart and not interact then you'd imagine that they'd do their best to simply not have any of it mentioned on television.

The fact Punk went out and shot a "pipe bomb" promo and made veiled digs tells me that even if this shit didn't start out as a work, it is now. The people involved must have seen the reaction it's gotten and if they're smart they'll see money in the fact that a little dressing room tiff has resulted in wrestling fans obsessing over everything thats happened and been said since. The tribalism on social media around this situation is matched only by the tribalism we see around WWE/AEW itself.

The fact that Punk is one of the few wrestlers who hasn't died, been arrested or linked with sexual assault to have his own thread on this forum in a long time tells its own story. He's discussion-worthy. 

Isn't he scheduled for Forbidden Door yet?