It’s the most unpredictable title bout of the summer.
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CM Punk on Jon Moxley: “He’s a different dude from the last time I wrestled him, which was almost 10 years ago, and I’m a much different person, too”
Right around the turn of the century, CM Punk wrestled for Ian Rotten’s IWA Mid-South promotion.
A renegade group whose transgressions have been romanticized over the last two decades, this was a grassroots operation where aspiring pro wrestlers—ones with dreams that far outweighed their paydays—left their blood, sweat and tears on the mat. It was also a proving ground, a time in his career that helped transform Punk into a genuine cult of personality.
“IWA Mid-South ran out of a barn,” Punk says. “I don’t even know what the actual commercial functional use of the space was, but it was a barn. The first time I ever wrestled for Ian, I had to wrestle outside the barn. The fire marshall had shut Ian down because something wasn’t up to code. It was like a diesel engine barn, if that makes any sense.”
There were times when Punk wrestled in front of crowds in the single digits, a significant difference from the packed houses and huge television ratings he draws in All Elite Wrestling. The reigning AEW champion, Punk cut his teeth in an altogether different era. There were no YouTube clips or Twitter posts, yet he found a way to emerge as a legitimate superstar and industry icon through an unrivaled blend of talent, determination and passion.
“When I was doing backyard wrestling, we wrestled at a barn and people sat on haystacks,” Punk says. “With Ian, we were lucky if people had seats. That was Charlestown, Indiana. Kentuckiana, they called it. That’s why there was an OVW/Jim Cornette–IWA/Ian Rotten blood feud. Here’s a little history lesson. Ian got wrestling thrown out of Kentucky. Everybody was always told, if you wanted to work for the WWF, don’t ever work for Ian Rotten. If you did, you’d never work for Jim Cornette or OVW.”
Yet that is the trail Punk passionately blazed. More than two decades later, wrestling still elicits the same fervor in his soul, albeit one with an evolved outlook.
“I still feel it, just in a new way,” says Punk, whose goals have changed since he was younger. “I’m much more driven by business metrics, whereas I think some people are driven by match quality and star ratings. I think a good match is one that sells tickets.”
Punk is selling tickets and spiking ratings for Dynamite, where he returns to the ring on Wednesday night in a title unification bout against Jon Moxley. It is a match full of surprise and intrigue, embedded with a sense of realism. Punk defeated “Hangman” Adam Page to win the title in May, then quickly found himself on the injured list with a left foot issue that required surgery. In his absence, Moxley outlasted New Japan great Hiroshi Tanahashi the following month to become the interim champ. Now, at the climax of summer, the two will meet in the most unpredictable title bout of the summer.
“I think Moxley is a guy who followed in my footsteps,” Punk says. “He was a guy that was never really given the ball [in WWE]. When he was, it was taken away from him, time and time again, for other stars. I think he’s got a chip on his shoulder because he thinks the same thing’s happening to him again.
“He’s a different dude from the last time I wrestled him, which was almost 10 years ago, and I’m a much different person, too.”
Courtesy of AEW
The past week has been full of whispers and speculation that Punk is unhappy in AEW. Oftentimes, with this much internet chatter, there is fire behind the smoke. Yet that simply does not appear to be the case here, as Punk genuinely looks thrilled every time he steps on stage. Addressing the rumors, Punk was asked whether he feels creatively fulfilled in AEW—and whether he enjoys working with the roster.
“Yes, 100%,” Punk says. “You try not to put too much stock in internet rumors. But for AEW, I definitely think that’s part of our audience. Twitter’s not real life, though. On top of that, a lie makes its way around the world twice before the truth puts his boots on or gets out of bed.
“If I addressed every rumor, I’d be here all day. I love AEW. It’s not a competition of who loves it more or who’s the heart and soul, or who’s this and who’s that. AEW allowed me a second chance to do what I do best, and that’s professionally wrestle.”
Even just a cursory glance at the excess of rumors leads to wrestlers speaking with reporters, and that is undoubtedly a part of the intrigue behind the curtain in pro wrestling. But just because people are talking does not necessarily mean it is accurate.
“It’s one side of the story,” Punk says. “My locker room is never closed. It’s always open. Anybody who wants to DM [the Wrestling Observer’s Dave] Meltzer some bulls--- can come talk to me about it. It’s not macho, stupid bulls---. I’m an adult. Come talk with me.”
One of the rumors circulating is that Punk almost opted not to attend last week’s Dynamite. That is directly contradicted by the determination with which Punk rehabilitated his injured left foot to return to AEW, with his maniacal rehab a testament to the passion he holds for pro wrestling.
The payoff to Punk’s earlier-than-expected return is his Dynamite world title match against Moxley. This is pay-per-view main-event caliber, and the stakes could not be higher. And the match has the potential to be great. Punk holds himself to an absurdly high standard in the ring. He is extremely hard on his own work, so it will be interesting to see how he performs, especially considering this match marks his first since a six-man tag on June 1.
When asked whether he is entering the match at full health, Punk gave an honest answer.
“It’s a prickly topic,” Punk says. “I’ve had problems with the way my health was handled in the past. I’ve been devoting all my waking time to getting my foot back to 100%. I will be cleared by my surgeon. Whether that means I’m 100% or not, there’s where the tricky answer comes in.
“It’s kind of like fighting for the first time in the UFC. I’m ready, I’ve done the work, but you’re never ready until you do it. This foot, I’m doing everything I can to make sure it’s ready, but it won’t be ready until I do it. Am I game ready until I play a game? I’m looking forward to playing a game and finding out where we’re at.”
Punk has a well-documented history of rushing back from injuries earlier in his career at the behest of former WWE CEO Vince McMahon. That helped cause his fractured relationship with and departure from the company, and he is adamant not to make the same mistake again.
“I don’t want to let the team down, but I don’t want to reinjure myself,” Punk says. “I told my wife, my surgeon, and Tony [Khan] that I’m in a rush to be healthy, not in a rush to get back. Whereas, in the past, two weeks after knee surgery, it was, ‘I’ll owe you one, pal. We need you to do this match.’ I didn’t feel comfortable about that. I feel 100% testing my limits on Dynamite.”
In addition to the story line with Moxley, a new fire was lit last week on Dynamite when Punk called out “Hangman” Page for a title rematch.
That sparked all sorts of speculation online that Punk went off script—but it also effectively reintroduced Page to the world title picture. Personal vendettas are not his focus, Punk explained, as the primary goal is to make people eager to see what happens next.
“That’s what I’m here to do, make people want to see what happens next,” Punk says. “I’m trying to sell tickets to the live events. That goes back to me saying Twitter isn’t [the] real world. Twitter is a bunch of people that don’t really care about your opinion. They want to find like-minded opinions that share their worldview. I’m trying to tell stories, sell tickets, and get people to tune in on Dynamite.”
Without question, Punk has added a whole new dimension of excitement to AEW. He just reached his one-year anniversary in the company, a successful stretch that he believes will be exceeded in year two.
“My first year exceeded my expectations, and now we have a baseline to build off—a foundation of rivalries and people I’m friendly with,” Punk says. “It makes the second year all that more exciting. Seeing all the business metrics tick upward, that’s why I was brought here. It’s possibly even more exciting than the first year.”
Punk remains one of the sharpest, edgiest voices in wrestling. He had a brilliant insult last week directed toward Moxley, stating, “Jon Moxley is the third best guy in his own group, and that seems to be a reoccurring [sic] theme in his career.” Like all of Punk’s promos, whether as a babyface or villain, there is a kernel of truth that adds an authenticity to his words.
“I don’t write stuff [down ahead of time], I just talk,” Punk says, explaining the art behind the way he cuts promos. “That’s one of the biggest things that’s missing from pro wrestling. It’s letting people go out there and talk if they know what they’re doing. It can be magic.”
Creating magic in pro wrestling is Punk’s specialty. He looks to do exactly that against Moxley, wrestling in a match that should add further value to the AEW title. And Punk doesn’t want viewers to just watch the match; he wants them to feel it.
“My passion for this, that’s all I bring and that’s all I have,” Punk says. “It’s passion for this and making it all about that world title belt.”
The (online) week in wrestling
- In addition to winning this year’s G1 Climax, Kazuchika Okada is a new father.
- Whether it was backstage in a segment with Roman Reigns or in the ring, Sami Zayn’s connection with the SmackDown crowd Friday in Montreal was electric.
- Jeff Jarrett’s latest run behind the scenes with WWE as senior vice president of live events has come to an end, reports Mike Johnson of PWInsider.
- After seeing the black-and-gold brand of NXT ripped apart, Shawn Michaels has a new job in the Triple H–led WWE: vice president of talent development creative.
Unpredictability now a part of WWE programming
The Triple H era continued to flourish this week on Raw.
It is early in Paul Levesque’s run overseeing WWE’s creative, and bringing life to the weekly three-hour Raw is an ongoing battle. But he did a solid job this week by adding intrigue through compelling matches, the return of a legend, surprises and a legitimate main event.
Raw marked the first time Edge has wrestled in Canada in over a decade. The crowd in Toronto was more than ready for it, and Edge’s match against Damian Priest felt like the type of content you needed to watch live. That is a rare commodity on Raw, but it was also the case during Johnny Gargano’s return to WWE. He was written off of NXT programming and the direction of the company made it appear that Gargano would end up elsewhere, most likely AEW. But he took time away from wrestling, and before he signed anywhere else, Triple H found himself in charge of WWE creative. The surprise appearance from Gargano was extremely well executed, and adding in Theory—his former partner in NXT—was a great touch.
Trish Stratus also returned in front of a crowd in her native Canada. Next week, it is Kurt Angle’s turn, as he will elicit a huge reaction, just like Stratus did, when he is on the Raw in Pittsburgh (also his hometown). The show benefited greatly from a main-event performance from Edge, who looked incredible in his victory against Priest. The next goal for Levesque in his new role should be prioritizing Finn Bálor, who is presented in a cartoonish manner as the leader of The Judgment Day. Bálor would be a top player in AEW or New Japan Pro-Wrestling, yet he hasn’t been able to reach that level in WWE outside of his runs in NXT.
Suddenly, it is worth watching to see what happens next. There is an air of unpredictability in WWE programming that has long been absent, making the product feel fresh for the first time in years.
Tweet of the Week
Even more reason to be a fan of Wardlow.
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.