In a 30-minute interview with MMAFighting.com, CM Punk had a lot to say about MMA/UFC, WWE, the Royal Rumble, Brock Lesnar, his life after THAT RAW PROMO, and more:
CM Punk Interview, Part 1 of 2:
–Punk talks being removed from UFC show appearance
–Punk is asked what MMA can learn from pro wrestling
–Punk examines the best talker in MMA
–Punk says he’s the best talker in pro wrestling
–Punk plugs the Briscoe Brothers of ROH fame
–Punk analyzes the card for UFC on FOX 2
–Punk is currently watching The Shield box set on DVD
–Punk discusses UFC being on network TV while WWE isn’t
–Punk is asked about Brock Lesnar’s MMA loss and Chris Jericho’s comment the Lesnar “took a dive”
–Punk talks 2004 encounter with Brock Lesnar the day after winning the WWE Championship, his only pro wrestling interaction with Brock to date
–Punk looks at Brock’s WWE career and why he left
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOGX_ulFnP4
CM Punk Interview, Part 2 of 2:
–Punk says he’d welcome Brock back even though he thinks Lesnar couldn’t handle the 24/7 schedule or the road, given his personality
–Punk talks about Kevin Nash not being able to handle the full-time road schedule in 2012, and why it’s harder for older wrestlers to come back (he also mentions Mick Foley as a guy he “loves to death” but who can’t handle the full-time WWE climate anymore)
–Punk talks about having a target on his back when he goes to work out since he is the WWE Champion, and how he tries not to work out with people since they may try to “test him” and may injure him
–Punk talks about how he would have given MMA a chance if it was as prominent when he first came up in wrestling but nowadays he is “no spring chicken” at 33 years old
–Punk mentions how a guy like Kurt Angle would have never entered WWE if MMA was as popular as WWE back in 1997
–Punk compares Dana White to Vince McMahon, saying White is more “off the cuff” than Vince, that White is “less professional” (not in a negative way) but “more relatable” to his fans than Vince is to the WWE Universe
–Punk is asked about THAT RAW PROMO that kick-started his resurgence in WWE, and says his life has changed, especially “behind the scenes”
–Punk also says he feels like he “gets noticed” a lot more, that he is more of a celebrity now.
–Punk says he was “so burnt out” before he re-signed with WWE, but once he came back he just decided to go “all-in” and now he’s happy when he’s “doing cool stuff”.
–Punk says he’s mentally recharged but it’s taken a toll on his body, but he thinks the company finally “has faith” in him.
–Punk concludes the interview talking about his match with Dolph Ziggler at the Royal Rumble, and says he will not be in the Rumble this year and he’s bummed because the last two years he’s really proud of his role in the past two Royal Rumbles. He also says he’ll job will be to make his match more entertaining than the Rumble match this year.
–Punk says he doesn’t know who he’s wrestling at WrestleMania, but he casually throws out three names: Triple H, Chris Jericho, and Undertaker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNBX8vcilv4
CB’s Slant: Simply another great CM Punk interview and the fact that he doesn’t hold back about any topic is to be commended. His brute honesty and sheer believability is why he’s so relatable inside a WWE ring, too.
