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The always outspoken CM Punk has made the move from pro wrestling to mixed martial arts, with his UFC debut coming up. As somebody who rose to the top of the pro wrestling business, and as somebody who has always been free with his opinions on WWE, he is often asked to pontificate upon the state of pro wrestling. Recently, Punk was on UFC Unfiltered where he discussed, amongst other things, how WWE has become too scripted.
Punk discussed how the difference between pro wrestling and UFC is that in pro wrestling you need to make moves look “like you’re smashing a guy,” but without making any real contact. He shouted out Bret “The Hitman” Hart as being particularly good at this, and also says that he worked lighter with wrestlers he didn’t like, so there would never be any tension about whether or not he was being stiff on purpose.
On top of everything else, Punk expressed his disappointment for how scripted wrestling promos are. Punk, who was always credited for being very good on the mic, said, “I think the good ones, the interviews and the promos people remember, those are improv. Now, wrestling’s just overscripted to death. It’s almost like they have a chokehold on it. Some guys need to operate that way, and I feel like some people need to let loose and be themselves.”
It’s true that sometimes wrestling promos sound clearly scripted, and those tend to land less well. However, like Punk says, not everybody is comfortable, or skilled, at playing it by ear. Of course, now that Punk is in UFC, he doesn’t have to worry about it anymore.
(Via UFC Unfiltered, h/t Wrestling Inc.)
