CM Punk has a new gig as an MMA commentator for a Cage Fury Fighting Championship event, but his pro wrestling past isn’t fully behind him yet. In an interview with MMAFighting.com, Punk discussed his perspective on doing MMA commentary, his status with UFC, and his thoughts on the rumored new wrestling promotion headed by Cody and the Young Bucks.
He first said he gets why the minds behind All In wouldn’t want to go to WWE, plus some takes on the current state of the promotion.
“I think at this point that whatever those guys decide to do will be great for them and their families. If I was asked what I would do or what I would say to them – because they could obviously go to WWE whenever they want – it’s just a matter of is this what’s best for your family? And I think we live in a time now where WWE is not the end-all, be-all. I don’t think it has been for quite some time. I think the stigma that it is is still there and probably will persist for many, many years. But enough people have been there and left that can, I guess, extoll the knowledge of, ‘Hey, you know what, the place ain’t all that…’
Maybe the place has changed. I’ve got people who text me and say otherwise, but there’s ways to make money and support your family outside of that. With also being able to satisfy the side of your brain that’s creative, the side of your brain that loves professional wrestling, the reason you bought a pair of boots in the first place. And I think those guys can definitely do that. I think they can command their price if they want there. But if they did go there, then they’d just be another guy – just like everybody else on that show. It’s amazing, the more time the show gets, the less time it really seems they develop new characters.”
The Being The Elite cast heavily teased that Punk might appear at their show in the weeks leading up to All In, with Marty Scurll even singing the entirety of “Cult of Personality” at his Starrcast karaoke event. However, Punk says Cody’s claim that he made him an offer for the show is false.
“… I like the Young Bucks. I text with Matt on and off. But business is business. I know Cody was out there in the media saying that an offer was made [for the All In event Sept. 1]. An offer was not made. Calling me up or texting me saying, ‘Hey, if you want to come to the show and do something, we would love that’ is not an offer. That’s not an offer.”
Punk goes on to say he’s looking for freedom from the pro wrestling world.
“There’s a couple more loose ends that I’m still trying to tie up to fully absolve me from the world of pro wrestling. I feel like I’ve still been attached to it since the day that I left it and that’s mostly because of fugazi lawyers and such. But we’re wrapping all that up and that’ll come to an end. And once I’m truly free, we can explore the world and just float and hang out… I’ve earned it, I’ve paid my dues.”
Could those loose ends include a final match or appearance at a wrestling event? Given the strength of Punk’s fanbase and the fact that wrestlers rarely stay out of the business for good, speculation about this will probably continue for a long time.
