AEW star CM Punk was interviewed on Renee Paquette’s “Oral Sessions” podcast to talk about his return to pro wrestling, what it was like to hear the pop in Chicago on Rampage, dream opponents and tag partners, what it’s like working with Sting, and more.
Here are some highlights:
CM Punk talking about his initial conversations with Tony Khan:
“My conversations with Tony were very relaxed. They weren’t so business oriented. I think famously everybody thinks they know the story of like Tony having a third party reach out to me, and I was like, ‘The timing isn’t right. I need stuff done a certain way.’ I’m not saying I’m the prettiest girl at the prom or anything like that, but let’s sit down and talk. That never happened until Tony was like, ‘Yea, I want to sit down and talk.’ I sat, and I talked with him. Based on things he said, I took a wait and see approach. He said certain things that made me go, ‘Ok, I’ll sit back and see if this happens’, like the TNT deal. This is not a slight on Tony at all. This is a slight on every other person every six months of my entire wrestling career who came around and was like, ‘We got money. We got a backer. We got a money mark brother, We got TV and we’re going to use all the old ECW guys. We’re bringing it back.’ My entire career prior to WWE literally was that every 6 months. There’s a guy named John Collins who famously did time for bouncing checks to not just me, but a whole bunch of guys. So I was like, ‘Well, I’ve heard it before.’ I’m not one to rush into stuff now. I’m older and wiser. So really I just took the backseat approach. To me, timing is everything. Eventually it got to the point where it was like, ‘Man, this feels right.’ Then the pandemic hit, and I was just like, ‘Well, now we just have more time to sit back and wait.’ I thought coming back with no fans would have sucked. Hats off to every single person who worked in front of nobody. To me, that’s the whole juice of the art of professional wrestling is getting those people invested. Without that there, that had to be so hard.”
Renee said, ‘Can you imagine not having been able to have the moment that you got to have in Chicago?”
Punk: “I wouldn’t have let that happen. Then there’s a series of happy accidents where I’m like, ‘I’m glad I waited. I’m glad it happened this way.’ Timing is just everything. It was just the perfect storm.”
Punk was asked about the roar of the crowd that he received in Chicago:
“I didn’t hear sh*t because the instant my music hit, I heard the first rift, and then I heard a jet engine. It was on top of me. People have asked me what it felt like, and the only thing I can tell them is there’s an elevated train here in Chicago, the ‘L’. Go stand underneath it as a double train goes by. That’s what it felt like. It was loud, but I’ve heard loud pops before. This one, it’s like you felt it. I didn’t just hear it, I felt it. It was on top of me. I went out there. Sometimes everything becomes a blur, but this time, you see it. I calmly got down on my knees, I soaked it in, and enjoyed it. You see me cry. It’s a total release. It was a moment in time where I’m exactly where I need to be, and everything is right. Let’s go knock it out of the park.”
Punk was asked why Darby Allin was the person for him to come back and get in a program with:
“When I was 15, I skateboarded. I was looking to try and find an identity. I was an opinionated punk rock kid. All the jocks made fun of me and stuff like that. There’s a big thing about Darby that reminds me of me back then. If I was a kid and I saw him, he would be my favorite wrestler just because he’s different. He looks different. He has tattoos. He’s punk rock, so there’s something there.”
Punk was asked his thoughts about adjusting to a new locker room:
“It’s a new locker room, but it’s not. There’s so many familiar faces. I’ve known Cody forever. Sandra is making tights. Jan’s doing makeup. There’s familiar faces in the truck, people who’ve directed WrestleManias. I know a lot of the people behind the scenes. A lot of familiar faces, but a lot of new ones too. Some of them make me feel old, but man, do some of them make me feel super cool. There’s more than one conversation I’ve had that people (in the locker room) are like, ‘I just have to say that you helped me through a bad spot.’ People have tattoos based on me (He wouldn’t say they are when he was asked). A lot of it’s heavy, but it’s all positive, and it’s overwhelming.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit “Oral Sessions with Renée Paquette “ with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
— Renee Paquette (@ReneePaquette) September 4, 2021
