Radar: After years of working his way up through the ranks, current WWE champ CM Punk has made an unlikely rise to the top; do you see his rise as similar to your own?
Mick: I see parallels that it’s unlikely! He’s doing things differently than everyone else. I see more parallels [with myself] in Steve Austin’s character.
I certainly enjoy Punk’s character, and I’d like to think that I have something in common with him.
Source: radaronline.com
By Adam S. Levy – Radar Staff Writer
After his epic promo went viral and set Twitter abuzz, WWE champion CM Punk emerged as pro wrestling’s biggest star last summer; what you might not have known is that the Chicago-made grappler was nearly handed his walking papers — twice — but saved by a faithful behind-the-scenes backer: Tommy Dreamer.
“He had little-to-no chance of ever making it in the WWE — he wasn’t their type of guy,” Dreamer, who moonlit between the ring and the WWE front office during his decade-long tenure with the company, told RadarOnline.com exclusively about Punk, whose 6-foot-2, 235-pound frame is a far cry from the bodybuilding look synonymous with wrestling heroes like Triple H, John Cena and, in his heyday, Hulk Hogan.
“I saved his job two times when he was about to be let go — I was saying, ‘Ya gotta keep this kid, ya gotta keep this kid,’” said Dreamer, who credited Punk for his fortitude in overcoming obstacles to become a worldwide phenomenon.
Source: radaronline.com
I wasn’t a fan of the WWE pushing John Laurinaitis as an on-air talent at first. As he began to become more and more of a jerk, he started to become bearable. After his promo to end “WWE Monday Night Raw” on Jan. 16, I was pretty much sold on him
.
WWE has been pushing the Laurinaitis and CM Punk feud as a call-back to the days of Vince McMahon and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin but that never really worked for me. Laurinaitis just doesn’t have the presence of McMahon and it never seemed to be a realistic feud. However, on the Jan. 23 episode of Raw, he finally agreed to fight CM Punk.
Things got interesting real fast.
First of all, the match never happened and I knew it wouldn’t even when it was announced. The big problem I had with the promo was that Triple H will come back next week to determine whether he will fire Laurinaitis or not. If they end the angle then, I consider the entire Laurinaitis push to be a failure. However, when CM Punk hit the GTS on Laurinaitis at the end of the show, I finally saw the McMahon-Austin comparison fulfilled, thanks to years of memories of Austin stunning McMahon.
What finally started to sell me on Laurinaitis was the fact that he is pretty different than McMahon-Austin.
McMahon was always an authority figure who could not control Austin. That was the dynamic in that feud and carried it well. Austin was the disgruntled employee and McMahon the power hungry boss. That never applied to Laurinaitis and Punk.
Yes, Punk was the antagonist but Laurinaitis was the third man, after McMahon and Triple H to lock horns with him. Laurinaitis has never had to power to be a realistic substitute for McMahon. What makes it different and unique is the fact that everyone has been pointing out how Laurinaitis hates Punk because Punk is a self made star and Laurinaitis never made it in the U.S.
This angle is the polar opposite of the McMahon-Austin feud. Laurinaitis is the disgruntled authority figure while Punk has most of the power. The roles have been reversed and that is why this angle is finally starting to work.
On a recent article on WWE.COM, Laurinaitis’ brother, Road Warrior Animal, talked about this exact topic.
“That’s one thing that eats John from the inside, deep in his gut,” Animal said. “I think he carries animosity over that, because he never got to be ‘the guy’ in the U.S. the way that CM Punk is today. I think he’s getting on Punk’s case because Punk is living the dream that John wishes he could have accomplished.”
Punk has always pointed that out but I think it is nice that the WWE is still pushing that angle.
I don’t think Laurinaitis will get fired next week. At least I hope that is not what happens. I have been watching him sending text messages continuously for weeks now and there has to be someone pulling the strings. If Laurinaitis is fired after the Royal Rumble, the WWE will have dropped the ball big time on this angle.
Do you still watch WWE?
Very, very rarely. I try but… I’m a Fox News junkie and every once in a while I’ll try to switch to MSNBC or CNBC or CNN, and I watch for a couple of minutes but I can’t do it and turn back. I feel the same way about WWE.So you haven’t seen any of the CM Punk stuff?
That I have seen, and there’s a case of letting a guy be himself and do his own thing, and he either sinks or swims of his own accord. I’m an old-school guy; if someone has an idea let them try it – if it works, great; if it doesn’t work, then you take them off TV. But you know, at that level, everyone’s good enough that they’re not going to go out there and just be awful. But you’re not really allowed to do that at WWE.Over there, you have somebody literally sitting there telling you ‘Okay, you’re going to lock up with this guy, then you’re going to back him into the corner, you’re going to throw a punch, he’s gonna duck it, he’s gonna light you up and send you off, you reverse him but he’ll ditch you with a hip toss…’. Here it’s like, ‘Here you go guys, now go put your match together’, and then they will enhance it or add to it or say ‘Maybe you should do this instead?’ And that’s the difference and it’s very beneficial to the performer to work in an environment like that.
At TNA everyone is treated like an adult. You’re not an idiot, and you can think for yourself. At WWE, only certain guys are treated like that. Punk is one of them, Truth is another guy who seems to only be given bullet points as far as his promos go, and in my opinion, those guys are doing tremendous work.
You can tell when the other guys are reading it off a script, because they’re not actors. They’re trying to play actors and what’s on that paper is not necessarily what’s in their heart, and it comes across as hokey, phony, pre-planned BS.
“He has a different way of thinking than most guys,” said Kidd. “Basically, the message is if I’ve come this far, I’m already halfway into the forest and I can’t go back.
“He’s a guy I can text anytime. If it’s 4 a.m. and I text him, he’ll text me back.”
1/23: WWE Raw Super Show in Phoenix; Q&A with CM Punk
by Randy Cordova – Jan. 17, 2012 11:19 AM
The Republic | azcentral.com
A man with 11 championships under his belt, CM Punk is a major star to World Wrestling Entertainment fans. Still, it’s not easy being famous: The public isn’t always polite, just like the man who interrupted his conversation to take pictures of him on the treadmill.
Punk follows the straight-edge lifestyle, meaning he stays away from alcohol and recreational drugs. He talks about being straight edge and the WWE life in a phone call from a Texas gym.
Question: What is it like being a WWE star?
Answer: You know, I really can’t compare it to anything else. It’s probably the busiest job in the world.
Q: Do you get much down time?
A: I was home for six days a week before Christmas. That was like the first time in 10 years that happened. I kind of went crazy after three days. It’s a bit of a culture shock.
Q: WWE has a huge international following. Do you have a favorite place to visit?
A: I love going to Japan. They treat pro wrestling like it’s baseball over there. They have amazing fans. They’re very respectful.
Q: Are American fans not respectful?
A: It’s just a lack of "excuse me" and "please" and "thank you." I’m a pretty approachable guy, but I’ve had my headphones taken off my head in the gym, people poking me in the back like I’m a farm animal. It’s a part of the game.
Raw from Anaheim had some stellar moments headlined by the Austin-esque promo by CM Punk directed at the interim Raw GM. The words of @cmpunk felt organic and genuine which always resonate better with the live audience and the TV viewer.
It is promos like these that helps a talent emotionally connect with the fan whether they be fan favorite or villain. It’s too bad that more talents don’t fully grasp the importance of ‘owning’ their promos.
Dolph Ziggler also had a meaningful promo at the beginning of RAW and continue to elevate his TV persona. It could be argued that Ziggler is only a significant match or two away from taking his game definitively to the next level specifically if those high level bouts have the time to mature and tell a compelling story.
That may be what we get at the Royal Rumble in St. Louis between WWE Champ Punk and challenger Ziggler. I look for these two to tear down the house in St Louis which is nearing sellout status.
Source: jrsbarbq.com
Special guest referees: Not so black and white
By: Alex Giannini | January 16, 2012
Eyebrows across the WWE Universe were raised when Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis named himself special guest referee in the WWE Championship Match between CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler at the 25th anniversary of the Royal Rumble on Jan. 29.
Because of the Interim GM’s rocky relationship with CM Punk, the WWE Universe is left to wonder what role Laurinaitis might play in determining the WWE Championship. Despite being true to his word and banning Jack Swagger and Vickie Guerrero from ringside at the Rumble, the WWE Universe is left unconvinced of Mr. Laurinaitis’s ability to remain impartial – at least according to numerous posts on Facebook and Twitter. If he does work his way into deciding the outcome of the match, just how stacked will the deck be against The Second City Savior with the title on the line? For that matter, should Dolph Ziggler feel all that comfortable with the new guest referee? After all, Laurinaitis lived up to his word on the Jan. 9 Raw SuperShow, and banned both Jack Swagger and Vickie Guerrero from ringside.
As history has shown, when a WWE authority figure works him or herself into a guest officiating role during an important match, there’s just no telling what might happen. Though it’s a pretty safe bet that in their WWE Championship Match at the Royal Rumble, either the champion or challenger will not be happy with the guest official’s final decision.
By: Greg Godfrey | January 6, 2012
Best Mic Skills
CM Punk on his gift of gab
“Honestly, I don’t know if I ever learned it. I was once given a great piece of advice by The American Dream, Dusty Rhodes. He told me that the best stuff comes from the heart, and that’s all I’ve ever done. I don’t try to think about what I’m going to say because then it seems forced, rehearsed and phony. So when you see me with a mic in my hand, it’s just me talking. It’s what I do, it’s who I am, and I can talk all day long. Some animals are born with claws. Well, I was born with the ability to talk.”
Click here to view scans of the January 2012 issue of WWE Magazine »
Punk rocks
Chicagoan CM Punk has been the talk of WWE—and now he talks to us
By Ted Gruber, For RedEye
6:12 p.m. CST, December 21, 2011
"It’s clobberin’ time."
With those famous words before every wrestling match, Chicagoan and current WWE heavyweight champ CM Punk makes his entrance. Punk’s not only at the top of his game, but he put a spark in professional wrestling this summer with his seemingly off-script rant about WWE owner Vince McMahon and his ascension to the championship—in Chicago, no less.
He talked with RedEye recently about a variety of topics, including his fondness for MMA, as he prepares to return to Allstate Arena on Monday for "Raw."
Going back to July, how was that feeling of winning the WWE Championship in your hometown?
I don’t think it could have gone any better. It’s an awesome feeling and it was a very hostile environment, and I deal well with those kinds of situations. What better place to win the WWE Championship than in Chicago where I grew up and started my wrestling career.
Before that match you had a contract that was expiring and many didn’t know what was going to happen or where your career would continue. Was that situation on your mind while wrestling in the that match?
That wasn’t something that weighed heavily on my mind during the match because I had all my friends and family watching ringside. That was the real big pressure, trying to impress the fans, and I opened my mouth weeks prior with doing promos. I had a lot to prove.
