British Monsoon
Member
Am I alone thinking cena is losing here? Seems clear to me rock is going over
Come on man, don't fall into their trap - the odds are stacked against him, but Cena will overcome!
Am I alone thinking cena is losing here? Seems clear to me rock is going over
Come on man, don't fall into their trap - the odds are stacked against him, but Cena will overcome!
When he blasted WWE's higher-ups on live TV, CM Punk had GQ, ESPN and "The Jimmy Kimmel Show" banging on his door. TMZ and CNN interviewed him about his recent Twitter feud with pop star Chris Brown. But on this particular March afternoon on the Blue Line — the train he takes to and fromO'Hare International Airport every week with the diamond-encrusted WWE Championship belt in his suitcase — Punk appears to have gone unrecognized by those sitting around him.
That's just how he likes it.
"I'm so cranky," admits Punk, holding onto a pole by the"L"train's doors to keep his balance. Punk (real name: Phil Brooks) is on the third day of a diet that requires him to skip food entirely in favor of juices because "I'm bored out of my mind and I'm trying to get in wrestling shape. I can't work out harder than I do. I've been a (pescetarian) for three months."
The pro wrestler is by no means out of shape. But when you compare his heavily tattooed body to the superhero physiques of The Rock or John Cena, you can see why WWE's muscle-obsessed CEO, Vince McMahon, may have overlooked Punk for so long, and why 13-time WWE champion Triple H called him a "skinny fat kid."
"I think that's (Triple H's) perception of me," says Punk, who will defend his title against Chris Jericho on Sunday at Wrestlemania XXVIII in Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens. "It shows the perception people have is completely archaic and outdated. I assume it's a bodybuilding thing. I'm not skinny, and I'm not fat. I've never used a drug in my life."
Punk famously has the words "Drug" and "Free" tattooed on his knuckles and "Straight Edge" inked on his stomach (he says he's never used steroids, painkillers or recreational drugs or drunk alcohol, due to his Straight Edge lifestyle). And on this afternoon, what was supposed to be a day off from his hectic schedule, he is wearing a "Drug Free" T-shirt underneath a baggy black hooded sweatshirt, along with a Cubs cap that appears to be on its last legs.
"I can be pretty incognito," Punk says of getting recognized on the train. "I'll have my hood up and hands in my pocket. … It doesn't stop a lot of people. They'll talk to me for a while, and I'll stare at them for a while (with headphones on), and I'll say, 'I didn't hear a word you just said.'"
The Lockport native is, in wrestling parlance, a baby face (good guy) and soaks up the fan adoration every time he walks to the ring with his theme song, Living Colour's "Cult of Personality," playing over the loudspeakers. But Punk can come off as an unapologetic, walking "do not disturb" sign when he isn't working.
He's been known to vent about fans who don't respect his privacy — specifically the ones who tap him on the shoulder when he's checking in at the airport or the ones who take off his headphones to get his attention — and has laid into autograph hounds with binders full of photos who he feels are trying to make money off of him. He's more than willing to communicate with his fans and critics on Twitter, but anyone who tweets him risks a sarcastic or insulting response, including making fun of spelling and grammar. When one follower tweeted, "I'm going to Chicago for the 1st time for St Pattys Day. What places should I visit?" Punk simply replied, "Indiana." When another tweeted, "noone cares where ur going or what your doing," Punk fired back, "You mean 'you're'. Unfollow me. Or kill yourself."
"I've tweeted a few things that I thought for sure would get me a call from (WWE's) office," Punk says as the train approaches his stop. "It never happened. … Maybe I need to be more rebellious."
The Bongo Room in Wicker Park is known for its brunch and isn't juice-diet-friendly, but Punk would rather go there than a juice bar just a few blocks away. Why? It becomes apparent right away that he feels at home at The Bongo Room.
"Welcome back," the waitress says after Punk slides in a wooden booth "How have you been?"
The restaurant, just like the neighborhood, has a hipster feel to it. That's one of the reasons Punk likes both. He says most of the hipsters who recognize him are "too cool for school" to approach him. And when people approach him at the bar, the Bongo Room's staff tells them to back off.
It wasn't always this way. A year ago, Punk was one of many WWE wrestlers hoping to join the ranks of the organization's elite (and stay there). The difference was Punk clearly belonged among the elite due to his superior wrestling skills and mic work — and he knew it. But after years of wrestling through injuries only to see the same guys holding the title, he revealed to the company six months before his contract expired in July that he would not be re-signing. Punk blurred the lines of reality last June when he announced why he was leaving during a memorable episode of USA network's "Monday Night Raw."
"I've proved to everybody in the world that I'm the best on this microphone, in that ring, even on commentary," Punk told the crowd and the millions watching at home. "And yet, no matter how many times I prove it, I'm not on your lovely little collector cups, I'm not on the cover of the program, I'm barely promoted. I don't get to be in movies, I'm certainly not on any crappy shows on the USA Network. ... But the fact of the matter is I should (be). ... Vince McMahon's going to make money despite himself. He's a millionaire who should be a billionaire. You know why he's not a billionaire? It's 'cause he surrounds himself with glad-handing, nonsensical, yes men. ... I'd like to think that maybe this company will be better after Vince McMahon's dead, but the fact is it's going to get taken over by his idiotic daughter and his doofus son-in-law and the rest of his stupid family."
Punk's closest friend on the WWE roster, Kofi Kingston, was well aware of his frustrations. He just didn't know Punk would air them on live TV.
"Backstage, it was quiet," says Kingston over the phone from Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, where WWE recently taped "Raw." "Everyone was viewing the TV. I get goose bumps thinking about it. He said what everybody wanted to say. ... (Afterward) I went up to him smiling — 'That was incredible' — as people hugged him. ... (He was) same as always: ice cold. You never see him celebrating. ... He won't let emotions show on his face. ... It's pretty cool. He acts like he's been there before."
Punk, it turns out, was told by WWE that he could air his grievances but had to run them by McMahon first. Because he knew McMahon wouldn't let him say everything he wanted to say, Punk claimed he handed McMahon a piece of paper with talking points that were "completely different" from what Punk actually said.
Asked during a later phone conversation about McMahon's reaction to the speech, Punk says, "He had dollar signs in his eyes. He said, 'Hell of a promo. Too bad you're leaving. We could make a lot of money together.' "As for the enormous response he received from peers, fans and media, Punk says, "At that point, I was so out the door. ... I was counting down the days."
On the last day of his contract, Punk was scheduled to wrestle Cena for the WWE championship at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view at Rosemont's Allstate Arena. The hometown crowd was rabid in its support for Punk even though he was a heel at the time, and it erupted after he pinned Cena and exited through the crowd with the belt in hand.
Little did fans know Punk had signed a contract extension shortly after the pay-per-view had begun broadcasting.
Eight days later, Punk returned to WWE TV, lost the title at the next pay-per-view and then lost his match at the pay-per-view after that. But he won the title back in November and will defend it at Wrestlemania (the Super Bowl of wrestling). Besides, WWE's higher-ups are starting to see what many fans have been seeing in Punk all along — well, most fans.
Ever since he re-signed, Punk seems to have taken a greater leadership role in the WWE locker room. He volunteers to do interviews on his days off when a show's ticket sales could be better; he is adamant that wrestlers leave the locker room the way they found it; and he is giving more of the younger guys advice on their matches.
Kingston believes young wrestlers can learn a lot from Punk — just as he did back in the day.
"I'm really lucky Punk chose to take me under his wing," Kingston says. "A lot of people have a story about the first time they met Punk and how he was kind of a jerk. The earliest thing I remember is him coming up to me and saying, 'Hey, want a piece of advice? ... Remember, they all came here to see you.' I had been jumping around nervous, and he went out of his way to make me feel comfortable."
On the road, Punk takes Kingston along on his personal bus, which saves them the trouble of having to drive and find time for sleep. The bus was one of Punk's contract stipulations when he re-signed, along with a raise. But Punk claims it was never about the money. He says he isn't much of a spender. Still, he did make sure it was enough to make WWE think twice about not using him again.
And then there's the intro song he's been using since "returning" to WWE: "Cult of Personality." While most wrestlers have theme music created in-house, Punk asked WWE to pay for the rights for the popular 1988 Living Colour song.
Was it expensive?
"Yeah," Punk says about the song he listened to during his Little League baseball days. "But (expletive) it."
The Rock beat Hogan clean. How the heck foes Cena beat that?How are the odds against him this time? He pretty much admitted the WWE always books him to win. Rock actually sounded flustered there, only someone who has odds against him is like that.
Don't know if this was posted.
Interview: Behind the snarl of CM Punk
http://www.chicagotribune.com/enter...-wwe-cm-punk-20120326,0,1838034.column?page=1
I found the twitter stuff funny. Im not really surprised he doesn't want to be there after his 40's though. Ill enjoy him as long as he's around. Maybe he will be that ladder for the upcoming superstars in the next few years and leave a road for younger stars to help them start their own path.
ZeroRay said:How are the odds against him this time? He pretty much admitted the WWE always books him to win. Rock actually sounded flustered there, only someone who has odds against him is like that.
He comes off as a real ass in that interview. Totally ungrateful for the fans that got him to where he is. I'm sorry, but if you are the top of the company or in the public eye for whatever reason you become part of public property. Don't be a dick about it.
You honestly see nothing wrong with people taking his headphones off of him in public?
He's been known to vent about fans who don't respect his privacy — specifically the ones who tap him on the shoulder when he's checking in at the airport
and has laid into autograph hounds with binders full of photos who he feels are trying to make money off of him
"I can be pretty incognito," Punk says of getting recognized on the train. "I'll have my hood up and hands in my pocket. … It doesn't stop a lot of people. They'll talk to me for a while, and I'll stare at them for a while (with headphones on), and I'll say, 'I didn't hear a word you just said.'"
How are the odds against him any time? No matter how dominant Cena is and has been throughout his career, the odds are always against him by default, simply so he can overcome them.
oh... Wrestlemania means new Cena merch and a palette swap for his entrance video and lighting
what colour do we think he will go with this time?
I'm going with Blue.
Kind of surprized he hasnt had a blue shirt yet.
Green, Orange, White, Black, Purple, White. But he was never blue as far as I can remember.
Come on man, don't fall into their trap - the odds are stacked against him, but Cena will overcome!
I just feel as though the rock wouldn't sign up to put cena over and they know the majority want to see cena lose
Headphones, yes. But this :
this :
and this :
No, nothing wrong with that. It's the price you pay for fame.
You're not the property of the public when off the job. The people that want wrestlers to sign a bunch of stuff just to flip on ebay can go to hell. They're wasting the time of everyone behind them that actually want autographed stuff to keep for themselves and drive the wrestlers away from wanting to do signing sessions.
Whenever you venture out into the public, they will come to you. It's called being a professional.
He's told people to go kill themselves. The WWE still doesn't care. He doesn't show up wasted or drunk to events people have paid to see him at, and I haven't heard of him being a habitual no-shower either to events people paid to see him at.
Maybe if he was an ass to a kid at an event, I'd have an issue. But these are grown ass adults that think they own him and his time all to themselves when he's off the clock. They have no concept of boundaries. The same people that walk up to someone and rip out their headphones are the same people that come up with stacks of eBay-ready photos to be signed.
This silly "if you're in the public eye, you're owned by it" is why we have scary ass papparazi that stalk people's kids to school just to get a picture of them that they can sell for a thousand bucks to a local magazine. You're saying you don't find the idea of being followed around while on your off time oppressive?
On a side note, I thought Rikishi was dead all this time but apparently he's alive and well. So that's cool.
On a side note, I thought Rikishi was dead all this time but apparently he's alive and well. So that's cool.
DID YOU KNOW...
That the last time the Unified Tag Team Championships were defended at a Wrestlemania was Wrestlemania XXVI? ShoMiz (Big Show & The Miz) defeated John Morrison & R-Truth to retain the WWE Unified Tag Team Championships.
So, contrary to what Cody Rhodes has been saying, The Big Show has in fact won a match at Wrestlemania.
Kane carried Big Slow to a WM victory back at WM22 so he has in fact won twice, in tag matches where he didn't make the pinfall, so in some sort of warped way Rhodes point still stands, Big show can't actually win himself
Yeah, it's back to Youtubin' for me. Smackdown I may watch from time to time depending on spoilers. It, at least, has Cody Rhodes and Daniel Bryan for the time being.I still can't believe that is the shit they put on as the go home show to Wrestlemania. I was excited going into Raw too, thinking that they would atleast have a great go home show. I hope the rating is shit, but it will probably still be high thanks to curiousity before Mania.
They even got Moxley. :|Dean Ambrose ‏ @TheDeanAmbrose Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
#WWE #RAW Cena/Rock feels big, real big, Animosity, they both do it cuz they love wrestling so im down with both of em #Wrestlemania28
They even got Moxley. :|
@WWERollins Don't fight the machine! Be a good boy! They're listening to everything we say #drinkthemilk
So I heard there's a PPV this Sunday.
Kane carried Big Slow to a WM victory back at WM22 so he has in fact won twice, in tag matches where he didn't make the pinfall, so in some sort of warped way Rhodes point still stands, Big show can't actually win himself
If Punk ever hauls off and decks a shitty "fan", I fully expect to be interviewed as the owner of one of the what must be less than ten tweets where he doesn't reference feces, tell someone to kill themself, or to just unfollow. I cracked the code!I don't think anyone is disputing assholes that rip headphones off or try to make money with stacks of signatures are arseholes but Punk came off in that interview as if a fan politely came up to shake his hand or give him a pleasant comment he (or staff at his favourite hangout) would tell them to fuck off.
I don't think anyone is disputing assholes that rip headphones off or try to make money with stacks of signatures are arseholes but Punk came off in that interview as if a fan politely came up to shake his hand or give him a pleasant comment he (or staff at his favourite hangout) would tell them to fuck off.
Now EVERYONE deserves their space, I do feel for anyone who is in the limelight but shit, these people (the real fans) geniunely look up to you like you are sent down from heaven and even the smallest of nice response would spin their world.
The reason Cena is so massive in the company is he would stay for hours at an airport signing autographs, taking photos and kissing babies. Companies love that because fans respond to that.
On the plus side at least Punk admits it
So I heard there's a PPV this Sunday.
That is exactly what I got out of that interview and it saddens me to say that it has lowered my impressions of CM Punk as a person and entertainer.
The internet and their damn streams.
Until the internet complains about something, then we're just the 10 %ers again.
You can't deny the fact that illegal streaming sites have had a huge effect on PPV buys in recent years. :/
If WWE was smart they should do streams that don't cost the same rate as it does to order through a cable/satellite provider. $45 for a stream, are you fucking kidding me? If it was $15-20 I'd be more than willing to put down the money for most PPVs.
DirecTV has it listed for 65$ for HD
http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/content/sports/wwe?footernavtype=-1&lpos=header
WWE Hell In A Cell will be held on October 28th, 2012 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.