CM Punk explains why he still studies older wrestling
CM Punk discussed why he still studies older wrestling during a recent appearance on the Games with Names podcast.
Punk said he is frequently “annoying the s–t” out of WWE’s archivist and enjoys watching older wrestling because he “can’t do the spectacular stuff” common in modern matches.
Punk said:
“We have archives and an archivist who I’m every day annoying the s–t out of him.”
“I’ll watch old stuff because, to me, what’s old is new. I don’t have the ability, like I can’t do the spectacular stuff off the top rope to the floor. I’ll let the young kids do that. My thing is pulling on heartstrings and toying with people’s emotions, so I watch a lot of the older stuff and see just how they move and how they act or react to the crowd. And to me, that’s my bread and butter.”
Punk recently did go off the top rope, attempting a moonsault in his match against Cody Rhodes at WWE SummerSlam. During an appearance on ESPN SportsCenter, Punk said his crooked version of the move was an homage to Terry Funk.
Punk said on SportsCenter (h/t Fightful):
“It was incredibly bad or it was so bad it was good. I don’t know. But a little homage. A lot of homages tonight. That was for Terry.”
Punk defeated Rhodes in the semi-main event of the first night of SummerSlam this past weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Randy Orton returned late in the match and delivered an RKO to Rhodes moments before the finish.
Punk’s full appearance on the Games with Names podcast is available below.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has appeared in award-winning publications such as NOW Magazine and The Huffington Post. He joined the F4WOnline team in 2019 and was named managing editor in the summer of 2026. Born in Calgary, Alberta, Ian has covered professional wrestling for more than 15 years.