CM Punk names what he would change about WWE
CM Punk would like to see better communication between WWE personnel and wrestlers when it comes to giving and receiving feedback.
During his appearance on Stephanie McMahon’s “What’s Your Story?” podcast, Punk was asked to name one thing he’d change about WWE. He spoke about wanting to see greater variety and people taking chances before getting to his “controversial answer” of people being more serious when it comes to feedback. He would like to see more constructive feedback given to talent — and he’d like for those wrestlers to listen to what’s in front of them instead of going to social media to see how their match was received online.
“I’ll say the controversial answer now. I would like to see more people be a little more serious about things,” Punk said. “And instead of happy to be here, I would like more feedback given to people coming through the curtain instead of just, ‘Yup, it’s fine.’ Because some people chase the hug and they come back and they’re just like, ‘How was it?’ They want to be told, you know?
“But I always say, well — get off your f***ing phone. You’re looking at Twitter to see how your f***ing match was. Did you listen to the people? Because that’s your instant reaction. That’s your boss when you’re out there. I don’t give a sh*t what somebody on Twitter says about your match.”
Punk said there’s a dissonance between the social and live reaction, where wrestlers can receive a great response from fans in the crowd and then check their phones and see negativity. The live reaction is what he wants other wrestlers in WWE to prioritize. Punk said he does not have a TikTok account, abandoned Twitter years ago, and — while admitting he’s still on his phone too much — is mostly on Instagram to look at pictures of dogs and food.
When asked if he believes the feedback problem is more of an issue on the talent end or those behind the scenes, Punk said he thinks both can be at fault. He wants the producers/agents to communicate in a positive way that is still constructive and doesn’t tear people down.
“I think it can be both in some situations,” Punk responded. “I think sometimes some people don’t want to hurt people’s feelings. So I think they need to figure out a way to communicate things [in a positive way]. Because we’ve all been there. ‘Hey, do you got anything for me?’ ‘Yeah, man, your f***ing punches suck and you should f***ing quit the business and burn your boots.’ You know, like, okay, that might be a little much. But if you’re earnest in your seeking knowledge, like, ‘Oh, my punches suck. Okay, how do I get better?’ Because I was a 15-year-old kid working at a comic shop that made a ball of tape and hung it from the ceiling and sat there and punched it 10,000 times a day…
“I want the producers or agents to really focus on helping and giving constructive, positive feedback and showing things instead of just saying things. And I also need the talent to be sincere in wanting to get better and grow and keep an open mind and different perspectives on how to receive that information and then apply it. A big problem obviously is we don’t do as many live events. So it’s harder, but I think the people who really want it will figure it out.”
CM Punk happy next generation is making more money —
Punk believes WWE has become a more accommodating place under its new management regime. He’s happy that younger talent are now able to make more money while working far fewer dates than he did when he was coming up in the industry.
“I think there’s people in positions of power that actually want to see people succeed,” Punk said. “I want the next generation to work less and get paid more than I did — because that’s what you should want. That’s what you should want in any business. I talked to a lot of my friends in the NHL and they’re stoked that the young kids, they’re like, ‘Yeah, this is great. These young kids are making more money than we ever did. This is great.’ I want that for wrestlers.”
Full video of the “What’s Your Story?” episode can be seen below. The interview was conducted after Punk’s Undisputed WWE Championship victory and ahead of his title defense against Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam this August.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.