CM Punk: Vince McMahon hated paying for licensed music & when I bleached my hair
As part of the promotion for Saturday’s WWE Wrestlepalooza, CM Punk did a Q&A session of sorts for GQ Magazine where the outlet provided him various questions from around the Internet that he answered.
Two of his answers gave some insight into parts of his sometimes strained relationship with former WWE chairman Vince McMahon.
He was asked about if he would consider bringing back Killswitch Engage’s “This Fire Burns” as his entrance song and he said he wouldn’t because he loves “Cult of Personality” and made the decision to stick with it years ago.
He loves it so much that he revealed that he negotiated use of the song during a renegotiation of his contract with McMahon specifically because he knew “how much he hated paying for licensed music.” Punk thought he would say no and would take a vacation, but to his surprise, McMahon said yes.
Punk also said that during one period of his Straight Edge Society run in WWE, McMahon “got very upset” with him because he bleached his hair blonde, demanding he dye it back.
“I refused to do it. It turned into a thing,” he said.
Other notes:
- Punk also said when it comes to retirement, “I’ll f**king retire whenever I want to. There’s work to be done and you’ll miss me when I’m gone.”
- He said Paul Heyman gave him advice that he still holds onto: “Don’t take sh*t from anybody.”
- Punk said that he won’t sign autographs at an airport or hotel or when he’s walking his dog. During those times, he’s “Phil and not CM Punk.” When he performs, he said he gives his all to the fans and will sign for them outside.
Punk and wife AJ Lee will face Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch Saturday at Wrestlepalooza on ESPN’s streaming service (U.S.) or Netflix (outside the U.S.).
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.