Ahead of his debut fight at UFC 203, former WWE star CM Punk spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard and below are some highlights.
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On ever returning to wrestling:
“A long time ago I stopped saying ‘never,’ but that’s a loaded question,” Punk explained. “I don’t know the answer. No matter what I say, it’s going to take on a life of its own.”
“When I started wrestling, I never wanted to go to WWE,” said Punk, who wrestled in Japan in 2003 for Pro Wrestling Zero1. “It was the Japanese life for me. I romanticized guys, like [Eddie] Guerrero, [Chris] Benoit, [Chris] Jericho, who went over there, and it just sounded like such an awesome life. You’d go over there for two, three, four weeks, and you come back and nobody knows who the f— you are. I could go get ice cream with my sisters without being harassed, and that was always my style.”
On championing NXT and WWE developmental:
“I was the guy that championed all the guys in developmental. Whether people there want to admit it or not, I helped a lot of guys A, get hired, and B, get called up. It was because I knew they were good, so it wasn’t just because of what I said that got them to where they are. It was them, but I was one of the first guys to shed a light on that and say, ‘F— it, these are the guys that are good.’ When I was where these guys are, no one would do that for me. I really felt like I needed to be different from a lot of the top guys that were around when I got called up.”
On Brock Lesnar offering UFC debut help and Lesnar’s USADA violations:
“[Lesnar] reached out and offered his help and his support,” said Punk. “He lives in the middle of nowhere in Saskatchewan, and I texted him once and it bounced back to me right away.”
On Lesnar’s USADA violations:
“I think it sucks,” said Punk. “I get tested by USADA all the time, and I’m the drug-free kid. It’s like when you’re driving on the highway and the cop is behind you – ‘Well, I wasn’t speeding, and my taillight isn’t out, but let me slow down.’ The whole thing bums me out. Brock came back, he fought an impressive fight and won, and then he failed a test. It bums me out when anybody fails a test.”
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
