• CM Punk Explains Why He Ignored WWE Order Not To Honor Randy Savage
CM Punk recalled a direct confrontation with a high-ranking WWE executive over his choice of ring attire, detailing a backstage incident where he was explicitly ordered not to wear gear paying tribute to “Macho Man” Randy Savage.
During an appearance on WWE’s Break It Down series, Punk explained that the pink attire was intended as a double tribute: a nod to one of his favorite looks on Savage, specifically the gear worn at WrestleMania III against Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, and a realization that the color pink complements him well.
After commissioning the gear, Punk stated that an unnamed, very senior figure within the WWE office walked past, saw the outfit, and issued a clear command: “Do not wear that gear on television.”
True to his rebellious persona, Punk’s reaction was simply to agree and then proceed to wear the tribute gear anyway, explaining, “That’s what I do. I’m gonna pay homage to Randy Savage whether you like it or not.”
He justified his defiance by explaining his deep connection to Savage. Punk identified as a “hardcore wrestling fan” who historically gravitated toward talented wrestlers they felt were unfairly overshadowed – in his view, Savage was the one who should have had the spotlight reserved for figures like Hulk Hogan.
Punk noted that this same rebellious passion, both his own for Savage and the passion fans in turn show for him, is what has fueled his entire wrestling career.
• John Cena Explains Why His Heel Run Failed
John Cena shocked the pro wrestling world at this year’s Elimination Chamber. After winning the Men’s Elimination Chamber match, The GOAT aligned himself with The Rock and unleashed a brutal attack on Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, officially turning heel.
But the heel run didn’t last long. Within a couple of months, Cena was back to being a babyface, and many fans criticized WWE’s handling of the turn. They felt that the company didn’t capitalize on the new direction, delivered a lacklustre WrestleMania 41 main event, and failed to give Cena compelling matches during the run.
Speaking on The Bill Simmons Podcast, the 17-time World Champion admitted that he simply didn’t have the time needed to fully build the heel persona fans were expecting.
“I think a lot of people were wondering what would happen if John Cena turned heel. And then when I did, it left a taste in people’s mouth that they didn’t like it. They wanted other stuff. ‘I wanted a music change; I wanted a uniform change; I wanted him to act like this.’
I got 11 months to do this. 36 TV appearances. It takes 5 years to get a guy over, regardless. If you turn them, it’s gonna take a year or two on television for it really to sink in, especially if you really want to get into it and then be able to flip and then get a guy to get a nice flip on the other side when it’s time to turn again.
I don’t have the time to tell the right story, but that’s besides the point, because I’m told we’re going with this story. We sure are. I’m gonna do the best I can.”
John Cena also admitted that his retirement tour hasn’t been perfect and revealed that he wanted to work 220 dates during his final run, but WWE only wanted to book him for 36.
“‘Hey man, 36 dates must have been easy this year.’ I did too many jobs. I was in Budapest, flying to Indy, do Indy, fly back, land, go film. Doing that until post-WrestleMania. Back and forth to Morocco, Budapest, all these crazy places that weren’t easy commutes.
You think you can do it, ‘I’ll sleep on the plane.’ You don’t. It doesn’t happen. Then, you get upside down and you’re super fatigued. I threaded the needle just enough.
The plan, originally, was to do a full year. This goes to show my ignorance of the business. I wanted to do 220 dates.
Just take the year off from everything, hop on a bus, do a full WWE calendar, and totally say goodbye.
Thank goodness the business isn’t like that anymore. I’d be done. They only needed me for 36.”
