Recently, there have been rumors swirling around the possibility of the UFC signing pro-wrestling superstar, CM Punk aka Phil Brooks. While no concrete evidence has been produced to date, the idea is a welcome one for many MMA fans. Since the departure of another WWE star, Brock Lesnar, the promotion has needed the extra bump that crossover fans bring to the table, especially with the announcement of their 2014 financial decline. Pro-wrestling fans that are hungry for activity from Punk would be able to get it in the form of a real fight in the Octagon, and MMA fans would get to pick and choose from the long line of athletes they think would easily put him out of commission. The prospect is a tantalizing one, any way you slice it.
A few years back, Punk was supposed to walk former UFC middleweight superstar, Chael Sonnen to the cage for his fight against Mark Munoz for UFC On FOX 2. Munoz ended up pulling out of the fight with an injury and was replaced by Michael Bisping, and Punk’s announced appearance was nixed by WWE president, Vince MacMahon. In a recent interview with Colt Cabana for The Art Of Wrestling podcast, CM details the conversation where Vinny Mac pulled the plug on his UFC appearance.
*Talking to Vince*
“I’ll give you another example. Hey, my friend Chael (Sonnen) is fighting in Chicago for the UFC and I already talked to them and they’re totally cool with the idea and I’m gonna walk him to the octagon. And tomorrow’s the Royal Rumble, so it’ll get some last minute buys. And whether Chael wins or loses, no offense to Chael, no one’s gonna be talking about him, they’re gonna be talking about the WWE champion walking him to the octagon.
‘Oh my god Phil, no, we can’t do that. That’s barbaric. Somebody’s gonna die.’
And then I had to remind him ‘Well, I don’t know if you remember Owen Hart or not, you know, because he sort of died in the ring.’ He said someone was going to die in the octagon. I think he was distancing himself from such a horrible, barbaric product. And I reminded him how horrible and barbaric pro wrestling is. And he also said ‘Did you know that they’re going to have women fighting in the octagon soon?’ And I was like ‘Yeah, and it’s the coolest f—— thing in the world and it’s gonna be the hottest thing in the UFC.’ He’s just out of touch.
So he tells me that I can’t do that, and I felt like it was such an opportunity for the company and it was such a spotlight. It’s more promotion, it’s more eyes on the product. It’s my hometown. The place would be going crazy for me. And he says no. And then the next day or the next week, Triple H walks (Floyd) Mayweather to the f—— ring. And I was like ‘Oh, okay. I get it. It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission and next time I’m not going to ask.”
Another item Brooks spoke about was his abrupt departure from WWE earlier this year. Because nobody ever really commented on it, the assumption was that he had left the promotion. This was not how it went down, though:
“The day of my wedding I got a FedEx in the mail … it was my termination papers. I was fired,” Punk said. “On my wedding day. Very calculated. Very deliberate. … As much as I kind of chuckled at it and didn’t let it affect my day, I was like, ‘Once again, you pushed too f—— far. You pushed the wrong guy.'”
As a fan of both MMA and pro-wrestling, I still harbor a dream that Punk will make it over before he’s too old to provide viable competition to the UFC roster. Hopefully, my dream will be realized.