CM Punk Feels Sting Doesn’t Get the Credit He Deserves

Sep 9, 2021 - by James Walsh

In a recent interview on Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette, CM Punk discussed his WWE Backstage experience, how Sting is being used in AEW, and much more. You can read his comments below.

CM Punk on his WWE Backstage experience and what it was like working with FOX: “I think doing the FOX show with you. Honestly, I hadn’t spoken to you since I left probably, so rekindled a friendship and was kind of the gateway to opening up the possibility in my head that wrestling could be an option. I don’t know where in the timeline AEW kind of started or launched during the FOX thing, because there was a show. The Young Bucks, Omega, Cody, they did a show in Chicago before AEW was, I guess, officially a thing. I don’t know where in that I was doing the FOX thing, but the FOX thing was too good to be true. It was great. People legitimately were like, ‘oh you went back to WWE.’ No, I went to FOX. It’s amazing the way people in the real world treat other human beings. FOX flew to Milwaukee, I was in Milwaukee. They were like, ‘we’ll come to Chicago or Milwaukee.’ Jacob Spoon and Ben flew to Milwaukee and it was kind of a formal but informal meeting.

“We ordered food and I was very adamant of, ‘Guys, I don’t want anything to do with [WWE]. I don’t want to work for them. So, I don’t know if this is a Trojan Horse?’ I didn’t want that, and I was like, ‘I want transparency and honesty.’ And they were like, ‘We have Smackdown coming to FOX. We want an analyst show as a lead in or whatever, just like we have a football panel.’ I was like ‘makes sense, it’s a good idea.’ They’re like ‘you’re the guy, you’re the white whale.’ And I was like ‘I’m the white whale that probably has nothing good to say.’ But they were like, ‘we need honesty. We’re paying them a lot of money and we hope the show is good.’ I was like, ‘great.’ I thought I was fair on the show. When stuff was bad I was like, ‘eh.’ There was stuff I liked, but I think that was the whole start of possibly the idea [of coming back]. It was just an idea, and working with great people. Everybody at FOX was so great.”

CM Punk on how Sting has been used in AEW: “That’s a situation I never thought was a possibility. You’re talking about a guy who has been on top everywhere he’s every gone, and I really kind of don’t know if he gets the credit for his wrestling mind. It’s kind of hard for him to not have a different perspective based on everybody he’s worked with and everywhere he’s been. I don’t know if he was ever positioned as the top guy, but I feel like he was the heart and soul of WCW, especially towards the end. He was on the first Nitro, he was on the last Nitro. He’s been in main events with [Ric] Flair and he’s worked with everyone. He’s been around for so long, and I just don’t think he gets the credit for being the top guy because maybe he always played second fiddle to Flair or Hogan…..I look at it like this, and I haven’t seen anybody make this comparison. It’s like when Harley [Race] managed Vader in WCW. Harley was a badass and he moved into the position of being a manager. I feel like that’s babyface Sting right now. It’s a delight to see. He’s used sparingly, and to me, it’s a delight.”

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