CM Punk was interviewed for a piece published this morningby Justin Barrasso on
Sports Illustrated's website, hitting on a number of topics:
Whether he feels fulfilled in AEW given everything that has come out over the last week:
“Yes, 100%. You try not to put too much stock in internet rumors. But for AEW, I definitely think that’s part of our audience. Twitter’s not real life, though. On top of that, a lie makes its way around the world twice before the truth puts his boots on or gets out of bed. If I addressed every rumor, I’d be here all day. I love AEW. It’s not a competition of who loves it more or who’s the heart and soul, or who’s this and who’s that. AEW allowed me a second chance to do what I do best, and that’s professionally wrestle.”
"My first year exceeded my expectations, and now we have a baseline to build off—a foundation of rivalries and people I’m friendly with. It makes the second year all that more exciting. Seeing all the business metrics tick upward, that’s why I was brought here. It’s possibly even more exciting than the first year.”
His comments on the mic last week:
"That’s what I’m here to do, make people want to see what happens next. I’m trying to sell tickets to the live events. That goes back to me saying Twitter isn’t [the] real world. Twitter is a bunch of people that don’t really care about your opinion. They want to find like-minded opinions that share their worldview. I’m trying to tell stories, sell tickets, and get people to tune in on
Dynamite."
On potential issues behind the scenes being discussed coming out of the Hangman-Punk back and forth:
"It’s one side of the story. My locker room is never closed. It’s always open. Anybody who wants to DM [Dave] Meltzer some bulls--- can come talk to me about it. It’s not macho, stupid bulls---. I’m an adult. Come talk with me.”
Jon Moxley:
"I think Moxley is a guy who followed in my footsteps. He was a guy that was never really given the ball [in WWE]. When he was, it was taken away from him, time and time again, for other stars. I think he’s got a chip on his shoulder because he thinks the same thing’s happening to him again. He’s a different dude from the last time I wrestled him, which was almost 10 years ago, and I’m a much different person, too.”
His Health as he returns to the ring:
"It’s a prickly topic. I’ve had problems with the way my health was handled in the past. I’ve been devoting all my waking time to getting my foot back to 100%. I will be cleared by my surgeon. Whether that means I’m 100% or not, there’s where the tricky answer comes in. It’s kind of like fighting for the first time in the UFC. I’m ready, I’ve done the work, but you’re never ready until you do it. This foot, I’m doing everything I can to make sure it’s ready, but it won’t be ready until I do it. Am I game ready until I play a game? I’m looking forward to playing a game and finding out where we’re at.
"I don’t want to let the team down, but I don’t want to reinjure myself. I told my wife, my surgeon, and Tony [Khan] that I’m in a rush to be healthy, not in a rush to get back. Whereas, in the past, two weeks after knee surgery, it was, ‘I’ll owe you one, pal. We need you to do this match.’ I didn’t feel comfortable about that. I feel 100% testing my limits on
Dynamite."
How he approaches wrestling:
“I still feel it, just in a new way. I’m much more driven by business metrics, whereas I think some people are driven by match quality and star ratings. I think a good match is one that sells tickets."