CM Punk thinks some WWE wrestlers are way too focused on getting praised backstage—and not nearly focused enough on whether the crowd actually cared.
While speaking with Stephanie McMahon on What’s Your Story?, Punk was asked what he would change about WWE today. Instead of talking about storylines or championships, he went straight after a mentality he believes has crept into the locker room.
Punk said too many wrestlers come through the curtain looking for praise instead of honest criticism, joking that some are more interested in “chasing the hug” than actually finding out how they performed.
“I’ll say the controversial answer now. I would like to see more people be a little more serious about things. Instead of being happy to be here, I would like more feedback given to people coming through the curtain instead of just, ‘Yep, it’s fine.’ Some people chase the hug. They come back and they’re just like, ‘How was it?’ They want to be told.”
According to Punk, the bigger problem starts a few seconds later. Instead of listening to the reaction they just got from thousands of fans inside the arena, he says some wrestlers immediately pull out their phones and start scrolling through Twitter to see what strangers thought of the match. Punk believes that’s backwards.
“But I always say, ‘Get off your phone.’ You’re looking at Twitter to see how your match was. Did you listen to the people? Because that’s your instant reaction. That’s your boss when you’re out there.”
Stephanie didn’t hesitate to agree. She argued the live crowd tells wrestlers everything they need to know, even pointing out that empty seats can be just as revealing as cheers.
Stephanie McMahon: “And, by the way, if there are empty seats, that’s a big tell.”
CM Punk: “That’s a big tell.”
Punk then took another shot at Wrestling Twitter, saying the online conversation has become completely disconnected from what’s actually happening inside WWE arenas.
“The dissonance between what wrestling Twitter says and what actually happens in a live building is crazy. It boggles my mind.”
Stephanie agreed, saying social media can make it seem like wrestling is falling apart even while thousands of fans are filling arenas and having a great time. Punk pointed to that week’s episode of Raw as proof.
“Monday night, I don’t know, there were 13,000 people there. They were pretty psyched. They were stoked.”
For Punk, the message was simple. The people buying tickets, filling arenas and reacting to the show are the audience that matters most. If a wrestler walks through the curtain and heads straight for Twitter instead of remembering what just happened in the building, he thinks they’re already listening to the wrong critics.
Do you agree with CM Punk? Should wrestlers care more about the live crowd than what Wrestling Twitter has to say after a match? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.
