10 Things We Learned From Something Else To Wrestle With: CM Punk
A Voice On The Voice Of The Voiceless
Conrad Thompson jokingly posited that this particular profile piece on the WWE Network could be their series finale rather than a season one, but the contentiousness of the subject matter was what made the topic so tantalising to begin with.
CM Punk's tumultuous tenure with WWE came to an end in 2014 in a fashion later dissected in excruciating detail on a now-infamous podcast with Colt Cabana. The very medium found itself under threat as a result, with a lengthy lawsuit filed by WWE doctor Chris Amann over the comments Punk made about his alleged negligence during some injury-ravaged later days for the 'Voice Of The Voiceless'.
Had Amann won, it would have set a precedent that could have ruined podcasts for everybody - particularly the likes of Thompson and Prichard. Lawyers would be employed to comb through hours of content for minutes of controversy; a new gold rush for those able to profiteer from comments made in anger, humour or ignorance.
Prichard's been guilty of all three of those since the pair started deep diving into the careers and stories that came to pass during his lengthy tenure at Vince McMahon's right hand, but delving into the early years of the 'Straight Edge Superstar' was a shrewd subject choice in light of the once-revered headliner's unwanted recent return to the spotlight,
10. CM Punk & Reckless Youth Were The Indie Darlings On WWE's Radar
In discussing how a wrestler with CM Punk's then-toxic independent credentials even made it into the WWE system to begin with, Prichard noted how he was one of several the company had their eye on at the time, but moved beyond references to both Daniel Bryan and Samoa Joe to cover a name one synonymous with burgeoning scene.
Referring to Punk as one of the "darlings" at the time, Prichard put the future 'Voice Of The Voiceless' in league with then-red hot prospect Thomas 'Reckless Youth' Carter. A forgotten footnote of the era, Carter benefitted hugely from a cult appeal amongst the most ardent of fans, with tapes traded featuring some of his gruelling spot-heavy battles gaining huge acclaim before social media made such a thing instantaneous.
The company go as far as sharing a dark match on the broadcast with Prichard and Thompson commenting over top, though the clip of the match is selected to note Bruce's tacit takedown of his broader appeal. Carter springboards out to the floor in a slightly clunky fashion and admittedly looks tiny inside WWE's 20x20 ring. It's not a surprise Punk's original instinct when he did arrive in OVW was to "get big".