10 Strange Wrestling Attire Choices - Explained

5. CM Punk Loses Out On Merch Money

Hhh Shorts
WWE

On June 27, 2011, CM Punk - even if indirectly - changed the course of professional wrestling in North America forever.

He illuminated the vast systemic issues with authority and an electrifying, unifying venom. This contrarian address created an appetite for change at the root, and WWE's failure to capitalise on the development on a micro level only brought his words into starker focus. On a macro level, his words lingered, and WWE's inability to address them via the rise of Daniel Bryan felt like another wilful abuse of the arrogance of which he spoke.

The expectation of a better WWE never left certain fans, and this expectation enabled the rise of everything - NJPW, ROH, Bullet Club, Being The Elite and ultimately, AEW - that followed to oppose it. WWE, one could argue, created its competition the very minute they allowed an ambitious talent to cut an unscripted promo. It's no wonder that they won't change that in 2021.

Punk did all this while wearing a Stone Cold Steve Austin t-shirt. It might have given the game away, had he debuted a new Punk design at the same time - not that it wouldn't have sold countless units - but that isn't the explanation. Nor was its cute, spiritual connection to what he was doing.

He simply didn't have a Punk shirt on him, and the only one laying around was too big and would have made him look ridiculous.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!