10 Things We Learned From Something Else To Wrestle With: CM Punk

1. The Undertaker Disapproved Of Him Winning The World Heavyweight Championship

CM Punk
WWE Network

"Really?"

"Really?"

Did The Miz crib one of his most successful catchphrases from a real life verbal swipe dished out by the biggest hitter in the locker room?

The bewildered single word utterance was apparently The Undertaker's only response direct to Prichard after Punk won the title. Seemingly more incredulous than angry, it suggested imply that 'The Deadman' couldn't believe the company would dream of putting a top title on somebody he believed fundamentally nowhere near ready for it.

Punk had already been forced to work through numerous biases levied against him by Shawn Michaels and Triple H, and Prichard's note about those criticisms reflecting well on the upstart could probably be applied to this cutting appraisal as well.

When Punk won the World Heavyweight Title as a heel a year later, he was admittedly far more suited to carrying the Championship than he was in 2008. And yet, perhaps not by coincidence, it was The Undertaker who squashed him to take it less than two months after he downed Jeff Hardy in a bruising SummerSlam show-closer. It's little wonder Punk became 'The Voice Of The Voiceless' - he spent years shouting loud enough just to get himself heard.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett