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

5. Paul Heyman's Positivity Backfired

Paul Heyman CM Punk Hug Bromance
WWE.com

Paul Heyman couldn't believe his luck when ROH stalwart CM Punk strolled into an OVW he'd been aimlessly stewarding in 2005. The former ECW gaffer was a huge fan, and booked the developmental territory around Punk as a pet project, repeating the feat when WWE elected to relaunch his extreme brand a year later.

Punk has spoken glowingly of Heyman at every opportunity over the years, but Prichard offered a slightly different take on the influence 'The Advocate' had. Noting the over-enthusiasm with which he plugged Punk, Prichard opined that Vince McMahon showed open disinterest for the 'Straight Edge Superstar' because Heyman's support was so fervent.

According to Bruce, "Heyman would push so hard that Vince would push back", which led to much of the stop-start success Punk had following his 2006 main roster call up. Bizarrely (considering his otherwise-excellent track record), Heyman's cards were apparently marked by the gusto with which he promoted - of all people - Mike Knox as another breakout star. His failure to instantly project was subsequently used as a stick to beat the ex-promoter with before his post-December To December departure.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he 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 on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say. With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling. 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 music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.