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

4. Triple H & Shawn Michaels Didn't Think He Had "It"

CM Punk
WWE.com

Insecure as ever, there was something deeply sinister about the way Triple H dropped his arm over CM Punk's shoulder before allowing him the honour of delivering his "Are You Ready?" catchphrase before 'Team DX's Survivor Series squash over 'Team Rated-RKO'.

Punk was the hottest babyface in the match by a wide margin - undefeated on ECW and unimpeded by the same d*ckheads he shared the ring with that night, the 'Straight Edge Superstar's immense popularity had clearly rattled the established old guard.

It presumably stung all the more due to how critical both Hunter and his DX comrade Shawn Michaels had been about Punk since the very first time he tried out. Prichard noted how they'd criticise his look, his attitude and crucially suggest he simply didn't have "it".

As caustic as some of these remarks may have been, Bruce followed that up by saying such digs implied a certain fear the very top stars had of somebody seemingly so much lower down the pecking order. Subversively, their barrage of abuse worked in Punk's favour with McMahon, who appreciated a certain confrontational side in any talent.

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