19 Things WRESTLING Wants You To Forget About CM Punk
17. His Red Carpet Remarks On The Rock
The Rock's 2011 return to WWE for a three-year series with John Cena ruffled feathers within the company, not least when it ensured main event positions on WrestleMania cards for at least two consecutive 'Show Of Shows'.
Punk in particular was one of they key figures at the top of the company that felt as if he was speaking on behalf of other disgruntled locker room favourites. Speaking in 2012 (after Rock's first match but before his second, and before their Royal Rumble 2013 title match that took Punk out of the headline spot), he said;
"For him to come back and try and claim that WrestleMania was successful because of him, or that he's the most electrifying you know whatever he is, it grinds on my nerves, you know. And I can only hope that in 10 years, when I'm old and out of touch, there are going to be some young punk kids pointing at me saying 'you're old and out of touch.'"
The comments disappeared into the ether when Punk and Rock came up with far more impressive lines during their duelling promos, but they did resurface in 2022, when it looked as though the exact situation had occured in AEW.