19 Things WRESTLING Wants You To Forget About CM Punk
15. The House Show Rant
t/w homophobia, slurs
It was during a July 2011 house show in Australia where a fierce exchange of words between CM Punk and a ringside fan resulted in a TMZ video that shone a particularly negative light on the 'Straight Edge Superstar'.
In the clip, he was heard to shout;
"You h*mo!...I guess you're right, that's why I'm picking on you two jerks right now. You have a vagina. You have a vagina. Nice faux hawk, you h*mo! Yeah, I want you to come over the rail so I can twist you and turn you inside out."
It looked and sounded as unpleasant as it reads. Punk, for his part, apologised immediately, saying that;
"I'm glad TMZ posted that video because everybody needs to be held accountable for their !*$%, me included. What I said was !*$%. I'm embarrassed. I own up to being a total douche in this situation and I offer a sincere apology to anybody I hurt with careless words."
Ahead of him becoming the top star in the company, it was a black mark on his record but the sincere regret he shared afterwards went some way to rebuilding what may have otherwise been a lost connection with much of his fanbase.