5 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (May 11)

3. Breaking The Record

Roman Reigns
WWE.com

"Bullies" was just one of the barbs launched at WWE's top brass from CM Punk during his legendary (and lawsuit-teasing) podcast interview with Colt Cabana several months removed from an acrimonious 2014 exit from the company.

The subject brought to mind the manner his famous "Pipe Bomb" promo concluded. A mere mention of the controversial 'Be A Star' campaign resulted in his microphone finally getting cut, but there was no stopping his calling out of their various prejudices against both him and his wife AJ Lee once he'd eventually departed.

Lee bravely took on the machine over wage discrepancies shortly before her 2015 departure with the company cynically robbing her of a Divas Title longevity record as a petty act of revenge.

It is happening again.

CM Punk's 434-day WWE Title reign was a significant and worthy sporting statistic in a scripted world. There's a legitimacy to being given the role (if not the Championship belt itself) as company figurehead, and the 'Voice Of The Voiceless' commanding the spot sowed the seeds of change in the company that secretly wouldn't sprout for years.

The lack of a planned Brock Lesnar title defence before June's Money In The Bank pay-per-view (at the very earliest), ensures he'll sail past that record with infuriating ease. Brock has wrestled 16 times since defeating Bill Goldberg at WrestleMania 33, a feat Punk achieved barely a month into his historic stint. Literally different 'beasts', but soon-to-be forever entwined in WWE lore.

Remember, in WWE, bullies don't get their a*s kicked. They get the last laugh.

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