In a new interview with ESPN, CM Punk responds to the critisicm that he return to WWE too soon after he “quit” the company following the Money in the Bank pay-per-view leading into SummerSlam only to return a few weeks later.
“In a perfect world, yeah, you could stretch everything out more, but realistically, it’s a business,” Punk noted. “You needed a main event for SummerSlam. So for all of the armchair bookers out there who are like, “No, Punk came back too soon!” I agree with you, but, the second-largest pay-per-view of the year, what match are you going to put in the main event? People need to take that into account. Nobody ever likes to look into things, they just like to bitch and complain about everything.”
Punk also took an opportunity to once again bash Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s return to WWE at the Survivor Series pay-per-view last weekend, similarly to how he felt about The Rock in an interview with the New York Daily News a few days earlier. It is interesting to note that he also used much of the same talking points.
“I don’t know if it’s some weird vanity project for him to come back and fraternize with us little people, but I appreciate it. If it puts more money in my bank account, that’s cool, even if I’m not a money guy. I’m very passionate about wrestling. This is what I do. I’m not leaving to go film movies. It’s just me and the rest of the crew, the men and women of the WWE who are on the road constantly, and I’m not the only one who is, I don’t want to say bitter, because I get it, it’s a business move where Dwayne comes in and people buy some pay-per-views, but it’s the attitude that gets to me.
“He’s very bourgeoisie Hollywood, and I just wish he would say hello to people backstage and not act like he was above everybody. Cena doesn’t act like that. Cena sits and talks and fraternizes with everybody, but Dwayne just can’t be bothered. Then again, I don’t know if anyone really wants to hang out with him. He was in the “Tooth Fairy.” If he’s so good at what he does, why doesn’t he impart some of that knowledge to the young guys and help out? I guess I’m just trying to figure out why he came back. I don’t think it’s money. I think he’s OK money-wise, so I don’t know.”
