CM Punk talks about how difficult it was at times in staying with his ‘Straight-Edge’ beliefs while he had to brave the often bully-infested locker room of the WWE; Bryan Danielson discusses the war between AEW and his former employers, and Adam Cole sits down with Chris Jericho for a chat on Talk Is Jericho.
Punk on staying ‘Straight-Edge’ in WWE
As has been reported by cultaholic.com, CM Punk has recently spoken about how difficult it was being ‘Straight-Edge’ in WWE. It was on an episode of the Dropping Character Podcast.
*According to Wikipedia, a ‘Straight-Edge’ lifestyle consists of the core beliefs to stay clear of hard drink, drugs, promiscuous sex, even prescription drugs (which in pro wrestling is certainly hard enough); some even turning to veganism, all the while the movement or belief adhering to what is known as a hardcore Punk (a subculture) lifestyle.
On the difficulties of being ‘Straight-Edge’ in WWE, Punk said:
“…There’s a lot of bullies in professional wrestling and a lot of it comes down to people being taught by the previous generation to hold onto your spot…Somebody’s gonna take your spot, the young guys are coming up. They’re gonna take your spot…So me coming in, I was a threat to a lot of guys and me being straight-edge, not drinking, not doing drugs, I was a threat to other guys. They didn’t get that. They would try to bully me into weird peer pressure like, ‘Have a beer!’ I’m like, ‘I don’t drink.’ ‘Well why? Why don’t you?’ Just weird stuff that grown ass men should not be participating in…And a lot of it translates to people – you get punished in their own special way. I don’t know if that stuff goes on anymore. It’s a different company [WWE] from what people tell me but yeah, the pro wrestling culture sucked and you know, lesser people could break, quit or whatever. I just always kind of looked at it like, ‘Well, if I get fired, I get fired. I have a back-up plan and that is just to go back seamlessly into the life I had…”
via Dropping Character Podcast
Danielson on the AEW vs. WWE War
On an interview with WFAN’s Moose and Maggie, Bryan Danielson spoke about the competition between AEW and his former employer:
“…In a couple of years when both TV deals come up, and that’s how both companies make most of their money through their TV deals, there’s going to be some competitive bargaining going on as far as who gets what? And the person who has the better ratings is going to get the most money. And that’s better for everybody. So obviously there’s that level of competition. One of the things that I love is that Tony’s view of wrestling comes from a wrestling fan’s perspective, and it’s really a modernization of professional wrestling. But what WWE does is more entertainment. And you can see it in the way the shows are presented. The very first segment in most WWE shows is an interview setting up the entertainment for the rest of the night. AEW almost always starts off with a wrestling match…And one of the things that I love about both of them, rather than being competition, it gives wrestling fans ‘hey, what do you like better?’ It gives you that. Some people are going to like both. I also think it’s great for the wrestlers in that you look at someone like Malakai Black in AEW or Ruby Soho, who weren’t able to get many opportunities in WWE. Now they’re in AEW and Ruby’s in an AEW Women’s Championship match…So giving talent opportunities, and eventually, it’s going to go the other way. Someone in AEW is underutilized, they’re going to go to WWE and people are going to see what they can do. I just think there’s a competitive nature…”
via WFAN’s Moose and Maggie /Wrestling Inc (Transcription)
Adam Cole (Bay Bay!) meets with ring legend, Chris Jericho
And it was on the Talk Is Jericho podcast (reported by webisjericho.com) that Adam Cole spoke candidly about his last few years over at WWE and just what Triple H and his mentor Shawn Michaels told him when he said he was leaving the company he had spent four years of his life in:
“…I told Hunter and Shawn. Both of them could not have been more supportive, it was awesome. I had a really really long conversation with Shawn, and he wishes that there was a world where we could see each other a lot and talk, work together and stuff. But he wants me to be as happy as possible and be as successful as possible. He could tell how excited I was to come here, and he was supportive 100%. And Hunter again could not have been cooler, more understanding and appreciative of the 4 years we have worked together. I am lucky with the relationship I formed with those guys…”
via Talk Is Jericho /featuresofwrestling.com (Transcription)
NEXT: Omega has a Message for Danielson after their Epic Battle—Billy Graham in Hospital
And did you ever wonder where his catchphrase, Bay Bay, came from? Well…you’ll find out here and I’ll keep it a surprise if you don’t know, but I will say that it has lot to do with Chris Jericho himself. You’re in for a treat with this one, dear readers, so check it out. So much more is discussed that cannot be summed up in a transcription, so check it out here.
