CM Punk is ready to show the people that doubt him how good he really is.
During the post-show media scrum at All Out, WrestleZone’s Dominic DeAngelo asked Punk about Terry Funk’s influence on his career and if he was channeling any of that energy with his own AEW run. Punk spoke about Funk is respected, but many people didn’t truly get to appreciate how great he was in his prime. He said he can relate to people thinking he’s not as good as others might give credit for, but it makes it easier to go out and show them.
“I don’t think Terry Funk gets the credit for being the wrestler he was. I don’t think a lot of those guys do,” Punk explained, “but I also think it’s a generational thing. There are very few people who were wrestling fans while certain people were hot, you know? How many people in this room have ever seen Terry Funk wrestle live?
“There’s a few of you, but how many of you have seen him wrestle when he was ‘Terry Funk’? I’m talking NWA Champion—I know you did, Dave, [points to Dave Meltzer in the scrum] but you’re really dating yourself—and I think there’s a lot of people out there that don’t think I’m sh-t, and I think that makes my job a lot easier going forward,” Punk noted, “because I know who I am and it’s fun to be able to remind people.”
Later in the scrum, Punk was also asked about what he learned about Darby Allin in the ring at All Out. Punk said nothing was really a surprise since he knew what he was getting into, but really hopes everyone came out looking good in the end.
“I don’t really know if anything was unexpected. I knew who I was getting in the ring with. There’s a reason that he was the first guy I came back to wrestle. There’s something about him. He’s different, he’s good, and in the hierarchy in AEW, it wouldn’t make any sense for CM Punk to come right in and go after Kenny Omega. It doesn’t mean that Darby is any less talented, it’s just if there’s a hierarchy, wins and losses and where people are,” Punk explained, “I thought Darby was a great start because he’s a great opponent. The fans love him and I thought we did a great job of not trying to sway that, and hopefully—to me, pro wrestling is the best when everyone involved in something comes out looking better, and hopefully, we accomplished that tonight.”
If you use this transcript, credit WrestleZone and link back to this post.
