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CM PUNK DISCUSSES WORKING VINCE MCMAHON WITH HIS BREAKOUT PROMOS, WWE STUDIOS WANTING HIM TO DO A MOVIE, THE ROCK GETTING TOO MUCH CREDIT FOR WRESTLEMANIA LAST YEAR AND MUCH, MUCH MORE

By Mike Johnson on 2012-03-27 13:50:19
The Chicago Tribune has a long personality piece on WWE champion CM Punk to promote Wrestlemania.  As always with Punk, you get a pretty raw to the bone take on things.  I would highly suggest reading the entire article, which you can find by clicking here.  There is also a collection of other interview outtakes at this link.

Some highlights from the piece include Punk admitting that he gave Vince McMahon bullet points for what he was going to say in his breakout promo, then turned around and said something completely different, because he knew McMahon wouldn't approve what he wanted to do.

Vince McMahon's reaction? "He had dollar signs in his eyes. He said, 'Hell of a promo. Too bad you're leaving. We could make a lot of money together.' "As for the enormous response he received from peers, fans and media, Punk says, "At that point, I was so out the door. ... I was counting down the days."

As it turned out, Punk noted in the piece that he signed a contract extension during the Money in the Bank PPV where he won the WWE title.  He declined to say how long the deal was (we've heard 2-3 years) but did say in the piece that he's 33 and doesn't want to be wrestling when he's in his 40s.

Other highlights:

Rock: “I don’t think I have a realtionship with The Rock. Over the past few weeks, it’s been better. Probably because I’ve been outspoken (about him) in the media. Of course, everything gets sensationalized and twisted. I don’t hate The Rock or fault him for coming back. I just think heaping credit on The Rock for ratings, buyrates – that’s where I get offended. It’s a team effort 365 days a year. Me and the entire locker room bust our (butts) and all our super stoked. Give credit where credit is due. Wrestlemania had a huge buyrate last year, not because of one guy. The numbers out there prove he hasn’t done much else, like the Survivor Series buyrate."

The WWE Studios vehicle for Punk: "(WWE) offered me a movie when I first told them I wasn’t re-signing. I immediately turned it down. They probably figured I would jump at a movie because I’m not a movie star. That’s not to say that if the right thing doesn’t come along, I won’t do it. That’s not my priority. … I think WWE films signed on three new movies. I’m sure one of them is probably slated to be a CM Punk vehicle. I haven’t heard anything yet. Nothing is set in stone. Take that for what it’s worth. I think I would love to do a movie if it’s the right project. I’m not going to be in 'The Marine 3' just because they offered it to me. If it’s something good, I’ll do it. I’d love to do it – as long as it doesn’t interfere with my wrestling schedule."

Promos: “What people need to realize is I’m not just watching promos on wrestling. The reporter on CNN interviewing Joe Paterno is a promo to me. I listen to the inflection in people’s voice, their body language, what they do with their hands, fidgety, how many times they touch their face -- depending in what situation they’re being interviewed for. If they’re on the spot or they’re guilty of something, emotional, nervous, joyful, just won the Super Bowl. I watch people’s eyes mostly: How to convey certain emotions, rage, happiness, sadness."

As I said, absolutely worth going out of your way to read as Punk discusses Chicago, dieting, Triple H, John Cena and much more.  A really interesting and in-depth piece.

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