Reigning WWE Champion and SmackDown’s new poster boy CM Punk has told Stephanie McMahon’s podcast that he “would like to see more people be a little more serious about things” behind the scenes. Punk wasn’t exclusively talking about management or the wrestlers – he’s referring to both.
He broached the subject of critical feedback when workers come back through the curtain after their match. Overall, Punk believes that could be a touch more in-depth. When the veteran sees wrestlers post-match, he typically tells them: “Get off your f***ing phone”. He wants everyone to prioritise the response they get from a live crowd and what peers/management tell them backstage over social media.
The champ did admit to McMahon that he’s guilty of being on his phone too much as well, but that’s mainly to look at dog or food content on Instagram. Twitter/X doesn’t greatly appeal to Punk these days, and he reckons far too many pro wrestlers live and die by what they read online generally anyway.
“I want the producers or agents to really focus on helping and giving constructive, positive feedback and showing things instead of just saying things; and I also need the talent to be sincere in wanting to get better and grow and keep an open mind and different perspectives on how to receive that information then apply it”, he told Steph.
Punk realises that WWE’s roster doesn’t work too many non-televised house shows these days, so that’s a bit of a stumbling block in the learning process. He still thinks everyone could do a better job with feedback though.
