Pro Wrestling: Art imitating life?
We’ve all heard the old saying about how life imitates art. Oscar Wilde declared as such all the way back in the nineteenth century. What he was referring to was the notion that our perception of life is influenced - altered even - by the art we consume.
As far as professional wrestling goes, there have been documented cases of life imitating art. The marriage between Triple H and Stephanie McMahon is evidence of that. What started as a soap opera-style romance, complete with a dramatic wedding scene, later led to a very real union between the couple. There have also been many stories over the years of wrestlers falling out with one another backstage, mirroring an in-ring rivalry.
However, one of the best things about professional wrestling - in my view, at least - is how reality and storytelling blend together seamlessly, often leaving even the smartest of fans questioning where the script ends.
This past weekend, CM Punk returned to WWE after just shy of 10 years. His entrance theme - the fantastic Cult of Personality by Living Colour - played seemingly at random. He walked out onto the stage, celebrated with the crowd for a short while, stared at the group of wrestlers standing in the ring following a gruelling main event match, and then left. Non-wrestling fans would most likely question what the big deal was. After all, Punk arrived and proceeded not to do anything. Even fans who tune in to WWE shows on a weekly basis, but then go about their lives without giving any attention to the various news sites and blogs that cover behind-the-scenes wrestling news, may have shrugged in reaction to the closing moments of this year’s Survivor Series. Heck! A lot of WWE fans watching these days probably weren’t around the last time Punk was seen in a WWE ring - at the 2014 Royal Rumble in January of that year. To them, they just got through watching War Games, something that had been built towards over the course of several months on television, and then some random guy walks through the curtain to an old rock song and receives the biggest ovation of the night.
My point, I suppose, is that most forms of entertainment can be enjoyed to their full extent in isolation. You can watch a movie without checking IMDB to look up what else the director has worked on. You can enjoy a television series without knowing what other shows the actors have starred in, or what their off-camera reputation is. You can read a novel without knowing the author’s background and listen to a song without seeking out who the artist has beef with. But professional wrestling is a medium all of its own. I’ve often described it as the most unique form of entertainment and I argue that very fact now. Nothing else blurs the line between what’s real and what’s scripted better. As much as genuine tensions have arisen based on who’s booked to defeat who in a staged fight, many of the most memorable showdowns in the sport’s history have come off the back of very real issues and animosity. The feud and so-called love triangle between Matt Hardy, Edge, and Lita springs to mind, as does the rivalry between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels - two of the best in the game, who came into their prime at the same time, but clashed on a personal level.
And then, of course, there’s CM Punk. One of my all-time favourites. I don’t always agree with his words, or his actions, but he damn sure gets me tuning in to see what he’s going to say next. At the end of the day, all I want is to be entertained when I sit down to watch a wrestling show - and Punker’s always entertaining.
CM Punk’s issues with WWE are well-documented. He walked out of the building - and WWE - the day after the aforementioned Royal Rumble, when 2014 was still in its infancy. He followed up a little while later with an infamous podcast appearance in which he cited his frustrations with the promotion, as well as restating the fact that he and Triple H - who now runs the show from a creative standpoint - did not get along. WWE, on the other hand, more or less made out that CM Punk had never even existed. Fans watching in that era but not following the chatter online would have simply wondered what on Earth had happened to the guy, as Punk had been an integral part of the show one week, and was all of a sudden never mentioned again. Although, fans at arenas around the world chanted his name relentlessly.
After a long hiatus from wrestling, CM Punk returned in August 2021. But not to WWE. Instead, he made his debut with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), having judged the young promotion to be doing all the right things in its first couple of years. His first appearance was subtly teased on AEW’s television shows in the weeks leading up to his arrival, such as Darby Allin giving an interview backstage and calling out anyone who thought they might be the ‘best in the world’ (a reference to Punk’s self-styled moniker) at an upcoming show in CM Punk’s hometown of Chicago. In his opening address to the AEW audience, Punk explained that when he had joined WWE 16 years earlier, he had in fact left professional wrestling. Now, he was back…
Punk’s AEW run was memorable for many reasons. He had some incredible feuds and matches - most notably with current AEW Champion MJF. But, one year and one injury removed from his arrival in AEW, the cracks began to appear as, during a post-show press conference, an agitated CM Punk let loose with his real feelings, airing his grievances with the company and how it was run, along with his gripes with a handful of the talents. This all took place as Punk sat next to AEW’s owner, Tony Khan, further causing jaws to drop.
Punk wouldn’t be seen again for almost a year following the infamous (for much of Punk’s career lives in infamy) media scrum, as not only had a fight between the ‘Best in the World’ and prominent AEW wrestlers/co-founders The Young Bucks reportedly broken out following Punk’s comments, but he had also sustained an injury during his main event match earlier that evening. His return to AEW in the summer of 2023 coincided with the launch of a new show, included plenty of hype, and was ultimately short lived. His stint ended at All In London, in which Punk defeated Samoa Joe in the opening contest of the pay-per-view at Wembley Stadium. He was then released from the company shortly after due to an incident backstage that reportedly took place between Punk and wrestler Jack Perry, in which Tony Khan later claimed, on television no less, to have feared for his life.
Aside from Tony Khan’s comments, which were broadcast for all to see and hear, we don’t know for certain what went down behind closed doors in AEW. It’s largely speculation and rumour.
So, why the lesson in CM Punk’s recent history? Because fans armed with the knowledge of Punk’s backstory - or rather the knowledge of what may or may not have happened courtesy of the he said/she said rumour mill - had their minds figuratively blown by the visual of CM Punk making just half an entrance on a WWE show on Saturday night. Nothing else was needed. No storyline, no announcement. Even the commentators remained silent, safe in the assumption that a vast quantity of those watching Punk’s brief, random appearance would understand the potential implications and fallout to follow. And as for those not in the know, upon seeing how the live audience reacted, odds are they’d soon be looking up why this CM Punk guy is such a big deal. If not, then they’ll soon find out, one way or another, over the coming weeks and months on television, as real life bleeds into the fictional world of WWE, and art imitates life once again.
In fact, it’s already started, as fan footage leaked following the show, depicting World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins staging a meltdown at the sight of Punk, and needing to be restrained. This was not shown on television and, as such, stirred some speculation that his visceral reaction was genuine. Seth has made his feelings of animosity towards CM Punk clear a few times in interviews over the years. Now, that real-life tension provides the foundation for some potentially epic storytelling.
For some pro wrestling-inspired storytelling, check out Galactic WF: Pro Wrestling in Space by me, J.A. Cooke, available worldwide on Amazon and at all major booksellers.
