WWE Hired CM Punk Without Ever Watching His Matches

CM Punk is obviously a huge name in professional wrestling today, but his journey started with humble beginnings. When he first joined WWE, he wasn’t a well-known figure in the mainstream wrestling world. In fact, WWE hired him without knowing much about his past matches or experience.

While speaking to Inside the Ropes, Paul Heyman shared the story of meeting CM Punk towards the end of his five-year contract with WWE. This happened after the first ECW One Night Stand when Heyman was tasked with writing and producing OVW’s television. One of the first talents Heyman encountered was Punk, who had worked with Heyman’s protégé Gabe Sapolsky in Ring of Honor and gained a reputation for being an excellent performer with his own ideas.

“Well, I met Phil Brooks, CM Punk, when I was at the tail end of my five-year contract with WWE. This was right after the first ECW One Night Stand, and I was asked to go to OVW to write and produce their television for Wednesdays. One of the talents I got early on was Phil Brooks, CM Punk, who had worked for my protégé Gabe Sapolsky in Ring of Honor and had built quite a reputation as being a fantastic performer and for having his own ideas. Oh no, God forbid someone has their own ideas about their character to break through the glass ceiling that obviously existed.”

Heyman noted that WWE brought Punk in due to the buzz he had created online, but they were unsure of how to utilize him. After a dark match, someone from WWE asked Punk what his finishing move was. Punk explained it was the Pepsi Plunge, a top-rope pedigree, which wasn’t exactly what WWE was looking for at the time. When asked what finish he would use instead, Punk replied that he didn’t do “flippy-dippy things” like Jeff Hardy.

The WWE staff then admitted they had never watched any of his matches but had only read about him on the internet, which was the reason they hired him. Heyman stated that it sounds unbelievable, but assured that it really happened.

“They brought CM Punk in because he had a lot of buzz on the internet, but they didn’t really know what to do with him. They told him, ‘Hey, how do you want to do this?’ He had a dark match that wasn’t on TV, and a certain person went up to him and asked, ‘What’s your finish?’ His finish was a pedigree off the top rope called the Pepsi Plunge. Not the best thing to present to WWE at the time.

So, he said, ‘I don’t know, what finish do you want me to use?’ And they said, ‘Do one of those flippy-dippy things like Jeff Hardy.’ He said, ‘I don’t do flippy-dippy things like Jeff Hardy.’ He looked at them and asked, ‘Have you ever watched any of my matches?’ They said, ‘No, We just read about you on the internet, and that’s why we hired you.’ So they had him, and it sounds f****** r******, but it’s true. People always tell me, ‘No way, that didn’t really happen.’ But it really happened.”

CM Punk made his OVW debut back in 2005 but he would eventually appear on national television on a bigger scale after joining WWE’s version of ECW 2006. Thankfully, WWE eventually realized just how valuable Punk would become and Paul Heyman is glad about that fact as well.

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