Rolling Stone has conducted an interview with former WWE star and current UFC fighter CM Punk, and below are some interview highlights:
On Politics in WWE:
“For the longest time [in] what I did, the competition wasn’t that clean-cut. It didn’t matter if you were the best. There’s slimy backstage politics, there’s always somebody trying to undercut you. To me, there’s something romantic about just you and another guy locked inside a cage and the better man wins. In that time and space, nothing else matters. I definitely think it can be f–king scary, but I like embracing the things that scare me.”
On the dependability of his wife AJ Lee:
“That’s the whole reason I asked her to marry me. We were friends on the road for so long and she knew everything about me. I would tell her every stupid thing I ever did, and it’s come back to bite me in the ass in certain respects, but there’s no secrets, and I’d have it no other way.”
On what contributed to WWE burn out:
“I think at some point in my wrestling career, I took myself way too seriously, and I took the wrestling business way too seriously. It probably helped sour me on the whole process. It probably helped burn me out.
The entire reason I’m doing this isn’t about the fight. It’s about learning martial [arts], as well as something about myself. It’s literally all about the journey.”
On MMA training frustration:
“I’m always a little bit frustrated, because it’s just repetition to get muscle memory down so I’m not making the same mistakes. I think it’s a lot harder than people realize. You’re re-learning this entirely new skillset and trying to condition your body to do things it wouldn’t normally do. It’s challenging and it’s fun.”
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
