CM Punk did what he wanted anyway.
WWE featured CM Punk its ‘Break It Down’ series, where wrestlers look back at their various appearances over the years. Punk was shown a picture of the Macho Man Randy Savage gear he wore on the May 23, 2011, episode of WWE RAW. The RAW appearance was shortly after Savage had passed away.
“Unfortunately, just before this picture [was taken], the legendary Randy ‘Macho Man’ Savage passed away. So, I wanted to pay homage to a classic pair of gear, two-fold really. Pink looks great on me. And this is an homage to the gear he wore at WrestleMania III, taking on Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat,” CM Punk explained.
Punk says that he just wanted to honor Savage, one of his favorite wrestlers. However, someone “very high up” in WWE warned him against it. Punk simply said he understood—then wore it anyway, because he wouldn’t be told what to do.
“I commissioned my gear maker at this time to make this gear. I won’t name names,” Punk noted, “but somebody very high up in the office walked past and saw it and found me and said, ‘Do not wear that gear on television.’ And I said, [gives a thumbs up] ‘You got it,’ and I wore the gear on television. Because that’s what I do, I’m going to pay homage to Randy Savage whether you like it or not.”
Punk said that as a fan, Macho Man was someone he gravitated towards because Savage was always a name that fans wanted to get more recognition. Similarly, Punk says that motivation has aided him in his own career. He also says that made his connection with fans even stronger.
“He was just strikingly different than everything else you saw,” Punk said.
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