Angry CM Punk gets into tense exchange with reporter for Complex

CM Punk didn’t particularly enjoy the questions he was being asked by reporter Kevin Wong in an interview that was being conducted last month for a piece in Complex Magainze. Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks, left the WWE and signed with the UFC in 2014, and has been training ever since to prepare for his Octagon debut.

Punk will fight Mickey Gall in the summer, likely at UFC 200, if Gall beats Mike Jackson Saturday at the MGM Grand.

Ever since his very public departure from the WWE in 2014, CM Punk (real name Phil Brooks) hasn’t been one to mince words with people on social media who want to discuss his past. And his signing with the UFC has only brought upon more questions as the MMA world awaits his professional debut.

His frustration with people questioning whether or not a former pro wrestler with no professional fighting experience will fare in the very real world of mixed martial arts is palpable. Things went south very quickly in his interview with Wong when some of the same questions that he refuses to answer on social media were asked.    

Wong writes that an allegedly already agitated Punk was showing no desire to speak with him while at a New Jersey Devils’ hockey game. But the interview took place and Wong quickly found himself catching the brunt of Punk’s frustration.

Things quickly headed in the wrong direction the moment Wong inquires about whether Punk may eventually return to the WWE like former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

I don’t feel like fielding questions about [the WWE]. I’ve been there, I’ve done that, and I’ve accomplished everything I was going to.

The only time he has gone in depth on his departure from the WWE was when he appeared on the podcast of his friend and fellow professional wrestler, Colt Cabana. Aside from that, the subject is taboo. But it’s when Wong questions Punk about his training where things got terribly awkward.

Wong asks if he’s “anxious or intimidated” about the transition from a promotion with fake punches to a promotion with real punches.

I get this question a lot, and it’s like you guys think I’m an idiot. Like I didn’t know MMA wasn’t pre-determined or something like that.

Wong writes that Punk gives him side-eye and says the aspiring fighter asks him if he’s ever tweeted him and asked if he knew what he is getting into. Wong says he did not and after a brief exchange, writes that he told Punk he didn’t want to put him on the defensive.

That’s when Punk really let him have it.

I’m not on the defensive. Your question is insulting. You’re asking me if I know the difference between the WWE and the UFC?

The tension rises when Wong asks Punk how he’ll respond to those who believe his move to MMA is a publicity stunt.

Punk was very blunt in his answer.

You say my fans say that? You’re mistaken. My fans do not say that. I wouldn’t say anything to [my critics]. I don’t justify stupidity with an answer. I don’t give a [expletive] what anybody thinks of me, whether I’m going to fight or not. I know what I’m going to do.

There’s going to be a lot more interviews for Punk between now and his UFC debut. This is going to be a situation to keep an eye on.