After finding himself the butt of CM Punk's joke on the previous edition of RAW, having to watch back an expansive promo that questioned everything from his mental conviction to his in-ring abilities, Drew McIntyre opened up WWE's flagship show the following week and took his chance to shoot back on the “Best in the World,” accusing him of not only looking like a drug dealer, but of having a stooge on the inside to help him get his fix.
“I mean, maybe if we’re in Atlanta or Charlotte, but Punk’s not gonna show up in Greenville. He only makes the big towns, brothers. What Punk told me when pushed, he said it himself, ‘The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn’t exist, when the biggest trick CM Punk ever pulled was looking like a drug addict without ever taking any drugs. No, the greatest trick he ever pulled was convincing you to trust him time and time again no matter how many times he breaks your trust. Management, CM Punk fans, you keep taking him back. It’s like an abusive relationship, I don’t understand it. The other thing I don’t understand is you buy all the crap that he spews out his mouth every week. I don’t like talking to people like they’re stupid, but if you’re a CM Punk fan, you’re stupid,” Drew McIntyre declared on RAW.
“Just look at the facts. Last week, he was in this ring calling me a coward. Challenging me to a fight. You litereally watched me leave the arena in my car. He arrived one second later, came to the ring, and started talking his trash. It was like he’s got a stooge on the inside – Adam Pearce – and the week before that, I was on the stage, he was in the skybox, I go to the skybox, he’s in the ring. He’s running from Drew McIntyre. Punk, eventually, I’m gonna get my hands on you, and I will torture you, and you’ll beg for me to tear your triceps. But until then, I’m not gonna waste my time on a guy that might not be cleared for about 20 years. Speaking of things that’ll never happen, Jey Uso lost another title match. My title match. His reward, my spot in King of the Ring, is complete BS. I’ll deal with you later, Jey, the number one thing on my priority list is the World Heavyweight Championship and that Paperweight ‘champion’ Damian Priest. I’ve been watching you backstage, Priest, walking around, you’re the big man with your…”
Unfortunately for McIntyre and the crowd in Greenville, South Carolina, Damian Priest marched down to the ring to interrupt his promo, with the “Archer of Infamy” accusing him of being a poor sport before offering him a title shot in the future once he returns to full strength. Still, the idea of Punk being in cahoots with Pearce is an intriguing one, as it would mean one of WWE's top executives isn't currently calling things down the middle to ensure a good show but instead giving preferential treatment to his friends instead. Very interesting stuff, indeed.
CM Punk's WWE theme almost sounded very different.
Speaking of CM Punk, did you know he almost had a very different theme in WWE when he debuted back in the day? It's true, as according to Corey Graves on Drinks With Johnny, the “Second City Saint” was almost offered something very different before standing on his morals and demanding he stick with “Cult of Personality.”
“Back in the day when Punk was first going to WWE, they’re like, ‘Okay, so we’re gonna get you your own entrance music.' He’s like, ‘No, I already have my own entrance music.' He made it a point that I’m not changing my entrance music cause they had their own music division of the WWE, and they were gonna have somebody make up a song that sounded similar to Cult Of Personality, and that would be his entrance music,” Corey Graves told Drinks With Johnny via Fightful. “‘No, I don’t want that, I want the real song.’ He’s one of the talent that has got that in his contract that wherever he goes, it goes with him.”
Would it have been weird if Punk came out of the ring to the tune of “Sect of Celebrity” or some other royalty-free tune the company produced for him? You bet, but hey, because Punk made that choice, he effectively changed the trajectory of Living Color forever. They still get plenty of traction because of his appearances, and they got to make a 2023 remix of their legendary track, especially for WWE moving forward.