SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Booker T said C.M. Punk “struck out” in his return to wrestling promo for discussing WWE and “throwing out freaking ice cream bars” in a now-deleted video from his Hall of Fame with Booker T & Brad Gilmore show (h/t WrestlingNews.co for the transcript).
The WWE Hall of Famer prefaced his comments with a reminder that he’s “always telling it like it is, and said Punk having ten minutes to himself and choosing to speak on WWE “was just a total miss” and “that 9 minutes went back so slow when it could have been a party going on in the United Center.”
He continued by saying he didn’t “feel” the promo and felt like Punk was just giving WWE airtime. He did say, in response to negative comments in the YouTube chat, that he likes Punk and wishes for his success, but that he felt the promo would have had a greater impact without the WWE and ice cream mentions.
He also noted that since Darby Allin is a babyface, he would have chosen someone else for Punk’s first feud.
(Hazelwood’s Analysis: Booker T has become a hot-take machine in his retirement years. I’ve seen comparisons made between Booker T and Herschel Walker, Stephen A. Smith, and others. He’s at it again here. Take it from me, who’s not really a Punk fan, that Booker T’s comments are inaccurate. Punk didn’t even mention WWE by name, which many former wrestlers have done regardless of the promotion they’re debuting in, including Booker T in TNA. Punk spent more time discussing his journey of healing and excitement signing with AEW than on WWE or ice cream bars. I just can’t disagree more with Booker T on this take.)
CATCH-UP: Tony Khan comments on the ratings success of C.M. Punk’s return to wrestling
Expect more from the old guys who’ve been sucklings at Vince McMahon’s teats and even in their later years are still on the WWE gravy train. I too am not a Punk fan, but the promo by Punk last Friday was very good TV.
Punk only threw in the ice cream bars comment at the very end of his promo. Hardly a dominating theme in his speech. Hazelwood is right about everything else too. Like Taz, Booker was a great wrestler but as a commentator, he’s full of sh!t.
Hey Book I think you’re needed on CNBC to bash AMC and GameStop