LAS VEGAS – Say what you want about former WWE wrestler Phil “CM Punk” Brooks’ move to the UFC, but the man clearly knows how to entertain a crowd – even the very drunk and incoherent ones.
During a Friday Q&A session prior to UFC 182 weigh-ins in Las Vegas, Punk answered questions about his upcoming UFC debut, his decision to train at Roufusport, and what he hopes to accomplish in MMA.
Of course, he also gave a shoutout to a fan’s brother who wasn’t actually there, discussed whether he’s doing MMA just to piss off the WWE, braced himself for some “real talk,” and also declined a game of roshambo with the self-proclaimed (and seemingly inebriated) King of Rock-Paper-Scissors.
At one point, emcee and UFC broadcaster Jon Anik openly wondered, “Is anyone not hammered in here right now? Is anybody not drinking?”
Yeah, it was that bizarre. Check out the lowlights above, or watch the full Q&A session below.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (5-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) may be strongly considering a return to the world’s largest MMA promotion, according to a recent report.
In the latest addition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required), Dave Meltzer reports that Lesnar’s current bosses at professional wrestling organization WWE are working under the assumption that the 37-year-old is intent on returning to the UFC when his contract expires in March 2015.
“The Lesnar people always keep things quiet, but within the company, the belief is that he’s going back to UFC, and his showing up lighter to TV last week confirmed that to people who thought it,” Meltzer stated.
While UFC President Dana White has previously suggested he’d be willing to consider a Lesnar return to the promotion, when reached for comment, the exec said there hasn’t been any progress in recent months.
“I haven’t talked to Brock,” White told MMAjunkie via text.
In November, at the UFC’s massive “The Time is Now” press conference, White admitted that Lesnar has expressed a desire to compete again for the first time since suffering a TKO loss to Alistair Overeem at December 2011’s UFC 141 event.
“We have a great relationship with him,” White said of Lesnar. “He’s healthy, and he’s said that he’s interested in fighting again. We’ll see what happens.”
Lesnar, who came to the UFC in 2008 following a seven-year run in professional wrestling, instantly established himself as one of the most marketable fighters on the planet and earned the UFC heavyweight belt with a November 2008 TKO of Randy Couture.
Lesnar would go on to successfully defend the belt twice with stoppage wins over Frank Mir and Shane Carwin before suffering back-to-back losses to Cain Velasquez and Overeem.
The tail end of Lesnar’s MMA career was famously plagued by diverticulitis, a medical condition that required multiple surgeries and a complete restructuring of Lesnar’s diet. However, Lesnar is reportedly back to full health, which may be providing an incentive to fight again.
Although in his late 30s, Lesnar still hovers around the average age of current UFC heavyweights. It’s unknown what, if any, level of training Lesnar has maintained since his last fight. Regardless, he could find himself in big fights immediately upon his return, as he would instantly (and again) become one of the UFC’s most marketable commodities.
Bellator MMA President Scott Coker recently expressed a desire in Lesnar’s services, as well, though the organization has yet to make an official offer.
WrestleMania 31 Update Involving Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, And Sting It has become a custom for WWE to think up a lot of random ideas for WrestleMania each year. Due to the rise of issues involving the Mania line-up, it was reported that WWE was considering the idea of changing the plans up for people such as Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns.
Triple H reportedly had the idea that if The Undertaker returns, he could be added to the WWE World Heavyweight Title picture. Which would make a triple threat match happen between Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, and The Undertaker.
Roman would still come out on top, but who takes the pin is up in the air. If WWE can sign Brock Lesnar, Undertaker would be pinned by Reigns for the title win. If Lesnar is not re-signed by WWE, he would take the pin. The idea makes sense for a few reasons. It puts less stress on The Undertaker, who wouldn’t have to do as much. Also, it takes stress off of Reigns on a massive stage. Plus, Taker would want revenge on Lesnar, obviously. So the concept makes sense a bit.
Triple H is still heavy on pushing Reigns; it is said that Vince is having second thoughts, however. This is also present among many others backstage. Still though, WWE has been trying to push Reigns to get him ready. If you ask fans, WWE seems to be failing to make “Roman Reigns look strong.”
This is why we have been hearing reports regarding WWE changing the plans up to remove Reigns from the title picture in favor of someone like Ambrose and Ziggler, who are said to be “ready” while Reigns is simply not just yet.
WWE has also been building various men to help them out regardless of who they want to go with. Ambrose has come out looking great in his rivalry with Bray Wyatt while WWE has massively pushed Dolph Ziggler after they pretty much made him at Survivor Series in November. Meanwhile, WWE has built up Seth Rollins and have an opportunity to do anything with him due to his possession of the Money in the Bank briefcase that he won over the summer.
If WWE handed out a Rookie of the Year award, Rusev would win convincingly.
Of the Superstars and Divas who first entered the main roster in 2014, Rusev made the most lasting impression. On the other hand, his peers suffered from WWE missing opportunities and making poor choices.
Adam Rose, Emma and, to a lesser extent, Paige have plenty to gripe about in terms of how the company handled their rookie year.
As 2015 approaches, Rusev's future is bright. Paige knows she showed enough in the ring to maintain a high position in the Divas division. Emma and Rose, meanwhile, have to hope for a far better sophomore year.
Grades for the NXT transplants are decided by the quality of their matches, how memorable their biggest moments and feuds were and their connection with the crowd.
Rose's report card won't leave him in the mood to party.
The Rose experiment failed. His character sputtered early on, quickly becoming one-dimensional and lacking momentum.
A big part of that is how WWE booked him. His in-ring action could hardly be called matches. He often knocked off his opponents in just seconds.
These weren't awe-inspiring squash matches that made him look powerful either. They just came off as cheap filler.
Take his July 28 win over Damien Sandow, for example. The bickering between them lasted longer than their 10-second match.
As a result, Rose's 2014 has no matches (save for his NXT work) that left any kind of impression at all. WWE gave him minimal opportunities, and he was unable to capitalize on them.
He competed at Money in the Bank, Battleground and Survivor Series, but it's hard to remember any of those bouts. It certainly didn't help that he had a total of eight minutes, 31 seconds to work with on those pay-per-views.
Rose had brief encounters with Jack Swagger, Sandow and Kane. None of those developed into an interest-drawing feud, though.
A lack of rival hurt him. It kept him floating around the bottom of the card with no direction.
His most interesting stretch came when his relationship with The Bunny began to splinter. The man in a rabbit suit outshone him, becoming the element of his story that fans began to pay attention to. WWE played up that reality and inserted it into a storyline but has yet to do anything with it.
She looked like she belonged on the big stage from the moment she and Lee clashed on the night after WrestleMania. She moves incredibly well in the ring, has a skill level that belies her youth and exudes stardom.
Paige attacked her matches with ferocity, even if they were just blink-of-an-eye bouts. The promise she showed in 2014 suggests that if WWE gives her a fully developed rivalry and more ring time to work with, she will thrive.