Vince McMahon nixes CM Punk's appearance with Chael Sonnen at UFC on FOX 2
by Keith Harris on Jan 14, 2012 10:10 AM EST
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Trust the omnipotent Vince McMahon to spoil CM Punk's planned UFC fun. As Cageside Seats reported ten days ago, the current WWE Champion was looking forward to escorting Chael Sonnen down the aisle for his next fight against Mark Munoz at UFC on FOX 2 in his home town of Chicago, Illinois, the night before WWE's Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Now, all bets are off.
The news was broken last night by FrontRowBrian on Twitter:
Vince McMahon has changed his mind. He will NOT allow @CMPunk to walk out w/ Chael Sonnen. Won't even allow Punk to attend the show as fan.
I'm told V. McMahon's decision to revoke CM Punk's permission to appear w/ C. Sonnen on FOX is "likely" linked to Lesnar UFC/WWE situation.
It was later confirmed by Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com after speaking with CM Punk himself:
WWE champion CM Punk will not escort Chael Sonnen to the Octagon prior to Sonnen's fight against Mark Munoz on Jan. 28, after all.
Punk confirmed with MMAFighting.com that WWE chairman Vince McMahon decided against allowing him to walk out to the cage with Sonnen later this month.
Unlike many commentators on this situation, I don't see this as a petty or strange decision by Vince McMahon. In all likelihood, the appearance would have been a damp squib with Dana White telling his announcers and cameramen not to draw attention to the pro wrestling outsider. I don't think it does WWE any good if their current top champion is treated like some tattooed stranger on a network show where close to ten million people may be watching. It's not like UFC were going to plug their Royal Rumble PPV on their broadcast, so this isn't any great loss.
That said, it does make Vince an almighty hypocrite, when he cancelled Punk's innocuous stroll down a UFC rampway just days after his company announced that The Four Horsemen including TNA contracted wrestler Ric Flair would be inducted into his Hall Of Fame later this year. Even though Flair is contracted to a rival organisation and legally cannot appear on WWE programming without Dixie Carter's express approval, Vince wants and obviously expects him to be onstage for the ceremony itself. It would serve him right if Dixie nixed Flair's WWE Hall Of Fame appearance like he did Punk's UFC appearance, but one suspects Vince is right to fear Dana White a lot more than he does Dixie.
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The part that shocks me about this is that I really thought CM Punk was in the "I can do what I want" group
since the re-signing after MiTB. If this was something Punk really wanted to do, I wouldn’t think Vince would be able to veto it unless he promised something to Punk to make up for it.
Could this be a work?
I doubt it, since the aforementioned “I can do what I want” ship seems to have sailed, but…
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
Ryder or Riot #WWWYKI
AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 458 posts (08/24/11)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest | 1st place- 2012 AAOP Contest
by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jan 14, 2012 12:30 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, Punk needs to ask his daddy for permission to sleep at his friend's house tonight.
…and he firmly said “no”.
“Aw but dad!”
“No!”
“DAD!”
“PUNK, GO TO YOUR ROOM.”
And then, that was that.
by Sir Ingenious on Jan 14, 2012 4:46 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Thats not fair to Fl...... ooops sorry thats not chunky with Punky?
I've got something to say; it better to burn out than to fade away!!!
I'm still waiting for my CM Punk WWE Ice Cream Bar.
Go Chargers (oh yeah I said that)
X Box Gamertag: OneRabidDingo
It would lead me to believe that @bisping must have pissed off @danawhite something fierce. RT @drjamezkelske: @danhendo just out of curiosity, if the #ufc comes to you and asks you to fight Bisping again how do you respond?" -Dan Henderson
You're an idiot.
Follow @SBNLukeThomas
by Luke Thomas on Jan 5, 2012 1:40 PM PST up reply actions
by dandeman on Jan 15, 2012 10:54 AM EST via mobile up reply actions 2 recs
I don’t have a problem with him not allowing Punk to walk down to the ring the thing I don’t get is why he won’t even allow him to attend the show? Other stars have although some like Rock & Austin weren’t working there at the time or full time, but Taker has gone to tons of shows. Then again Taker can probably do anything he wants since he has been with Vince for so long
The Legend
He probably doesn’t want Punk to be interviewed after the fight by Ariel Helwani, where Punk would likely put over his competition.
by Keith Harris on Jan 14, 2012 10:32 AM EST up reply actions
In regards to the last part of your article
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWE_Hall_of_Fame
There’s a part that’s in there in regards to former WWE employees who can’t get along with the company (Ole would fit) or those who work for other competitors (Flair/TNA).
Now we know who was the go between in regards to Vince n Flair (triple h).
Everyone knows what happened the last time Rick Flair showed at the induction ceremony (he ended up on WWE online).
Flair says that he will be in Miami this spring. That’s his choice-though I think he’s too old to be Lebron. Now he’s had past issues with TNA and its clear he’d be in violation if he goes to the ceremony and the obvious happens.
So only two questions remain
Who’s inducting the horsemen?
When is Flair’s last TNA appearance?
"We fight, get beat, rise, and fight again."-Nathanael Greene.
by scorpio_x on Jan 14, 2012 10:46 AM EST via mobile reply actions
That's just a wikipedia article on a completely unofficial hall of fame.
No one else has ever been inducted twice into the HOF. The rule of thumb rules we’ve been able to deduce about the WWE HOF are not the final say.
Thought this was America.
Let the man go where he pleases.
"You a big orange Imma put you in the fridge!" -Stanley Robinson in response to my heckling
by Moiso13 on Jan 14, 2012 12:00 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
Vince was right to stop this.
It was a pointless appearance . It made MMA fans very angry and most WWE fans who would recognize punk won’t be watching anyways, so whats the point? Chael walking out with CM Punk (or probably a heel) makes more sense.
And, Chael should really be concentrating on a very losable fight against munoz and not be concerned with who accompanies him to the cage.
MMA fans very angry
What? I loved the idea and the fact that Chael wanted to go for a cheap pop
Greatest lover ever during the day, Trainyard Sleeper at night.
ya only Mick Foley is allowed the gratuitus cheap pop.
I've got something to say; it better to burn out than to fade away!!!
I'm still waiting for my CM Punk WWE Ice Cream Bar.
Go Chargers (oh yeah I said that)
X Box Gamertag: OneRabidDingo
It would lead me to believe that @bisping must have pissed off @danawhite something fierce. RT @drjamezkelske: @danhendo just out of curiosity, if the #ufc comes to you and asks you to fight Bisping again how do you respond?" -Dan Henderson
You're an idiot.
Follow @SBNLukeThomas
by Luke Thomas on Jan 5, 2012 1:40 PM PST up reply actions
by dandeman on Jan 15, 2012 11:00 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
The only MMA fans that would be angry would be elitist online sect.
Most either wouldn’t know who the guy is or it would be just another “Oh look at who he brought out” moment like Segal appearances and when Alex Caceres brought out the guy who played Bruce Leroy.
And I highly doubt Chael is spending a considerable amount of his training camp trying to get pro wrestlers to walk out with him.
If Derek Jeter clubbed a baby seal on earth day while wearing a mink coat and crocodile skin boots while burning tires on an iceberg, the reaction would be "Its OK Derek, you’re a Yankee." -First mammal to wear pants
by Tonley on Jan 14, 2012 12:55 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Are you kidding me?
Do you not remember Brock Lesnar? I guy who for years, couldn’t get MMA cred to save his life just because he was a pro-wrestler?
The common MMA fan HATES pro-wrestling. They absolutely cannot stand it and it really burns them up when what little cross-over there is, occurs.
That’s not to say there aren’t many who enjoy both, like most who post here (myself included) but make no mistake, we are the overwhelming minority here.
As it stands now, I’m all for total separation of the two. MMA is trying to establish itself as a legitimate sport, while as we all know, WWE is struggling to find it’s groove. WWE’s decision to switch to PG is not conducive with any MMA cross-promotion, like it or not.
Lesnar had EVERYONE’s respect after his fight with Couture. He gained even more respect after his fight with Shane Carwin. People that didn’t respect him, and don’t respect the guy now just don’t understand how tough it is to be a not only a pro-fighter, but fight at the highest level and be champion.
This is not any type of cross promotion, it’s just Chael trying to get the crowd to cheer him more on FOX.
Greatest lover ever during the day, Trainyard Sleeper at night.
NOBODY respected Lesnar after beating Couture man.
You must be crazy. He gained a little respect after the Carwin fight, but still, he was always an outsider, labelled PRO WRESTLER, and MMA fans hated him for it.
And your point about Chael is totally moot seeing as he will get the biggest reaction by far in Chicago (or anywhere else, except brazil) with or without Punk.
Even if Lesnar was undefeated
There would still be a large chunk of fans that would just say Lesnar is too big. I remember after the Couture fight, people wanted a Super Heavyweight division for Lesnar because his size is unfair.
by Manolo Has Pizzazz on Jan 14, 2012 4:23 PM EST up reply actions
yea for sure
The couture fight did very little for Lesnar’s rep, if anything. He outweighed Randy by like 60 pounds, Randy was old and coming off a huge layoff and Couture out maneuvered Brock in the clinch and got up from under him, which most didn’t think he could.
Throughout his entire career, no matter what he did, WWE was always always a dark spot in the MMA world.
They want absolutely nothing to do with WWE.
As if I didn’t have enough reasons to hate Vince, he just gives me another one. The guy clearly is out of touch and delusional but the worst thing is that he can’t even take opportunities when they are presented to him. It’s become clear that the once genius of wrestling simply is out of touch and needs to be removed from his spot.
I’m just hoping now that Sonnen comes out to Cult Of Personality and wearing a Best In The World T-shirt just to rub it in. Seriously this was a great moment that was ruined by Vince in what was probably one of his typical mood swings which again is a shame since he just doesn’t get it anymore.
"@bigfootsilva, I want to tell you a joke so funny it will make your head grow. It goes like this..Oh wait, I see you have already heard it." -Chael Sonnen
I can see Vince not wanting him walking the aisle
But banning him from attending? Did he ever ban Shane? Taker?
Gillberg...Gillberg...Gillberg...
so retarded
I've got something to say; it better to burn out than to fade away!!!
I'm still waiting for my CM Punk WWE Ice Cream Bar.
Go Chargers (oh yeah I said that)
X Box Gamertag: OneRabidDingo
It would lead me to believe that @bisping must have pissed off @danawhite something fierce. RT @drjamezkelske: @danhendo just out of curiosity, if the #ufc comes to you and asks you to fight Bisping again how do you respond?" -Dan Henderson
You're an idiot.
Follow @SBNLukeThomas
by Luke Thomas on Jan 5, 2012 1:40 PM PST up reply actions
by dandeman on Jan 15, 2012 11:02 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Be a star dandeman
So go forth, my brethren, and proceed to mark the f*ck out
by C. J. Bradford on Jan 15, 2012 6:06 PM EST up reply actions
Vince is a scum bag, I know WWE marks always defend him but he truly is.
by MVP Raiders on Jan 14, 2012 7:07 PM EST via Android app reply actions
he definitely is
but how does this make him one?
Blown away by some responses.
This is no different than Batista accompanying Manny to the ring. It’s happened throughout fight history. There’s a place for this kind of thing. CM Punk is very over in Chicago. This is mainly being done for the live crowd, given the fact that FOX might not even show the entrances. There’s absolutely no harm being done here. The idea that pro wrestling fans an MMA fans are mutually exclusive is garbage. Only the most vocal, snobbish, MMA puritans look down on it while refusing to acknowledge wrestling’s place in making the sport, as well as making the sport popular.
Vince is simply out of touch. Probably figuring Punk is somehow giving the rub to Sonnen, and therefore UFC. He still thinks he’s the center of gravity, and it’s sad. This is just par for the course when it comes to WWE decision making these days.
I doubt it'll pop the crowd as much as you think
Sure it would be cool to see and like you said no real harm done, but also no real benefit either. And it’s different from Dave/Manny because boxing is not so closely linked with WWE. Also, Manny and Dave, both being Filipino had a link, whereas Punk and Chael have little in common.
I bet there are more people who think it would have been bad than good. Geno, if you’re reading this, you should do a poll. Guaranteed Cageside would be for, and Mania would be against.
THEYLL BE DEAD SOON WITHOUT LESNAR
Gosh im so fokin hate mma crap
Listen Vince,
I can understand your frustrations will MMA. Yeah, it’s been siphoning money from you since Wrestlemania 25 and has made your PPV business look really shitty. I understand your anger.
But do you really need to take out your frustration on the post section of a PW news site?
C’mon man. You’re bigger then this.
"Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment."
-Lao Tzu
by RoyalB on Jan 15, 2012 9:10 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
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