Credit: Sean Ross Sapp
During CM Punk’s run through ESPN headquarters this week he stopped by Highly Questionable to speak to Bomani Jones and Dan Lebtard. The hosts asked him about a variety of topics, including hanging out with NBA stars and dating his co-workers.
Punk told a story about NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley requesting to meet him and other WWE Superstars while at a bar in Alabama.
“We’re at a bar in Birmingham and this woman comes up to our table and says ‘Charles Barkley is in the VIP room, he wants to meet you.’ and we were like yeah, piss off, whatever, Charles Barkley isn’t here. She leaves, 15 minutes later came back and said ‘He sent me back out here, he really wants to meet you,’ so we go to this little VIP room and there he was. We all wind up partying with Charles Barkley all night. He’s mad because I won’t drink shots, so he refuses to pay for water or cranberry juice or whatever I’m drinking. Hornswoggle got completely wasted and we had to carry him out. We wind up going to some other bar with Charles Barkley and a fight breaks out and a car accident and everyone goes their separate ways. It was like a John Hughes movie where everything’s getting broken. The next morning I go into an Alabama Gold’s Gym, and Barkley walks in and gets on the treadmill next to me like nothing ever happened,” Punk said.
When asked about his history of dating co-workers, Punk said that he didn’t consider dating so many fellow wrestlers unusual because of their travel schedule, noting he’d be at home for six hours some weeks. Punk has been linked to Maria Kanellis, Lita, Daffney, Mickie James, Allison Danger, Cookie, Traci Brooks and Beth Phoenix in addition to AJ Lee.
On his move to UFC from WWE, Punk said the last real fight he won was against a fan. “Unfortunately in the independent leagues, the fans would run into the ring. Fans think they’re a part of the show and jump in. I won my fair share of those. You have to defend yourself,” Punk said. He jokingly said his goal early on was to get stabbed, but since he’s married it still might happen someday.
