WWE Now - CM Punk and Penta get candid on Road to WrestleMania

0:07Hey, it's Sam Roberts. Welcome to a very special edition of WWE Now, which of course is a WWE and Fanatics original production. And it's a very special edition of WWE Now because not too long ago, right around the time of the release of WWE 2K26, Megan Morant, my co-host here on WWE Now and myself got the opportunity to sit down with some of the superstars that are going to be making a huge impact at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Nevada and we wanted to come on here and share those interviews with you guys as we kind of ramp up to WrestleMania and not the least of the people that we spoke to was the one and only CM Punk.

0:53Now, a lot has happened for CM Punk in the last month or so, you know, just on Monday Night Raw, watching CM Punk cut the promo that he cut. But we got a little bit of time. We got a few minutes with the world heavyweight champion to talk about a lot. You know, in 2K26, one of the big parts of the game is the showcase mode, which goes over kind of the whole WWE career of CM Punk. So it gave us the opportunity to talk about Punk and his whole career and some of the people that he's faced. We talked about the fact that he had this storied rivalry with John Cena and what his true favorite John Cena match was that he had through his career.

1:39You know, we talked about his relationship and his rivalry with Rey Mysterio. And also, you know, a topic that I think should come up with CM Punk right before a WrestleMania. Last year going into WrestleMania, a big story was that CM Punk had never main evented a WrestleMania. And that a big reason that he left the WWE the first time was because he hadn't gotten that opportunity to do it. So now that he is approaching his second WrestleMania main event, now that he is approaching main eventing WrestleMania for the first time as the defending world heavyweight champion, we talked about kind of contextually what that meant for him.

2:26And of course, this conversation happened not terribly long after that first confrontation with Roman Reigns. So much has gone down between CM Punk and Roman Reigns. But that first confrontation where Roman Reigns told the world that after winning the Royal Rumble, he was choosing CM Punk as his WrestleMania opponent. and the reason that he was choosing CM Punk as his WrestleMania opponent was not because Punk was easy, not because Punk was less than the WWE champion, it was because he hated CM Punk and a lot of sort of resentment, it felt like that it harbored for a long time was in that conversation.

3:10So we talked to CM Punk about that as well. I hope you enjoy the conversation that Megan and I had with CM Punk. CM Punk The world heavyweight champion Welcome man, how are you? There it is right there with John Cone He's trying to claim Championship glory I guess I'll hold on to it How are you doing man? Just lovely, busy Busy You still look great You still look fantastic We have a good hair and makeup team Yeah, the blue does something with my eyes. Maybe that's what it is. Don't wear blue often.

3:50Sam Roberts:It is a good color on you. Who knew? So it's 2K26. Created it. This has brought everybody in. Everybody's talking about the video game. Of course, it's WrestleMania season as well. Everybody's talking about that. Something that I was looking at, right? Because CM Punk is the showcase superstar in 2K26. And I was going over the matches that are on this thing. And of course, I think a lot of people are looking for that Money in the Bank John Cena match. but the John Cena match that I saw on the list that I saw is that 2013 Raw match, which I think is this unbelievable match that really doesn't get mentioned as often as maybe it should because of that Money in the Bank match.

4:27Do you prefer one or the other? I think Money in the Bank's more of a moment. I think just as a pure contest, that match, I think it was Dallas. I think that match means a whole lot more to me. I think that's the best match I've ever had Yeah Absolutely and there's also so much going into that I feel like that was back to like Real chip on your shoulder like okay Alright if you're not going to get I'm going to show you what you're missing That's my Michael Jordan flu game I was sick as a dog And it didn't make any difference That's awesome When you look at this This is one of those instances Where it almost forces you to be Kind of retrospective with yourself which is not something I personally enjoy doing for me do you like looking you gotta go back and be like look at that head of hair that's right I turned myself into a different person so I don't have to look back I'm a little bit of the same way I see the lip ring and I see the hair and I'm just like eesh really?

5:31a little bit meanwhile at the time everybody was like that's the coolest thing in the world I don't know tastes evolve but when you look at those matches and stuff do you get nostalgic Do you appreciate them or do you go like, I'm kind of so into what's going on right now? I'm definitely into what's going on now. And it's not like I'm over anything in the past. It's more I look at how far I've come. Yeah. You know, because I was watching somebody play the game and they were playing as me wrestling Rey Mysterio. And I was just like, man, it's crazy because it's 2008. But then me and Rey also had like a banger of a match with Eddie in like 2002.

6:10two, you know, and then I went on to, to wrestle him, uh, like extensively in like 2009. And now like, you know, today we're, we're still doing it. So it really just kind of shows like the, the staying power. I look at him as one of the greats. So if I'm still side by side with him, you know, doing stuff, we tagged on a raw in December and it's just like, those are, those are the moments that make everything looking back at it like kind of mind-blowing is it mind-blowing as well to you to like know that even the stuff you're doing pre-wwe like you just said you go back to oh two the the the the afi music even the action figures that mattel is making now that are based on your dark matches yeah before you were even signed that like so much of your career has been so impactful that they're going back to like you on the independence kind of trying to make it.

7:04Yeah. Going like, yeah, no, we need to celebrate this too. Yeah. No, I think it's all super, super cool. It just makes me feel a little old. That's all. Experienced, I think is the word. Well, you know, for some reason, I think there's a section of my fan base that thinks that's a compliment. They're like, oh, he's old. And I'm like, all right. I don't love that. Yeah. Not great. It's like calling me my real name. And I'm like, okay. I'm enjoying this. throwing around the word unk and stuff that that's just completely not my lane so i just i don't i don't you don't know whether they take that as a compliment yeah if i if i don't know and i don't just okay do you feel like that cm punk that had so much drama around it especially leaving the wwe you know kind of voicing the fact that you weren't satisfied with where you were at then if that cm punk had a crystal ball and could see like what was to come and i guess you're probably a very different human being but like drastically yeah do you think this here being the world heavyweight champion going in to wrestlemania against a guy like roman reigns assuming you get past finn balor do you think that that would satisfy a younger cm punk

8:21you know satisfy i don't know if it's the word but it might be it might be dangerous because yeah Because if you think about this, if I main evented WrestleMania before I left, I don't think I would have come back because I would have done it. Wow. What am I coming back for? Thank God you didn't main event WrestleMania. Right? Yeah. Right? I mean, it's a little weird. Like, you know, like, oh, everything happens for a reason. It's just one of those things. You know, I did it last year and, you know, there's that moment in Unreal where there's always cameras on us, but I don't I didn't know they were shooting me at that moment.

9:02That moment was just me standing in the ring after the fact. I didn't win, you know, and it's far beyond being about that. And I was just standing in the ring by myself and I was just looking at like all four sides of the crowd and like people. I can tell there's people from Numerous different countries And I'm just kind of like looking around All four sides just like soaking it in Well if this is the last time I'm ever going to be in a ring Wow I did it Well man we have to let you go I do want to acknowledge that Megan Moran is a human being The wonderful brain that asks great questions Go ahead and ask me a question Okay

9:43Sam Roberts:We had a great time talking earlier about 2K26 But I did want to ask you about the face-to-face with Roman Reigns on Monday Night Rock. And Roman Reigns calling out that they did come to him to ask if it was okay that you came back or to at least tell him that you were coming back when that was brought up. And just how did that make you feel? Because I think it was a moment for us fans watching where we all had our jaws on the floor. Yeah. They came to me to ask me if it was okay that they went to Roman to ask him if it was okay. No. Yeah, far along. Yeah, I don't know. You know, there's a line, and what I do is I blur it.

10:35And he kind of threw it back at CM Punk, and I think that's fascinating. For everything he says he's mad about and he hates me, well, then why'd you let me back in, man? You did it to your damn self. And I think WrestleMania is going to be a lot of fun. I think the road to WrestleMania has started off with a bang. I think it's going to be a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to a lot of it. We're going to be in the garden at some point, I think in March or April. At the end of March 30th, maybe? I mean, you know that. Whatever's going to happen there, you can pretty much bookmark that it's going to be special.

11:15I can't wait, dude. Yeah, I can't wait for the road to keep going. Appreciate your time, dude. You're in a rush. Sorry I couldn't give you more. No, no. Thank you so much. Everybody wants to talk to you. You're the champ. I need to go to bed. Yeah, go to bed, man. I'm going to do my best.

11:27Sam Roberts:Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Appreciate it, man. Thank you. So big thanks to CM Punk. And before we get on to our next interview, I do want to say that the number one sports fan festival, Fanatics Fest, is returning to the Javits Center in New York City from July 16th 16th through the 19th of this year, 2026. It's a must attend event for WWE fans. You'll be able to meet your favorite superstars, watch live WWE podcasts and enjoy surprise appearances all weekend long. And then when I say weekend, I mean four full days of the weekend, the 16th through the 19th WWE superstar autograph and photo opportunities of fanatics fest go on sale Friday, April 24th at 10 a.m.

12:13Eastern. Listen to these confirmed WWE superstars for photos and autographs. They include EO Sky, Jey Uso, Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Cody Rhodes, Jacob Fatu, Liv Morgan, Randy Orton, Rhea Ripley, Stephanie Vaquer, Trish Stratus, Tiffany Stratton, and so many more. More WWE superstars are going to continue to be announced. So fans should stay tuned to Fanatics Fest social channels for the latest updates. Fanatics Fest tickets are on sale now at fanaticsfest.com. And I think that, you know, it's really interesting hearing from CM Punk the way we just heard from him. And listening to him kind of being reflective, in a sense, on his whole career, especially as WrestleMania approaches.

13:08but also constantly looking forward. I mean, I sat down and interviewed, and you can find it somewhere deep in the rabbit holes of YouTube, but I interviewed CM Punk right before his last WrestleMania with WWE before he left. I interviewed CM Punk right before WrestleMania 29, like two days before it, before his match with The Undertaker. and it's so interesting sitting down with him now because as a person, he's still as authentic as he's ever been. You know, in terms of his character, and I don't mean his pro wrestling character, I mean the character of him as a human, that hasn't changed, but it feels like his outlook, it feels like his appreciation, it just feels like the reality that he now lives in.

14:06is completely different. I thought it was really interesting and I've never heard him say it before where now he thinks back on that time, you know, because for a long time, there was a lot of bitterness and resentment and some of the stuff that Roman Reigns brings up that CM Punk said after he had left the WWE about Roman Reigns, I think is centered around where CM Punk mentally was at back then. Because the fact that CM Punk looks back now and says, hey, if I had gotten that thing that I wanted, I don't think I'd be here right now. That CM Punk, who wanted to be in the main event of WrestleMania, where he's going on WrestleMania Sunday of this year, now for the second time, that if he had gotten that when he first wanted it, that we wouldn't be getting the CM Punk run that we're getting right now.

15:02And I can't imagine as a fan being robbed of this chapter of CM Punk. And as CM Punk is big of a fan of Terry Funk as CM Punk is, the idea that we wouldn't get this kind of middle-aged and crazy version, the way he's described himself, much the way Terry Funk described himself years and years ago, that we wouldn't have gotten this version of CM Punk, I think would have been a crime. I think it is so, there's such a big story when it comes to who CM Punk is and the career of CM Punk. I think that it's absolutely fascinating. But you can tell, you know, and I'm sure you could tell in that conversation as he was sitting down and just the way he answered those questions, the way he carries himself.

15:54He's a different beast. I mean, he is an upper, upper echelon top guy. And after Joe Tess announced the cards for WrestleMania's night one and night two, and we officially see Roman Reigns and CM Punk in that box where they're advertising the main event for WrestleMania night two, I couldn't help but think about how big this match is going to feel. how massive this thing is going to feel. I mean, even in that conversation with Punk, like you can hear the dirt that's under his fingernails. You can hear what he still describes on Monday Night Raw as recently as this week. You can hear the work that has been put in to him being the person that he is today.

16:48He was never chosen for this. He just had to become undeniable and that's exactly what he did. I think Roman Reigns has worked in a completely different way, but no less hard than CM Punk. I think the idea of being put in a position by a company to succeed when it's a position that you really can't succeed in, I think can be just as difficult to break out of as never being put in a position at all. and I think the fact that we've gotten to this place and CM Punk has proven himself. He's already main evented at WrestleMania. Everything else is gravy and Roman Reigns has proven himself. He had a three and a half year run as WWE champion that shifted the entire industry.

17:36Both of these superstars turned themselves into undeniable forces and on the other side of these two men staking their claim as people who are at the very top of the industry, breathing air that is rare enough that most will never even get a sniff of it, that now is when those two paths converge, that now, now is when those two forces collide. And I don't think that that's something that has necessarily fully hit me. I mean, we're having the conversation about it now. But I think that that's something that I think is going to hit everybody. When those two are in the ring and they're in their gear and the bell rings and you realize that this is the main event of WrestleMania, that Roman Reigns and CM Punk are staring each other down.

18:35This feels like one of those matches that we're not really going to wrap our heads around. Until it's the night of. And we look at these two and fully come to the realization, wait. Now somebody's got to win this thing. Which means that somebody's got to lose this thing. The only one of these two is going to walk out with the world heavyweight title. That this story, especially if it ends up just being about the two of them. That this story gets an answer. And it gets an answer now. and I think there's a world where maybe we thought we would never get that answer so I'm super excited about it and I could talk about it for another hour or two easily but I don't want to spend all my time talking about CM Punk and Roman Reigns because Megan and I didn't just talk to CM Punk no, we also had the opportunity to talk to Penta now I must warn you this interview happened before Penta had won the Intercontinental Championship from Dominic Mysterio but Penta did, as soon as he walked in the room, he completely shouted me out for being a Dominic Mysterio fan.

19:46Clearly, even before Penta had the Intercontinental Championship, this was something that was on the mind of Penta, putting Dominic Mysterio in the ground, putting Dominic Mysterio in his place, and that's exactly what Penta did when he became the Intercontinental Champion. And now Penta walks into WrestleMania, an intercontinental champion. And it's really interesting to put in context with the conversation that we had with Penta. You know, we talked about the journey that he took to get to the WWE, not just through wrestling in Mexico, but wrestling in every promotion in the United States, Lucha Underground, TNA, like all everywhere, everywhere.

20:28He wrestled everywhere there was to wrestle before he finally got to WWE. and the instant that he got to WWE, it was like he was home. And we talked to him about that, about why he chose to come to WWE, about how he feels that connection was made with the audience. We talk about the scene in Unreal, in WWE Unreal, where Heyman, Paul Heyman talks about Penta and it's caught on camera and broadcast to everybody on Netflix. We talk about the AAA and WWE connection and how well that's worked and whether he thought it would work or not. It's a fabulous interview. Before we get to that conversation, I do want to remind you that WWE world is taking over the Las Vegas Convention Center April 16th through the 20th.

21:18And it's the ultimate fan experience happening during WrestleMania week. This is your chance to get closer than ever to WWE. You can meet superstars and legends, step inside immersive exhibits. you can experience moments that you won't find anywhere else you can see names like cody road stone cold steve austin aj lee cm punk stephanie mcmahon and more all in one place you can catch live matches check out panels live podcasts including not just this one but six feet under with the undertaker featuring john cena and explore the wrestlemania superstore packed with exclusive merchandise. Tickets are on sale now at wweworld.com.

21:59You can use code WWENOW10 to save 10%. Get there. I'll be there. Hopefully we run into each other. But right now, I want you to enjoy the conversation that Megan Morant had. Megan Morant and I, I was there too, had with Penta. Here we are joining us in studio, the one and the only, cero miedo penta is here yes sir welcome penta thank you so much i'm great i'm very glad to be here with you guys with you thank you with you bro you you and i we have a problem you know what no i we don't know come on you are fun don misterio fan the number one actually right That's right.

22:46Sam Roberts:Yeah. It's embarrassing. Experiment why? I think Don Mysterio is super cool. He's got great hair. A stupid mustache. A skinny guy. Bad wrestler. Fake wrestler. Fake son. Fake everything. What do you think he's worth? Fake everything. Also, he doesn't defend his title. Exactly. I know. It's ridiculous. He has two? He has two. Two. Intercontinental AAA. When? Right. When defend? Well, I mean, he's defended them both before. No, come on. It's not recently. I know. It's a total joke. Do you think he's a worse wrestler or worse son? Both. Really? Yes. Oh, my gosh. Is it true? You don't think Ray could have spent a little more time paying attention to him?

23:27I think so. I think so. That's why he is like that. Oh, you're saying that it's not. Yeah. That's more of a negative on top. Yeah, maybe. Wow. You know. I mean, but.

23:39Sure. Sure. But look, times have changed. Okay. But it's okay. I mean, Liv Morgan loves him. Because I am happy today. Okay. I'm not mad with you today. Okay. I'm a Penta fan too.

23:53Sam Roberts:He is a Penta fan. Okay. Yeah, he is. No problem. You know, this is the easy business, bro. Yeah, business. That's all. That's all. It's easy. I've been a Penta fan for a long time. In fact, I find it very interesting. And I'm very happy that over the last 14 months, the WWE fans have like taken to you so strongly like from the instant and you know part of it is of course that presentation which you've always wherever you've gone presentation has been a big part of it but if you don't back that up in the ring you're dead in the water and I feel like it goes back to that first Netflix Raw or the second one I think it was but when you cut that promo after your match Yes.

24:38And even whether you understood every single word or not, you understood the emotion. Bro, I wanted to be honest with you guys. So right now I feel after the 12 months or 13 months, I feel with a little more experience. That's the real WWE style, you know, because I come from everywhere, the indie shows, other companies and everything. But everything here is very different because I understand something. WWE is the best company in the universe. And automatic, I want to be the best luchador in the universe. For this thing, years ago, I started doing something different. Because there's one phrase, I love this phrase, say if you want to get different wrestles, you want to do different things.

25:34and every day. So every day Penta try to improve the style. I try to improve my English. I try to improve everything about me, my soul, my spirit, my mind, everything. Because I know what is my responsibility right now after the one journey here in WWE. Because I know, thank God, a lot of fans, I like something about Penta, right? that's why I want to improve all areas on my body and my mind because I know a lot of childs want to be like me so that's why I am an example for other person I want to give my best version every day this is the true bro were you surprised when you were brought in that it was brought in to be Penta, the same Penta we've seen here, Lucha Underground Penta is Penta and that's what we want in WWE and that's what we want you to do.

26:29Yeah, it's correct because Penta is real. Penta is not fake like other guys. I don't think. No, no, no. You're bringing it back. No, no. No, no. No, no, no. But Penta really is the Penta, bro. When Penta go out to the arena or meet and greet or something like that, Penta really enjoy the moment because Penta understood what is the best formula for this business is the connection with the people, bro. This is the truth. For me, it's my best formula in this business for 20 years. So Penta is the same like here. Penta is the same in the locker room. Penta is the same in the shop. That's why I think so.

27:12I don't know. But that's why is the people feel something same like Penta. Yeah, and I think too, to that point, and I never really thought of it that way, but it is true. True. There is that connection that you have with the audience and they do feel that authenticity, which is such an accomplishment because for a long time, especially in America, a lot of promoters felt like with the mask on, you couldn't relate to the audience. Yes. Like they always say in WCW when they made Ray take his mask off, how are you going to connect with the audience? Yes. I never thought Ray had any problem connecting with the audience in the same way you come to the ring.

27:53Every part of your face that isn't covered by a mask is covered by face paint. You have this larger than life suit on. You got the fireworks and everything. But there's still a human connection that I feel like is being made between somebody sitting in the audience and yourself. Yeah, because the most important thing about it is the energy. For me, in my personal opinion. I don't know the wrestlers, but for me, the most important thing I need to be there every show is my full energy. Because that's why when you feel your body full energy, it's like I want to be everyone there, no matter what. Because I feel powerful, you know?

28:31Yeah. So, and that's why when I go to the ring and start to say like stupid, like, Like, chinga tu madre, pendejo. Because I want to take out this energy, you know? Yeah. That's why I think, so I don't know, this is the connection with the people, with the crowd. Actually, between the scream or something like that. Because the people say, what is this guy? Is it like crazy or what? Yeah. You know? Yeah. But no, no, I'm crazy. I'm full. My body is full to energy, bro. Yeah. It's passion. This is the truth.

29:02Sam Roberts:Passion, right? And you feel that. Of course, the passion. Because you don't have passion and energy. Nah. No words. I know a lot of people have a lot of different opinions about WWE Unreal. I'm a fan of it, and I really enjoyed watching this past season. One of the things I enjoyed the most was there was this moment, and it was with Paul Heyman, and he was talking about you. Oh, yeah. And he said, you know, I think we have something with this Penta guy. And I think it's, you know, you hear it in the reaction. And then it was, you know, the next episode, and they showed your entrance, and you did hear that reaction.

29:35Sam Roberts:but I'm not sure if you watched it or not, but hearing Paul Heyman say those things about you and everything that Paul Heyman has done in this business. Yes. 13 months into WWE, that had to make you feel good. Yeah. The first thing I feel is so proud about me. First, because, you know, I have 21, 20 years work hard every day for this. When I saw when Paul Heyman talking about Penta, in my heart, like, wow. You know, because everyone knows who is Paul Heyman. What it means is Paul Heyman in this business. He is the best for all times. You know, like, I don't know exactly. And he's seen the luchadores from the very beginning.