CM Punk reacts during the Men’s Royal Rumble match at Tropicana Field. Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
PoliticsWWEBy Sean Keeley on

In the days leading up to WrestleMania 41, WWE Superstars are speaking their minds.

It’s been a strange week for WWE, as many of their biggest names have been making headlines not for what happens in the ring, but for their personal beliefs and the causes they support.

Between WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque telling critics to “f*ck off,” Roman Reigns showing support for President Donald Trump, and John Cena saying he still “loves” Vince McMahon despite the sickening allegations against him, it’s been an eyebrow-raising stretch that is drawing attention to the pro wrestling company in an interesting way (whether all of this is good or bad is in the eye of the beholder).

Lest you think WWE’s most prominent stars only share their public support for people accused of multiple sexual assaults, CM Punk went in a different direction, taking a strong shot Tesla owner and Donald Trump’s co-president, Elon Musk.

Punk, real name Phil Brooks, was a guest on The Ringer Wrestling Show, and the topics of how WWE wrestlers can discuss politics came up (transcription via Wrestling Inc).

“I don’t think the company wants us to be outwardly political,” Punk said. “I do feel there’s probably different rules for different people. I don’t talk about politics with Triple H. I don’t talk about politics with Paul Heyman. I don’t talk about politics with Roxanne Perez, you know what I mean? It’s 24/7 wrestling. I think it’s pretty obvious what my ‘politics’ are.”

Pink then turned his attention towards Musk, who has made or supported various antisemetic comments on X and gave what appeared to be a Nazi salute several times during Donald Trump rallies in January (Musk and his supporters claim he was doing a “Roman salute”).

“We saw what you did,” Punk continued. “Don’t gaslight me, I’m not f*cking as stupid as you are. I know what you did, so I know what you are. Now I know where you stand, and this is where I stand.”

Punk added he does not consider himself a Democrat or a Republican and he thinks many people who accuse WWE of being a “MAGA company” are hypocrites.

“I don’t know what people want from us as entertainers. I’m just supposed to quit my job because somebody on Twitter says WWE is a ‘MAGA company?’ Okay. You’re on Lord Elon Musk’s f*cking Twitter saying stupid sh*t. Shut the f*ck up.”What have you done? I’ve done a lot, I just don’t broadcast it. I put my money where my mouth is, and the money I make goes to helping impoverished people. I don’t need to write my name in on a f*cking GoFundMe to make me feel better about the sh*tty person I am.”

Vivian Jenna Wilson, Elon Musk’s oldest child, told Teen Vogue in March that her father “definitely [did] a Nazi salute. “Honey, we’re going to call a fig a fig, and we’re going to call a Nazi salute what it was.”

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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