CM Punk was dealing with imposter syndrome before his return to wrestling.
At AEW Rampage First Dance, CM Punk made his return to the wrestling industry, ending his seven year stint away from the sport. Punk's return was met with celebration from fans and the business at large.
While speaking to O'Shea Jackson Jr. and TJ Jefferson on the debut edition of No Contest Wrestling, Punk was asked to share how he was feeling before his AEW debut. In response, Punk noted that he was feeling a level of imposter syndrome, despite having the reputation of being the guy that shuts out the negative voices.
"Most people, who do live television, I haven’t really experienced it doing TV and movies because you can do another take. There is pressure to that, but not pressure like live television, live sports. I don’t know what it’s like to play Game 7 Stanley Cup Final, home game, and be down there fo the face-off and puck drops. I don’t know what that experience is like. I think I can maybe draw some parallels to things I’ve done in my career. Coming back, there is a level of imposter syndrome that I think I’ve always dealt with. As much as I’ve always been that guy that shuts out all those negative voices, those voices are still there. After not doing something for seven years and famously having this very public and ugly breakup with the company, the thought is, ‘Are people going to care? How will they remember me?’ You also have a pretty good idea, ‘Yeah, I just sold out the house that Michael Jordan built on a rumor. I’m pretty sure they’re not here to throw tomatoes at me.’ There is always that little bit of doubt. I thrive on being uncomfortable, and in that moment, I was so uncomfortable because I was so uncertain, and I loved it. I have never felt more alive. I’ve had low lows, ‘I wish this was all over with.’ I’ve had high highs, ‘I never want this to end.’ There is that middle part that I have experienced, a couple of times, fortunately. It was the same thing when I came back at Survivor Series. The uncertainty, but then looking around and seeing all these people, my peers and colleagues, filming it."
Elsewhere in the interview, Punk stated that he thought he was done with wrestling after being terminated from AEW. Learn more about those comments here.
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