"Wrestlers are Stupid and Selfish": CM Punk Addresses the Absence of Unions in Wrestling

In a candid conversation with 670 The Score in Chicago, ex-AEW World Champion CM Punk unreservedly shared his views on the elusive topic of unionization within the professional wrestling sphere. According to Punk, although there's an undeniable need for a union, the temperament and attitude of wrestlers themselves make the establishment of such an organization improbable.

Unionization and Wrestler Behavior

In the podcast, CM Punk stated, “For professional wrestling, yeah, wrestlers should 100% have a union. I’ll always say this, and I mean it in the most loving way; wrestlers will never unionize because wrestlers are stupid and selfish. That’s just the way it is. There is always going to be somebody else around the corner that wants what you have or possibly doesn’t want you to have what you have and they will do whatever the promoter wants you to do for less money. That’s unfortunate. The boys never stick together.”

The Reluctance to Push for Unions

Further diving into the issue, Punk offered insights into why wrestlers might be hesitant to push for a union. He described it as a "class war," saying, “I think it’s a lack of places to work. It’s really a wage gap disparity, it’s a class war. When your boss is a billionaire and you don’t want to rock the boat — this isn’t in wrestling, this applies to anything. More often than not, people will want to keep their head down, not get in trouble, and just go about their day. For better or worse, people have mouths to feed. There are people with kids, families, taking care of other people, and they can’t afford to lose their job."

Punk's Research on Potential Strikes

On the topic of staging a strike, CM Punk admitted to having conducted some research but conceded that significant efforts from a collective are crucial for making any change. He said, “I have researched. Probably not as extensively as I should if I was going to act on this. I’m just me. There is strength in numbers. If it were to ever happen, just like it happened any other time people have risen up and created a union or strived for better working conditions for workers, it has to be a group of people. People have to stick together, and wrestlers are just never going to stick together. It’s sad.”