STEP AND REPEAT, 9:13 a.m. 

Chris Jericho’s first morning in Miami is spent in front of a total of no less than 25 different cameras within less than an hour. Hosts and journalists from around the globe, from international networks like n-tv Germany, FX Korea and Eurosport, open up televised segments in mixed languages, then engage in casual English conversation with Jericho.

WrestleMania is the topic for the “step and repeat” setup at this media event but Jericho is sure to keep it entertaining, weaving in discussion about his roots in similar nations where wrestling is adored, where he is adulated. When addressing Japanese and German audiences, Jericho speaks about places he once called home and expresses his ties with such countries, not to mention his enthusiasm for his next return. “It’s all part of my legacy, part of my history,” The “Ayatollah of Rock ’n’ Rollah” proudly explains.
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HITTING THE GYM, 12:33 p.m.

Well after sunrise in the Sunshine State, the WWE Champion corrals a small entourage of fellow Superstars en route to the University of Miami for a rigorous training session. CM Punk has been in Miami for 24 hours, and yet his opponent is hours away from his arrival – which isn’t a shocking revelation for the titleholder.

“No, I’m not surprised. I think that’s par for the course,” Punk says. “On Twitter, it’s a little strange taking pictures of yourself in a mirror and say, ‘I’m coming for you.’ All right, I’m waiting for you.”

The Straight Edge Superstar sets aside further social media discussion. He’s been bellowing “hashtag” over fellow Superstars’ shoulders while they’re tweeting at WrestleMania week events. His focus is instead his body.

“My workout is going to include working out … not yoga,” Punk explains. “I do yoga constantly, but that’s not all I do. I incorporate other stuff into it. I don’t make ferocious faces after doing yoga, either.” Continue reading »

TAKING THE MIC, 1:32 p.m.
The opening shot of WrestleMania week is fired from the Eden Roc Hotel in Miami, where WWE Champion CM Punk collects his thoughts in front of rows of unoccupied seats prior to a live press conference streamed around the globe on WWE.com, YouTube and Facebook. Just moments before media of all kinds converge upon the event, he stands before one of his signature weapons – a microphone – leading to perhaps some consternation by WWE officials on hand. Notwithstanding the concern of corporate types, Punk assures that there will be no censorship today.

“They know that if they tell me not to do something, I’ll do it,” the champion states, bold yet honest. “They just cross their fingers and hope for the best.” Continue reading »

If you grew up watching professional wrestling like I did, then you’re well aware that Wrestlemania 28 is taking place this weekend at Sun Life Stadium — home of the Miami Dolphins.

One of the headline matches involves WWE champion CM Punk against Chris Jericho. The AFC East blog caught up with the world champ — yes, we’re well connected that way — to get his take on various topics.

Punk shares his thoughts on Wrestlemania, potentially walking to the Octagon in Brazil with UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen, and Dolphins stud center Mike Pouncey forming a tag team with his twin brother, Maurkice.

CM Punk, a year ago at this time, considering your contract situation with WWE, did you think you would be in this spot, defending the world title at Wrestlemania 28?

CM Punk: No, because I was leaving. At Wrestlemania last year — and I always say I thrive in high-pressure situations — my job was to steal the show and prove to everybody how awesome I was and what an amazing talent they were losing. I went out there with Randy [Orton] and we put on, in my opinion, the best match on the show of pure wrestling. I wasn’t concerned about what I was doing next year. I was leaving in my mind. I didn’t think I would still be here or holding the title.

At what point did that mentality shift? Did the pen have to hit the paper for you to finally realize you were staying in WWE?

Punk: Yes, absolutely. I didn’t re-sign until middle of July, I think. It was actually the day of [the Money in the Bank Pay Per View], I believe. It was after the show even started. So it was down to the wire.  Continue reading »

Read more at WWE.com

Nobody wants to be second best, least of all CM Punk and Chris Jericho. But out of the seven billion people on planet earth today, two boast what only one can claim, which is why, at WrestleMania, the staunchest of rivals contend for the right to be undisputedly recognized as the “best” in this world.

Put aside the illuminated jackets and tees with red six-pointed stars, take away the pipebomb tirades and wordy diatribes, and you have two extraordinarily talented athletes. Entertainers. Wrestlers. To either Punk or Jericho, there is no greater purpose than to compete and achieve, which is why the symbolic prize carried by The Straight Edge Superstar is so coveted. Whoever leaves Miami’s Sun Life Stadium with the WWE Championship will subsequently earn the throne so passionately debated over the past several months. Continue reading »

Counting down the final days to The Show of Shows in Miami this Sunday, the WWE Universe is invited to two huge WrestleMania week events, exclusively on WWE.com and YouTube. WWE fans can catch the WrestleMania XXVIII press conference Wednesday, then on Sunday, an unprecedented pre-show just prior to The Biggest Spectacle of Them All – both LIVE on your computer!

The Road to WrestleMania leads into Miami this Wednesday, where Superstars and Divas kick off the week’s festivities in the official WrestleMania Press Conference streamed live, simultaneously on WWE.com, YouTube.com/wwe and WWE’s official Facebook page, Facebook.com/wwe. It all starts at 2:30 p.m. ET, as the likes of John Cena, The Rock, Triple H, WWE Champion CM Punk, Chris Jericho and others address the WWE Universe at Miami’s Eden Rock Hotel, just days before The Show of Shows.

On Sunday night at 6:30 p.m. ET, head back to WWE.com or WWE’s YouTube page for an exclusive Live WrestleMania Pre-Show, serving up footage from the floor of Sun Life Stadium in Miami just before showtime at 7 ET/4 PT. Tune in online to see what goes down mere moments before WrestleMania goes live and get your first opportunity to peek at the grand setting for the “Once in a Lifetime” clash between Rock and Cena, the “End of an Era” encounter between The Phenom and The Game, plus an action-packed card of other squared circle jousts.

If all that’s not enough, be sure to witness WWE’s YouTube Spotlight starting Friday at 12 a.m. ET, complete with never-before-seen video messages from The People’s Champion and the Cenation leader. Catch the 24-hour YouTube takeover in between WWE’s two massive, first-ever live streams on the web’s biggest social media video destination.

It’s a week of firsts in WWE on the web that you cannot miss. We’ll see you back here on WWE.com for the festivities and daily coverage from Miami.

This Sunday, April 1, beginning at 7:00 PM EST on pay-per-view, WWE presents the pinnacle of its year when WrestleMania XXVIII brings the world’s greatest gladiators together for the Showcase of the Immortals. Three days later on Wednesday, April 4, the two most powerful factions in the Marvel Universe kick off a war of their own as AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #1 hits stands and the Marvel Comics app.

Up first, WWE Champion CM Punk, who will put his title on the line against Chris Jericho coming up Sunday, spoke up about his impending match, WrestleMania memories, belief in Captain America, plus much more, including his kinship to Tony Stark.To get set for both of these monumental collisions, we got some of WWE’s biggest Superstars and Fightin’ Fanboys to comment on their dates with destiny at WrestleMania as well as what they see coming to pass in AvX. Continue reading »

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WWE Champion CM Punk sounds off on life, family, friends, co-workers and his film aspirations.

Vince McMahon: “(We) have a lot more one-on-one conversations. I wont say he takes the time to talk to me now, because he always did, but I think he views me differently now. He used to view me as maybe talking to a boy. Now he thinks he’s talking to a man after I stood up and did everything I did over the summer. I always thought I was a main event player. The difference is now he knows I’m a main event player.”

The Rock: “I don’t think I have a realtionship with The Rock. Over the past few weeks, it’s been better. Probably because I’ve been outspoken (about him) in the media. Of course, everything gets sensationalized and twisted. I don’t hate The Rock or fault him for coming back. I just think heaping credit on The Rock for ratings, buyrates – that’s where I get offended. It’s a team effort 365 days a year. Me and the entire locker room bust our (butts) and all our super stoked. Give credit where credit is due. Wrestlemania had a huge buyrate last year, not because of one guy. The numbers out there prove he hasn’t done much else, like the Survivor Series buyrate.” Continue reading »

When he blasted WWE’s higher-ups on live TV, CM Punk had GQ, ESPN and “The Jimmy Kimmel Show” banging on his door. TMZ and CNN interviewed him about his recent Twitter feud with pop star Chris Brown. But on this particular March afternoon on the Blue Line — the train he takes to and from O’Hare International Airport every week with the diamond-encrusted WWE Championship belt in his suitcase — Punk appears to have gone unrecognized by those sitting around him.

That’s just how he likes it.

“I’m so cranky,” admits Punk, holding onto a pole by the “L” train’s doors to keep his balance. Punk (real name: Phil Brooks) is on the third day of a diet that requires him to skip food entirely in favor of juices because “I’m bored out of my mind and I’m trying to get in wrestling shape. I can’t work out harder than I do. I’ve been a (pescetarian) for three months.”

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Once in a decade a WWE Superstar comes along and changes the game. CM Punk’s secret is that he isn’t a character, he is who he is—and he’s badass. See for yourself, below, and compare during WrestleMania XXVIII this month.

Few lifestyles seem more at odds than pro wrestling and straight edge punk. The success of WWE relies on its ability to tell over-the-top stories involving larger-than-life Superstars to millions watching on TV or in packed arenas. Excess is the key to the WWE image: enormous egos, huge physiques, gigantic spectacles. The straight edge movement is more defined by substance than style, outspoken but less brash (unless the target is Chris Brown). Straight edge finds its home at all-ages basement punk shows free of alcohol and drugs. Serving as a bridge between these two divergent worlds, we find WWE champion CM Punk.

Since arriving in the WWE in 2005, Punk has introduced a whole legion of WWE fans to straight edge and punk rock while also converting some young punks to fans of combat sport. He also has eccentric ink, from a large Pepsi logo to a slice of deep-dish pizza. If you disapprove of his tattoos, Punk doesn’t care: “These are all things that make me who I am. So, yeah, you’re damn right I ink them on my body and I want them to be with me for the rest of my life.” Many would try to conform to one lifestyle or the other—not Punk. He has always found himself out of step with the world, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

INKED: After you first won the champion title at Money in the Bank and “quit” the WWE, you took the story line beyond Monday Night Raw and other WWE events by posting pictures of the belt in your fridge on Twitter and by showing up at Comic Con. What made you want to use alternate media to move the story line forward? Continue reading »