Former WWE superstar CM Punk (real name Phil Brooks) recently conducted an interview with Sports Illustrated. During the interview, Punk (who is currently signed with UFC) was asked about his time in professional wrestling. Punk gave some interesting answers to the wrestling-centric questions, with some of Punk’s responses resulting in surprising and controversial statements by the former WWE champion.

CM Punk was first asked by Sports Illustrated what it was that made him such a good professional wrestler.

“Well, that’s another thing in that phony world. What does it mean to be a good fake wrestler? That’s an identity crisis that I think I struggled with. It doesn’t matter if you’re the best; someone else picks who they want in the top spot.”

It’s no secret that professional wrestlers typically hate it when they are called “fake” and their livelihood called “phony.” So why would a former wrestling superstar such as Punk, who spent the better part of 15 years of his life as a pro wrestler, talk in such a demeaning way about his former profession?

Much of Punk’s current disdain for pro wrestling probably is rooted in the on-going lawsuit between WWE and himself. WWE is currently in the process of suing Punk over controversial remarks he made on Colt Cabana’s podcast last year concerning WWE doctor Chris Amann. Punk had accussed Amann of mis-diagnosing a staph infection in his back. The case is not expected to go to court and will likely result in a settlement between the two sides.

Later in the interview, CM Punk was asked about why more pro wrestlers don’t pursue a career in mixed martial arts.

“I’ve always been surrounded by guys who talked about it. Half of them talk about it; none of them do it. They have their little comfortable safety net doing WWE stuff, I guess. I would much rather give it a shot than just talk about it.”

CM Punk is currently training with Roufusport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in preparation for his first fight with UFC, which is tentatively scheduled to take place later this year. Though entering the fight game at a relatively late age of 36, CM Punk has reportedly impressed many of his training partners with his ability in the octagon thus far.

Despite Punk’s obvious animosity for his former employer, his remarks were of a nature that could be offensive to everyone involved in pro wrestling, not just those employed by WWE. It will be interesting to see if any big names in the wrestling industry issue any kind of response to CM Punk’s statements.

[Image via MindOfCarnage.com]