CM Punk says he finds it "completely impossible" to watch WWE in current climate
Former WWE star CM Punk has admitted he can't watch the company's product filmed in an empty arena, saying he finds it "completely impossible."
Punk said the lack of an audience and any real atmosphere makes it too difficult to view, as professional wrestling continues to adapt to filming its shows without the presence of a crowd.
WrestleMania 36 had been spread over two nights this year this past Saturday and Sunday. But, the vast majority of both nights of action were filmed on a closed set at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
Similarly, WWE has had to tape several weeks worth of their flagship Monday Night RAW, Friday Night SmackDown and NXT broadcasts at the same location due to vast restrictions on movements and gatherings of people owing to the global coronavirus pandemic.
The multi-time former World Champion spoke in an interview with the No-Sports Report Show and made it clear that he would not be able to perform in such circumstances.
He said:
With pro wrestling, I find it completely impossible to watch with no crowd. The audience is the 100% - and this is more evident than ever now - driving force behind what wrestlers do in the ring. When I wrestled, that was my boss. (H/T WrestlingInc)
Fans generally have slowly and gradually started to adjust to the change in format, with WrestleMania reportedly a storming success on social media, with WWE stating it was their most socially active event in history.
But while the audience is finding ways to adapt, it appears it is more difficult for those with a performer's mindset to appreciate the product when it is being played out with zero atmospheric qualities.
The former leader of the Straight Edge Society added:
"The audience boos and cheers who they want, they tell you if they like the moves, if they are emotionally invested in the match that tells you where to take it. You can manipulate them but they can also manipulate the match. Without all of that, I don't know what we're doing. It lends credence, in my opinion, to everyone who argues that wrestling is just a stage fight, it's a stimulation, its predetermined acrobatics. Without the audience, without the emotion and the adrenaline, that's what I feel like I'm watching, I feel like I'm watching a video game.
Punk has not wrestled in WWE since early 2014 and looks unlikely to make an in-ring return any time soon.
In November 2019, he joined the company's broadcast partner, FOX Sports, in an analyst role on their show, WWE Backstage.