Sure, former WWE superstar Phil "CM Punk" Brooks insists that he would have rather been a part of the MMA scene all along if only the money had been better, but it seems the backyard wrestler's claims that he's not the only one that feels that way might actually be true. According to the latest gossip news updates, Fast and Furious 7 cast member Dwayne Johnson is also claiming that had the UFC been as popular when he started working for Vince McMahon as it is today, the world probably never would have gotten to smell what "The Rock" was cooking.
It's true that CM Punk was already on the way out of the WWE after a lengthy contract dispute, but the former champion told Fox Sports that had the MMA opportunities of today been around all along he would have definitely transitioned into the sport much earlier:
"I definitely think part of that is what influenced this.
"There's a lot of guys in pro wrestling that just kind of have this MMA fantasy and they never act on it. I'm acting on it.
"I don't want to be one of those guys who sits there and goes, 'I could have done that or I should have done that.' I can, so I'm doing it."
That might sound like desperate man trying to justify he last ditch effort at salvage a career in the entertainment sports arena had Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson not said the very same thing in an interview with Fox months prior to Brooks' MMA announcement:
"I've always been a big fan of the UFC since I was 19 or 20 years old.
"If the UFC were as popular as it is today and I had the opportunity to make money in the UFC, if it was as popular back then as it is today, I would have easily done that and gotten involved in MMA."
As Punk continues to train for his transition into the UFC fighter, he told Fox Sports that he really appreciated having a helpful Brock Lester in his corner, who had already made the transition -- only in reverse:
"I've talked to him and he's offered all his help, even if it's just bug him with a stupid question.
"It's cool to know [Lesnar] supports me.
"He's a good guy to know, I think."
Well...being associated with Brock Lesner certainly can't hurt Punk's mixed martial arts reputation.
