CM Punk is not a sneaker guy, but he understands what sneaker culture means to some fans.
CM Punk recently appeared on Complex’s “Sneaker Shopping” and talked about the reasoning behind writing messages on the midsole of his shoes for his first few appearances on All Elite Wrestling programming. Punk wrote “AC” and “CF” on his shoes during his debut on Rampage, and then wrote “BD” and “BW” on his sneakers for his Dynamite debut, leading to many fans believing it was a message or a tease for future free agents arriving in AEW.
Punk talked to Complex about how he liked to have fun with people, but praised the AEW fanbase for their dedication and said it was just another way to share that connection with them.
“I think one of the great things, the connection that the wrestlers in AEW have with the fans is special. I like to f-ck with people, you know what I mean? I like to have fun and throw little ‘Easter eggs’ here and there. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I would look at punk bands and they’d be wearing another punk band’s shirt, because it’s not about [the attitude] ‘I need to be a better band and hold everybody down’. It’s about high tide raises all boats and everybody trying to help everybody else, and everybody’s so excited coming into these AEW shows,” Punk explained, “fans are so into every single wrestler that walks through the curtain, I just try and have fun with it, honestly.
“I’m scribbling on my shoes and people are trying to decode everything,” he noted, “it just gives another layer of the connection we have to our fans, and it’s fun.”
Punk was also asked about why he picked Vans to wear on AEW TV (he wore a red pair of Ultrarange Exo Vans on the August 25 episode of Dynamite, his debut), and he explained why he finally decided to switch things up and what the brand meant to him.
“Again, never really been a huge shoe guy, but having to be on television every week, I figure I can’t wear the same pair of shoes. My wife would famously wear Converse, I didn’t want to go that route and Vans I remember being a skateboard shoe, when I was a little skateboard kid. And to me, if I had a style, this would be it. It’s a little more simple and when they do throw colors into some stuff, it really pops. I just remember all of the skate kids wearing Vans and that was predominantly it.”
CM Punk has not revealed what the “BD” and “BW” meant, but he has since explained what the “AC” and “CF” meant. Read more about his explanation for the meaning behind those messages at this link.
Read More: CM Punk Credits Raven For Having An Early Influence On His Career, Calls Bret Hart’s Work ‘Timeless’
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