Former WWE heavyweight champion and current MMA laughing stock CM Punk departed from the company back in 2014, meaning that he has been absent from the previous two WWE 2K games. However, while the recently released WWE 2K17 may not include a playable version of the former WWE Superstar, it does include a reference to him that 2K have seemingly forgotten to take out.
CM Punk was known for labeling himself “The Best in the World” due to his technical prowess in the squared circle, and a reference to this can be heard during current WWE wrestler Chris Jericho’s entrance. As Jericho makes his way down the ramp, commentators Jerry “The King” Lawler and Michael Cole discuss the veteran grappler, with Cole saying: “And here’s a guy who believes he’s the best in the world at what he does,” followed by Lawler who replies: “Y’know, I’m willing to bet CM Punk disagrees with that statement, but if that’s how Jericho feels, then good for him.”
CM Punk ended his employment with the WWE in a wave of controversy, with him essentially walking out on his contract after growing disenchanted with the direction of his character. After he left the company he appeared in a tell-all podcast with popular indie wrestler Colt Cabana, wherein he accused WWE doctor Chris Amann of negligence and claimed that the WWE had failed to treat a lump on his back, which was later revealed to be a life-threatening staph infection. Dr. Amann filed a $1 million lawsuit against Punk as a result of the allegations made in the podcast, with Punk claiming this year that WWE CEO Vince McMahon was “bank-rolling” the lawsuit behind the scenes.
Considering the embittered relationship shared between Punk and the WWE, this makes the reference in WWE 2K17 a little awkward. Given how 2K recycles content between WWE games, it’s likely that this snippet of dialogue has been carried over from previous entries in the series that have included Punk. However, considering he’s been absent from the company for two years, you’d think someone would have spotted this reference between the release of WWE 2K15 and the new WWE 2K17 game.
Check out the reference in the video below:
Update: The original version of this article stated that Jerry Lawler no longer works for WWE. This was an error – while Jerry Lawler is no longer employed as a commentator for the company, he still provides analysis on the WWE’s pre-shows. This post has now been updated as a result.
