During a recent appearance on WWE’s Break It Down series, CM Punk reflected on the time he wore ring gear inspired by the legendary “Macho Man” Randy Savage—and revealed that WWE management wasn’t thrilled about it.
Punk explained that the gear, modeled after Savage’s iconic look from WrestleMania III against Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, was designed as a tribute to one of his all-time favorites.
“I wanted to pay homage to a classic pair of gear—twofold really. Pink looks great on me, and this is an homage to the gear he wore at WrestleMania III taking on Ricky ‘The Dragon” Steamboat.”
However, not everyone backstage saw it that way. Punk recalled being approached by a top WWE official shortly before the show aired. “Now, I commissioned my gear maker at the time to make this gear, and I won’t name names, but somebody very high in the office walked past, saw it, and found me and said, ‘Do not wear that gear on television.’ And I said, ‘You got it.’” But Punk being Punk, he didn’t listen.
“And I wore the gear on television, because that’s what I do. I’m gonna pay homage to Randy Savage whether you like it or not.” Punk went on to describe why Savage meant so much to him growing up as a fan.
“As a fan, Macho Man to me was—you know, I’m a hardcore wrestling fan, so we tend to gravitate toward the guys that we feel aren’t getting the spotlight we think they deserve. We maybe feel like, ‘Oh, Macho should’ve been in Hogan’s spot.’ And really, that kind of passion that I had as a fan, and that fans in turn have for me, is really what has propelled me throughout my career.”
Punk’s tribute gear remains one of his most memorable nods to a wrestling icon—made even more noteworthy because he wore it against explicit instructions.
