My Mom's Basement - EPISODE 443 - CM PUNK & RHEA RIPLEY

Episode Date: July 21, 2025

CM Punk and Rhea Ripley discuss the new kayfabe-breaking reality series from Netflix, 'WWE: Unreal' - as well as their #WrestleMania gear, anxieties in wrestling, and more. #WWE #WWEUnreal #CMPunk #RheaRipley **************************************** My Mom's Basement is a weekly podcast hosted by Robbie Fox, started in March 2019, to discuss movies, music, comic books, wrestling, mixed martial arts, and more with his friends and idols alike! Subscribe on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-moms-basement/id1457255205 Follow Robbie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatrobbiefox Follow Robbie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobbieBarstool My Mom's Basement Merchandise: https://store.barstoolsports.com/collections/my-moms-basementYou can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/mymomsbasement

Hey My Mom's Basement listeners, you can find our episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube, and Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. Alright, welcome back to My Mom's Basement ladies and gentlemen. It is Robbie Fox here with CM Punk and Rhea Ripley here to talk about WWE Unreal, the new series on Netflix. I got to watch the first episode last night. I actually got a screener. I thought it was great. I thought it was very exciting. But obviously it's weird to navigate how much you wanna pull the curtain back on wrestling, especially like in 2025, because it feels like everything's out there already. This is still a peek behind, and we're seeing stuff we haven't seen before.

Did you find it weird to navigate that? Is your first instinct when the camera comes on not to unveil everything, to still hold something back. Yeah, for sure. Especially with things that like we've tried so hard to protect like friendships and just things that we don't want everyone knowing. It was weird when you see like the camera crew coming over and you're like, should I just be me right now? Like your guard comes up a bit? Yeah, a little bit. And it's just like, you just, you think about the business and everything

that you've tried so hard to like portray for the fans that watch it. And you just, you don't wanna ruin that completely for them. But then at the same time, you're like, that's the whole concept of this thing that we're filming. So it's like, it was such a torn situation and you find yourself just like kind of giving in, but then also like having your guard up

and it's this weird like in between. There is a lot of like real moments for sure, but we haven't actually seen it to comment in full. Oh you guys haven't seen it yet. You have higher clearance than we do apparently. I don't know why we haven't seen it yet. It might have helped since we're on this whole press tour. Yeah, there's a lot of you guys in the first episode.

Yeah, I'm incredibly nervous in a way. Like, taught my entire life to protect the business and I was never aware of what, when, and why we were filming stuff. So I'd walk into a situation and I'd just be like, what, we're filming this? What are we doing? Yeah, you're not like super briefed on

this is going to be filmed for the show. No, I never knew what the camera was shooting and I never knew who was miked up. I, you know, so you're probably gonna see a lot of hilarious stuff There is a lot of funny stuff in the first episode a lot of Kersen a lot of Kersen backstage that I feel like maybe some fans are gonna be like, whoa Everyone's dropping f-bombs every other word basically how human beings it is basically. Yeah Were you guys as fans? Did you like to dig for the the dirt sheety stuff the behind the scenes stuff?

Did where did you enjoy the backstage politics as fans? Were you trying to get your eyes on anything you could? I feel like I was uh, I was definitely like a smart fan. I was more interested in the business side of things, the numbers and the gates and you know, how many? Even as a fan. Yeah, I was, I don't know, student of the game from an early age. I didn't really, it was there,

but I wasn't so into the salacious, like TMZ-esque aspect of it. You hear stories about like, oh, like Arn and Sid stabbed each other with a pair of scissors, and you're just like, what? Yeah. And there wasn't an internet, so it's not like you could read about it ad nauseam,

where now today You know somebody gets into a fight backstage or something like that It seems to be this all-encompassing thing that surrounds it becomes somebody's life What about you did you dig for like obviously the internet was around when you're a fan Yeah, you're digging for backstage stuff rumors. Like did you enjoy that? No, obviously the internet was around when you're a fan. Yeah. Are you digging for backstage stuff, rumors? Like, did you enjoy that? No, I think I was just enjoying watching WWE as a fan. And I think that's what's changed so much these days.

Everyone wants to know into our personal lives and what's happening backstage. And with social media being such a massive platform now, it's easier for people to actually see those things but growing up I just I loved watching WWE I love watching all kinds of wrestling and I just enjoyed it for what it was and I mean the furthest that I would go is going on to people whose twitters at the time and looking them up online to see when their birthday was to celebrate at home like I made them is a birthday cake when I was younger. Yeah, like just things like that,

but I wasn't going for any like gossipy sort of stuff. Yeah, I loved seeing like who I shared a birthday with. And for me it was Kevin Nash. And I met him once and I said like, oh, we're, you know, birthday twins. It's you, me and OJ. And he was like, oh, what? I was like, that's us and Tom Hanks, we got good ones, we got bad ones.

So you ruined it with Tom Hanks. That's six man tag champs right there. Robbie, big sexy and OJ. He did, his face just went blank when I said that. It was funny. And speaking of behind the scenes backstage stuff, who do you feel are the unsung heroes backstage at WWE? In regards to what?

In regards to making the show happen, in regards to like, could do without them, but we don't hear about them very often. I feel like there's so many people there. Yeah, there's really, there's so many chefs in the kitchen in a good way, that if you took one person out, I mean, and it kind of happens on a weekly basis,

like Michael Hayes just went down, got a knee surgery, so Freebird's gone for a while, and I really do feel the impact of him not being around. Now, you can text him, but he's at home and him not being there, like his presence is missed. I definitely think on screen, when people get injured, not to upset you or anything.

I know where you're going. Yeah, yeah. Like to me right now, Liv being out of commission, you can feel her absence on the show, but in that regard too, it's also next man or woman up. I think roster is so talented in front of the camera and behind the camera that this is our job. So if somebody is missing, everybody else kind of picks up the slack and the show must go on

type thing. Yeah. I don't know if there's a one person that if they weren't there, stuff doesn't get done. You know Triple H obviously is sitting in the chair and he's the boss. But one of the aspects that I really love about this brave new WWE that I've come back to is, if he's got like a daddy daughter dance, he's not at TV. And I find that to be so amazingly brilliant. Like, yeah, go hang out with your kid. Like go have those moments, like we'll be fine. Yeah.

You know, we'll get through, you know, but you definitely feel there's so many people cast such a large shadow that you definitely feel, there's so many people cast such a large shadow that you definitely feel their absence when they're not on the show. Obviously superstar Rhea Ripley, when she's not on the show, I'm upset. Yeah. We get to see your shoulder injury

in the first episode of the show. That's the first episode? You walk in and you say, oh yeah, triple separation over here, and we hear about your decision to not get the surgery because you'd rather be out for three months. Is that stuff specifically harder for the cameras to be there for when you're like,

you don't even know the full scope of the injury yet and there's a camera in your face for it? A little bit, just because you feel very vulnerable in that situation. I don't remember everything that has been filmed because my brain was absolutely everywhere in that current situation and that moment. But just knowing that there's a camera there,

I do feel like I need to portray that I am tougher, in a way, and I don't like crying too much in front of cameras and all that, but I couldn't help it, because I was just so vulnerable and just so upset at the situation. And so many different emotions were going through my mind and I remember people coming into the room and all that.

But I don't know what's being filmed, so I'm very intrigued to see it. It does feel like very vulnerable footage. It feels like you completely drop Rhea Ripley in that moment and it's just you. And it's like cool to see you come in and kind of like be like, been there. Like it's gonna be okay.

Triple H is. It's all the work. I was just being a baby face. And you and Triple H in the first episode actually both bring up the fact that there were conversations in the years that you were away and it like never quite felt right until it did. Yeah. Do you remember when those conversations were?

What didn't feel right about it? Oh, yeah, I remember. I remember everything like I. There's there's a lot of stuff that goes on behind the scenes that like we're just talking like there's a lot of stuff that I feel like is just for us. To me, being a wrestler at this level, there's certain prestige to it, at least I feel there is. I'm very proud of being a wrestler. So there's a lot of things that I don't necessarily want to share with fans. It's no

different than being in the Stanley Cup finals and not letting cameras in the room. It's no different than being in the Stanley Cup finals and not letting cameras in the room. It's no different than playing a World Series game and certain people don't get access. I wanna kind of protect that part. But yeah, I think the Twitter and the Internet perception is, I tried to go back to WWE and they didn't want me, so I went and did the Fox show.

That's not exactly, that's not what happened at all. I had a hilarious clandestine meeting in the Borgata in Atlantic City with Vince and Triple H. I don't even know now, like what is it? It's 2025, this has to be 2018 or 19. You know? And it's just cause Vince just started, I had agents, they were telling me,

hey, they wanna talk to you and I was like, whatever, I'm not interested. And then Vince just started calling me. He was like, hey, I'm eliminating the middle man. And I was just like, this is insane. And it just so happened that like, oh, I'm gonna be here, all right, we can get there. Okay, all right.

And we had a meeting and we had a handshake agreement and then he ghosted me. Wow. Yeah, so that's why it didn't happen. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. That's crazy. I did not know that. I mean, I'm going to write a book someday, Robbie, so it'll be in the book.

It's a great story. I'm sure it'll be a great story. It's a fantastic story. But yeah, that would have been probably the first time that me and Triple H probably started chipping it away at any Any problems or Drama that we had in the past like that was the first instance and at that point in your mind You're open to it. You were like the doors kind of creaking open. Yeah, I was very much just like yeah

Okay, like, you know, yes, you know pay me open. Yeah, I was very much just like yeah, okay, like, you know, yes, just pay me whatever. Yeah I Took some stuff personally like years have gone by like alright. I'm over it Recognize that it's a business like you don't want me to take it personally. Just just pay me Yeah, I feel like a lot of fans like the perception of your absence was almost that you like decided one day Okay, I'm ready to come back and you were on TV the next week. Yeah, no, it didn't happen like that. Rhea, I'd also be remiss not to bring up

the amazing match you had with EO Sky this past weekend. Bayley was saying that she felt like there was a different vibe around the show that it felt like the old days of NXT. Did you feel that as well? Yeah, I did. I felt like everyone was going out there to kind of prove a point and make people

pay attention to us a little bit more, which was really like cool to feel and then see and see everyone's reacting to evolution too and everyone's so positive about it. Everyone was so happy afterwards. Everyone thought that they went out there and gave it their all, which was just, it was an awesome like feeling. The locker room was happy. We all felt very accomplished. So yeah, it was a special night for sure. And then going out there with Io, someone who I've gone through NXT with, Mae Young Classic with, and then main roster with.

The WrestleMania match this year, obviously. Yeah, WrestleMania with Bianca. We've gone through so much together. So then to main event, evolution 2 and and be able to Show everyone exactly what we can do in the ring together. It was just it was a lot of fun and it made me proud to be Female professional wrestler, you know, of course Yeah, I thought the post you had was great from the like pre show to the main event main event Yeah, crazy from one to the next. The discrimination and the sexism is just off the charts.

When are the men, when are the men gonna get a show? We should have an all men show. Hashtag all men show. When are the men gonna get a chance? That's all I'm asking. I want equality here. Women get a show that's dedicated to nothing but women? You enjoyed the show. I can't even keep a straight face. I'm sorry. I'm just trying to trying to be contrarian.

Yeah. And I agree with Biggie. He said, let's not wait another seven, eight years till we do the next one. Please. I would like to not wait that long again, because I think that we we do deserve a show like that. It's yeah. It's different. Look at the crowd. The crowd was going crazy the whole night. And if anything, they got louder. Yeah, it definitely more than I went on. It was insane for sure. Look at the crowd. The crowd was going crazy the whole night. They were there for the whole night. And if anything, they got louder.

Yeah, it definitely built. The more the night went on. It was insane. Yeah, and Naomi, what a moment. Crazy cash in. I know, I mean, I'm mad about it, but I'm happy for her. Yeah, of course.

You guys also both speak in the first episode about anxieties and wrestling. And I know you've spoken about having panic decks before you go out before. And I see it online. People talking about like how much that means to them and how much you talking about it makes it easier for them. Maybe does that make it then kind of a snowball where it's easier

for you to talk about on the WWE Unreal show? Because you're you're very open about it on that. Yeah, I feel like it does help me open up a bit because the whole reason that I wanted to be in the spotlight that I am is to Make people realize that they can accomplish anything in their lives as well. And I was a little girl from Adelaide, South Australia I didn't think that I would be able to make it all the way to America to become a WWE superstar But I followed my dream and I did it and that's the one thing that I want everyone else to be able to accomplish too I want them to know that their down period,

it's not forever, they can pull themselves out of it. It's just, it's all a mindset and like we all go through these different things, some worse than others, but I just want them to know that like they can still work their way out and then accomplish whatever it is that they set their mind to. So that's why I'm really open about like

All the struggles because when you see someone in The spotlight talk about that it helps you feel more confident within yourself as well And it makes you feel like we're normal people as well because we are like we still go through all the same emotions as everyone Like yes, we are WW superstars and we are in the spotlight But like if anything that makes it 10 times harder in some situations. Like, going out there and performing live in front of a crowd on live television every single week is a very daunting task.

And it's not for everyone. And we all struggle with different situations and different things in our lives. But like for me, I work myself up to the point that I stress myself out completely. And I overthink a lot of things. I just want to be able to do something because I don't like being a failure or being perceived as a failure. I don't like stuffing things up. So I really work myself up.

But the more I talk about it, the more people can sort of take that into their own perspective in their own life and and see that like I went out there and everything looked fine I didn't show any of that while I was out there so they can then use that as their own personal gain as well yeah yeah we would never be able to tell and you also speak about when you go out there you feel the anxiety subsides when your music hits yeah you be able to tell and you also speak about when you go out there you feel the anxiety Subsides when your music hits. Yeah, you're able to just feel normal in the ring. I mean, it's it's

Is that your whole career? It's a sensational job, but it's still a job. Yeah, so there is very much You know you you you're in your own head until like For me the most freeing thing in the world is going out there and not having any like it. I want complete chaos. If I'm wrestling you I would rather not see you all day. Really? And I would rather just go out there. Yeah because I'm I when I'm in the ring I'm not an actor I'm a reactor. I'm reacting to you I'm reacting to the referee and I'm a reactor. I'm reacting to you. I'm reacting to the referee and I'm reacting to the people. And too often times I feel like we get in our own, I'm stepping on my own dick here when we're mapping all this stuff out.

And if we're making bagels and we open the shop door and everyone comes in and they're like pizza. And I'm like, nope, bagels. No, no, no, you gotta pivot. And it's a lot easier to pivot if you're're like, pizza! And I'm like, nope, bagels. No, no, no, you gotta pivot. And it's a lot easier to pivot if you're just like, we didn't make shit, what do you guys want? You want an omelet? We'll make an omelet, here you go.

I'm a little bit old school that way. It makes me more nervous the more I talk about it and the more planned out things are. I need stuff to be a little bit loose and a little bit Helter Skelter and then I'm I'm in the pocket. It's funny because in the first episode of the show You guys get a lot of I don't know you get a lot of guff for going over your time You and Seth there's like a panic backstage Abyss is screaming at the monitors apologizing to Bruce Prichard. I'm so sorry. Are you mad at me for what for what for the Netflix debut?

main event I Think because that was the first Netflix show everybody had this super lackadaisical like we're on Netflix. They mentioned that yeah Do whatever we want we could go three or four hours And yeah, and so like we're trying to tell people like, no, no, no, no, no, you gotta stick to your times. Cause to me, a show length is pretty paramount. I don't wanna do anything for three hours.

I don't care if it's my favorite movie. It doesn't need to be three hours. You could always find ways to trim the fat. Like I think two, 220, 230 might be pushing it. That's the sweet spot for me. I didn't know, I thought we hit our time. I remember Bruce begging me. He's like, get us out at this time.

And I was like, no problem, man. And I wound up cutting a ton of stuff. Well, they mentioned that. They mentioned the stuff you cut. It was real inside baseball. They cut the Anikon device. I hated it. What inspired your

WrestleMania looks this year? I saw a lot of people talking like, why did he choose the yellow trunks? Why did he choose the yellow kick pads? Why did I choose the yellow trunks? I don't know. I don't know why you asked her. I haven't watched it yet. I don't know if you did it.

Wow. I watched your match. It was't know if you did it. Wow, I watched your match. It was very good. Thanks for watching. I honestly like not blowing smoke. I feel like those two matches are up there with everyone's like matches of the year, the two triple threat matches from WrestleMania.

I mean, they were the best matches of the weekend. Yeah. Exactly. I was there, they definitely were. Was there a purpose for the yellow? Was there a reasoning? People were saying it was the pipe bomb inspired Peter. Yeah, I think, I mean, it didn't really have too much sentimental value, but for sure I

was just like, main event, WrestleMania, Vegas, pipe bomb, and Heyman in my corner, it kind of felt like it was just like a do over for me. Like this is what was supposed to happen in my, in my egotistical brain. Like when 2011, when CM Punk became biggest star in the, in the industry, like this is, it was just, I got a do over. So I wore the same yellow. We were in Las Vegas. It was kind of poetic. I thought that was great.

And what about your WrestleMania look this year? I feel like I always seem to like try and go for something that reminds me of my character in a way. And at that time I thought the best thing was the Batman Who Laughs. So that's where the inspiration came from, the crown and everything. And then Jason Baker put like a little bit of his own

magic little dust on the crown with the hands and all that. But that's pretty much what I was going for for that. Is that the crown that I think I broke before you? Yeah, that one. Oh no, you broke that? You broke Rhea's WrestleMania crown? Super inside baseball now.

I'm surprised this wasn't on Netflix on WWE. Well, I haven't gotten there yet. It might have been. Okay. It still might be there, I haven't gotten it yet. It might have been. OK. It still might be there. I won't spoil it then. I've got like a rapid fire segment I've been doing with all the wrestlers that I've interviewed recently.

So just the first wrestler that comes to mind for these questions. The strongest wrestler you've ever been in the ring with? Bianca. Brock Lesnar. The funniest wrestler you've ever met. There's so many. I want to say the usos

It's either Jamie Dundee or Chris Candido Okay, I think Jamie Dundee just because he's such a car. He's such a character the stiffest wrestler you've ever been in the ring with Hmm that's Terry funk Hmm. Hmm. That's, hmm. Terry Funk. There's a moment in my career where I wrestled Terry Funk and I had an epiphany of why his punches always look so good. Because they're punches? Because they were real punches.

Ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha. The first time you get hit with one like, oh. Oh, that's my. Instantly, like, oh. That makes sense. All right, great. And then, why are you headbutting me?

And then I punched him and he looks at me and he goes, why did you hit me that way? And I'm just like, what? I'm an old man. And then jab and I'm like, oh my God, he's just fucking with me. What about you? Probably Shayna Baszler, because that's just fucking with me. What about you? Um probably Shayna Baszler because that's just how we like to work each other. Yeah. The best technical wrestler you've ever been in the ring with? Oh gosh Alex Shelley comes to mind. Alex Shelley always would do stuff that would just kind of flabbergast me.

Yeah, innovator for sure. Yeah, but also like really tight and really clean. Not just doing stuff to do it, not sloppy. Like real, real slick. Rhea? I feel like Asuka. Yeah. She sometimes gets me on things, I'm like,

how did we get here? I'm like, what was that? You're in pretzel all of a sudden. Yeah. And then the most painful finisher you've ever taken. Probably Nias. I don't know. I've taken so many. I'm trying to think a few of a few of put me on the shelf too.

Have there any been any like moments where? Since your return to wrestling you've been like, oh fuck like that's what that's that's like I like it brings back a memory from ten years ago and you're like shit I mean the thing that stands out most recently was Drew McIntyre's I don't even know what he calls it the double-armed DDT because it exploded oh yeah exploded my triceps future shock yeah yeah that wasn't that wasn't fun that hurt yeah yeah I'd probably say Nia's especially the one in Australia when I was on my stomach and she did it to my back

I remember she landed and I was like Straightaway winded Have you guys seen Superman yet? No, I have yes, what'd you think? I loved it. Okay, good I'm not I'm not really a big DC guy and I'm definitely not a Superman guy. Yeah Best DC movie I think and I'm not counting the Batman movies. I feel like they figured out the Batman stuff for years, you know, like we got the Nolan trilogy, um, all the new ones are good. It just, it needed, it was exactly in my opinion what it needed to be.

I agree. I loved it. It's very corny, but in a good way. It's like Superman should be a little corny. It's so needed. No, he needs, he's it. It's very Corny, but in a good way. It's like Superman show a little corny so needed now. He needs he's he's Scout right? Yeah, he's a big goofball. He says gosh. He doesn't sweat. Yeah And that's like it was they didn't beat you over the head with it But it was like very light-hearted in moments and as a dog lover in the world the world we need we need that right now How do you not love crypto?

What have you guys been listening to lately? I remember we did an interview in like 2017 or 2018 and you put me out to animal and the sniffers for the first time Yeah, still a lot a lot of animal and the sniffers a very easy band to listen to. Yeah, they're great I sometimes wake up and I have a song in my head so that will kind of dictate what I'm listening to all day A lot of times it's a Clash song. I don't know why, you know, sometimes I wake up and it's just like Sepultura. I'm like, all right, put that on. I recently, oh god, what's the name of the band?

I'm gonna look it up. Oasis? It's definitely not Oasis. I mean, have they broken up yet? No, no, no. They're still going strong. Don't put that energy out there. Yeah, cause it's me that's putting that energy out there.

It's not Noel and Liam. Sorry, this is taking forever. Is this the Spotify coming up? I don't have a Spotify. Apple Music guy? I have Apple Music. Rhea, Spotify or Apple Music? I was always Apple Music, but lately I've been on Spotify

because I just put it on like a rock playlist and I just press shuffle. Because I feel like I've been listening to the same music since high school. Which is? Like Motionless and Wyatt and like Of Mice and Men and all of that. I love them, I think they're awesome, but like sometimes when I'm at the gym,

I'm like I just need something a little different. So like I'll put the rock playlist on and it'll be a whole bunch of like Motionless and Wyatt and then other bands as well. But like I've never heard of, yeah. You know, I ran into Method Man on the way out of the ESPN offices, so I'll probably be listening to...

Some Wu Tang, Enter the Wu Tang, Bring the Ruckus. The Lambrini Girls rock band. Okay. From, I believe they're from London. That was my latest recent discovery. You should check them out. All right, I will, I absolutely will. Thank you guys for coming in.

I very much appreciate the time. That's it? Hope everyone enjoys WWE Unreal. Yeah, our time is up. All right, Robin. very much appreciate the time. Hope everyone enjoys WWE Unreal. Yeah, our time is up. All right, Robby. Trying to stay on time. Real boring this time around. You guys got a lot of media to cover.

Really disappointed in you, man. Lots. Yeah, we do. We literally have all day. I know. It's brutal. Well, I hope everyone enjoys Unreal. Obviously there's great stuff going on WWE

all across the board right now. Thanks guys. Appreciate you. Thank you. Thank you.