Celtic thanked WWE superstar CM Punk after he disrupted a World Heavyweight Championship match at the Hydro in Glasgow.
As we discussed earlier, the Chicago favourite was spotted in one of the club’s Celtic shops ahead of the Clash At The Castle pay-per-view event, sparking rumours he would be appearing.
He followed through on that possibility to ruin the night of Rangers-daft WWE rival Drew McIntyre, who was embroiled in a match with current champion Damian Priest for the title.
Just as it looked like McIntyre would get the pin on Priest, CM Punk burst into the ring disguised as a referee to land a blow and allow the title-holder to pull off his finishing manoeuvre and retain the belt.
After the match, Celtic said simply on social media: “CM Punk, thank you.”
CM Punk makes his point in Glasgow
McIntyre and Punk have been engaged in a feud for months. The Scottish wrestler initially won the belt against Seth Rollins at Wrestlemania in April, only for Punk to immediately lay him out in the aftermath.
That allowed Priest to cash in on an impromptu title opportunity with the “Money In The Bank” briefcase and take the belt home.
There has been a back and forth in the months since. Punk has never quite been able to get his hands on the Ayrshire man in storyline.
Now, the WWE legend has gotten further under the skin of McIntyre by costing the Rangers fan the championship once again.
In the build-up to tonight’s event, McIntyre was all over Rangers’ social media channels, having been inducted into the Scottish Wrestling Hall of Fame at an Ibrox event earlier this week. Celtic are now getting in on the fun.
WWE has experienced a surge in popularity in the USA, around Europe and beyond over the last 18 months led by new creative head Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque. [ESPN]
If there’s a follow-up involving the Bhoys then the exposure will bring Celtic’s rivalry with Rangers to a whole new audience.
Tonight’s event was one of the company’s tentpole monthly pay-per-views and Punk’s interference will be treated as a huge storyline moment in the build-up to a match between the two wrestlers down the line.
