‘The Independent’ Compares CM Punk to Donald Trump and Proud Boys for Some Reason

The views expressed in the following editorial solely represent those of the writer. They are not necessarily shared by any other writers, editors, or contributors with Bodyslam.net or any of its affiliates.

You’ve heard the phrase, ‘One of these is not like the other?’ Well…

Donald Trump. Proud Boys. CM Punk. One of these is not like the other.

But that still didn’t stop writer Ryan Coogan from comparing Punk to other men who, in his mind, represent ‘Toxic Masculinity.’

Coogan, a contributor with UK publication ‘The Independent,’ threw Punk in with an assortment of other names, including Boris Johnson, Ethan Nordean, and others.

“Ryan Coogan explains why it’s okay to laugh when bad things happen to bad people,” The Independent wrote.

Coogan began his article writing about the past few months of Donald Trump – a former reality tv show and WWE Hall of Famer (and president) who was recently indicted by a grand jury for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Trump was charged with 13 different counts, including criminal racketeering under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. He was also charged with soliciting a public officer to violate their oath, conspiring to impersonate a public officer, conspiring to commit forgery with false electors, conspiring to file false documents, and more. He was also recently found liable for sexual abuse of E. Jean Carroll, an advice columnist who Trump was ordered to pay $5 million. Because he sexually abused her.

Coogan also brought up the Proud Boys, Trump’s flag-bearing, crime-inducing stooges.

“If that wasn’t enough to satisfy your need for total-justified schadenfreude, senior Proud Boys member Ethan Nordean was recently sentenced to 18 years in prison for his involvement in the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol,” Coogan wrote. “If you aren’t familiar with the Proud Boys, they’re a far-right group with a history of political violence in service of the cause of fascism. They’re also huge dorks, but that doesn’t make them any less dangerous.”

He continued, writing about former British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.

Okay, so far so good. All of these guys suck. But then, Coogan took a far-right (or would it be left?) turn and turned his scorn towards former AEW Champion, CM Punk.

“Professional wrestler CM Punk was officially fired from All Elite Wrestling yesterday, after becoming involved in a violent incident with fellow wrestler ‘Jungle Boy’ Jack Perry that spilled over to involve the company’s billionaire owner Tony Khan,” Coogan wrote. “The incident was the culmination of two years of malfeasance by the so-called “best in the world” (which is a nickname that only sounds cool until people realise you picked it yourself), including brawling with the company’s executive vice presidents following a pay-per-view last year.”

It’s unclear why Cooger opted to include Punk in an article about actual abusers (physically, sexually, and otherwise) other than the fact that he just doesn’t like him.

“I know that Punk isn’t quite on the same level as some of these other examples, but as a wrestling fan, it’s just heartening to see some accountability in an industry that sees so little,” Coogan admitted. “And to such a deserving candidate, at that. Wrestling may be fake, but what are you going to do, brother, when basic human decency runs wild on you?”

It’s ironic that Coogan opted to quote a pro wrestler who is actually a racist, sexist, known liar, and overall terrible person.

Still, despite his relative tame contributions to the world of “toxic masculinity,” Punk seemed to have drawn the ire of Coogan.

“Like the other men in this article, Punk was able to hold on to his position despite his behaviour due to his popularity and perceived indispensability to the company, despite being a clearly toxic locker room presence,” he wrote.

To be clear, Trump: sexually assaulted a woman (probably a lot of women, allegedly), tried to combat democracy, was charged with racketeering, and much more.The Proud Boys are literal nazis, some of whom stormed the U.S. Capitol, which resulted in the death of multiple people, and injuries to others.

CM Punk got in a couple fights backstage and said mean things about fellow wrestlers, for which he was fired.

One of these is not like the others.

Follow Nick at @WrestlePerks

If you enjoy Bodyslam’s content, you can help donate to the site here. You can also visit our PWTees store and buy Bodyslam official merchandise here.

You can listen to all of Bodyslam’s podcasts by following us on Spotify and subscribing to our YouTube Channel,  or any of your favorite podcast platforms.

Be sure to check out Bodyslam.Net for all of your pro wrestling and MMA news!!