The Undertaker Reveals CM Punk Thought He Could Tap Out Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin, Went On To Fail Miserably
Undertaker details an impromptu grapple involving CM Punk on a WWE flight.
Dec 19, 2023
On a recent edition of his Six Feet Under podcast, The Undertaker shed light on an impromptu grapple that broke out on a WWE flight to Iraq for the 2006 edition of Tribute to the Troops.
Undertaker claims that CM Punk accepted a challenge to roll with both Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin. He explains:
"We're drinking, everyone is carrying on. Somehow or another, the discussion comes up. I don't know if Vince [McMahon] instigated this one or not. [...] CM Punk, he fashioned himself as a jiu-jitsu practitioner. Someone broached the question, 'You did jiu-jitsu. How long do you think you could last with one of these two wrestlers?'
"It was Bobby Lashley, who wrestled for the army, and Shelton Benjamin, who wrestled at Minnesota. Two high-level amateur wrestlers. To Phil's credit, he said, 'I'll tap them out.' That was about all it took. [...] Shelton, at this time, he didn't drink at all. I remember Vince pouring a styrofoam cup full of wine, and Shelton just gulps it down. I honestly can't remember who went first. There is not a lot of room. It's tight, but there's enough room. I want to say the first match lasted about 47 seconds. The other one was sub-40, where they had taken them down and pinned him. He didn't back down, but my goodness, it was like blood in the water and two great white sharks circling. They could not wait."
Punk and Benjamin actually wrestled each other on the subsequent Tribute to the Troops card, with Punk picking up the win. Lashley defeated Hardcore Holly.
H/T to Fightful.