CM Punk on Which Wrestling Legend Helped Inspire Ricky Rabies on Heels
The latest episode of Heels saw the arrival of All Elite Wrestling star CM Punk as Ricky Rabies, a [...]
The latest episode of Heels saw the arrival of All Elite Wrestling star CM Punk as Ricky Rabies, a veteran journeyman wrestler who helps bring some excitement back to the Duffy Wrestling League with his outlandish persona (complete blood-splitting possum drone). During a fan Q&A in Chicago last week, Punk finally confirmed that wrestling legend Tracy Smothers was the inspiration for the persona.
"Ricky Rabies is Tracy Smothers," Punk said (h/t Wrestling Inc.). "We lost Tracy a couple of years ago and he was a guy, he was the first name I ever wrestled. I wrestled Tracy Smothers in a barn in Southern Indiana in 1999 or 2000, something like that. And he just walked up to me and said 'hey man. I've seen you work, you're good. Listen, I can't remember s— so is okay if we just go out there and do it? I can't memorize this and that. We can talk about it but I'll just forget it. So can we go out there?' And I was terrified because at that stage of my career I would have to sit down and be like 'you want to do this and then I'll do this and then we'll go do this?'"
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— Heels (@HeelsSTARZ) August 30, 2021
"So I went out there and Tracy knew what he was doing," he added. "And I remember at one time in the match he grabbed somebody's nachos. And he had the nacho cheese in his hand. Now I'm in a barn in Southern Indiana, there's no shower, there's no nothing. I drive from Chicago all the way down there, five and a half, six hours, and then we get the car and we drive back. And we're lucky if we get gas money. He's about to hit me with this and he goes 'block it. Hit me with the cheese brother.' I was like 'f— yeah!' I learned how to work because of Tracy Smothers. I only wish he was here to see this ridiculous s—, because I think he'd love it."
While the episode ends with Rabies, his son and valet all leaving Duffy, Punk has confirmed he will pop back up on the show later in the season.
Art imitating life. #HeelsSTARZ https://t.co/KkH4uasaL6
— player/coach (@CMPunk) August 29, 2021
