After his brutal first round loss to Mickey Gall at UFC 203, fans have been anxiously awaiting to see what current UFC star, CM Punk‘s next move would be. While another fight or even a possible return to wrestling seemed likely, reality show contestant seemed pretty far down the list of possibilities. With his mixed martial arts career currently on hold the former WWE Champion has been announced as a cast member on the upcoming season of MTV‘s reality show, The Challenge.
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“The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros will pit 10 of America’s top athletes against familiar faces from the long-running series. NFL star Victor Cruz will host the special six-week event, which premieres on Tuesday, May 16. Some salsa touchdown dances are in our future!”
Punk, who is listed on the site as a UFC fighter, will be joined on the pros side by a real life adversary, former NFL linebacker, Shawn Merriman. The rest of Punk’s team consists of professional surfer Tio Blanco, Olympian & fitness expert Louise Hazel, professional snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis, Olympian & World champ Lolo Jones, professional skier & Olympic medalist Gus Kenworthy, professional snowboarder & Olympian Louie Vito, former WNBA star Candice Wiggins, and retired football player Kamerion Wimbley.
The Punk/Merriman dynamic might be the reason to watch Champs v Pros as the Straight-Edge Superstar has publicly blasted Merriman for trying and failing to impress female performers while with WWE earlier this decade. Merriman, in response, has stated he wanted to demolish Punk in a UFC fight.
Something tells me the producers may play this angle up.
What exactly are the rules for this challenge? MTV lists them as follows: “Each episode will focus on a different strength (agility, ingenuity, brawn, brains, endurance and guts). Every week, the winning team’s captain will choose one member of their team to go into the elimination round, and the rest of the team will vote in their opponent. The losing team’s captain is automatically sent into elimination, and their team will also nominate their opponent. The final male and female competitors of the season will endure the ultimate test, showcasing each strength in one heart-pounding race for the chance to win $50,000 for their favorite charity.”
I’m not saying being on an MTV reality challenge feels like a bit of a let down for someone with Punk’s resume, but well, actually, yes I am. This feels beneath him.
Punk’s UFC trainer said he would be ready for another fight within four to five months of his loss to Mickey Gall, but Dana White has been less than eager to commit to another marquee match-up despite the fact that Punk is under a two year contract.
Let’s just hope he finds his way back to some type of ring before he becomes a regular on the reality show circuit.
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