Everybody wants to say what I said. There's a lot of unrest. There are a lot of people who are unhappy. I don't want to say I'm their hero, but a lot of people have said that," Punk said. "It's not like we work for a tyrant. It's like this in every job, I think. There's certain people who are afforded privileges and maybe, maybe don't deserve them."
Punk said the other aspect is him being a veteran, by default, because of how much locker room turnover there has been to the point where Kelly Kelly is the #2 babyface in the Raw locker room based on tenure.
If they have something to say, I would like to think that somebody's going to listen. I'd imagine I fall somewhere in between hardass godfather type and the who-the-fuck-does-this-kid-think-he-is guy," Punk said. "There's a lot of times when I'm throwing a fit because everyone has completely destroyed the locker room...I would think that is the genesis of adapting a leadership role in the WWE."
-- Regarding his relationship with Vince McMahon both behind-the-scenes and on-camera during their promo exchange on Monday's Raw, Punk said he believes he's reached a point where he commands McMahon's attention.
"He intimidates a lot of people. I'm certainly not intimidated, but he does have a very strong presence," Punk said. "Only a few people can really command his attention, and I certainly couldn't do that when I first got here. I can definitely do that now."
Regarding the promo exchange on Monday, one wrestler watching the promo noted that Punk seemed shaky at first standing in the ring with McMahon, which McMahon is looking for, but then Punk gathered himself and cut a main-eventer promo. Punk acknowledged in the interview there was a bit of a "feeling out process" with McMahon.
"I've always wanted to be in the ring to do stuff with Vince; I don't think there's anything bigger than that. But, I've never been given that opportunity. So I'm not slowing down. Last night (Monday on Raw) was that situation. I was going to go out there and do nothing but hit a grand slam," Punk said, talking as if there's more to this program than just Punk-leaves-after-MITB.
-- Punk also discussed his time in Ring of Honor and becoming "bored" with the independent scene, which led him to WWE to achieve higher goals.
I needed something new. I set the bar high: Working with the WWE. I figured out that if I went to work there then, they'd say I'm not big enough, so I kicked my own ass and got into mega-shape. I ordered my own gear. They contacted me, and I said, 'Give me three months to get into shape, so when I go there, you can't say no.' That's what I did," Punk said. "I didn't have an easy go of it; they hired me and sent me into their developmental system. But I've always worked my ass off. I'm never satisfied. It's like that now; that's what keeps driving me. And I think that's how I worked here, because I don't take no for an answer."
At the beginning of the interview, Punk was asked about his comment on Raw about WWE not receiving mainstream media attention, except in the case of a wrestler dying. Punk showed he's still a diplomat not examining the root cause of the issues and mainstream avoiding an industry with a self-created poor reputation. He also suggested Randy Savage died of "natural causes" despite having an enlarged heart, which has been part of numerous early wrestler deaths.
"There's a negative connotation to that (wrestlers dying erly), but Randy Savage just passed away of natural causes. The poor guy was driving his car, and he had a heart attack. I think that was the last time we got any mainstream attention," Punk said.
-- The entire four-page interview is worth reading with many more topics covered in-depth at GQ.com.
