CM Punk commented on John Oliver’s piece on HBO’s Last Week Tonight where the comedian called out WWE for how they treat their talent and classify them as independent contractors. At the 12:35 mark of the video above, Oliver pointed out how CM Punk said that he was given Z-Paks by WWE medical staff in 2013, saying that he was given so many Z-Paks that he “sh-t his pants on [an episode of] SmackDown.” Oliver noted that they actually found the episode, and while they didn’t air Punk’s accident, they showed a picture of his face as it was happening. After SmackDown had aired at that time, Punk had tweeted out, “Just s–t my britches on smackdown. Please RT.” Punk played off his original tweet, writing, “I sh-t my britches, please RT @LastWeekTonight (I love you!) @iamjohnoliver“ As we previously reported, WWE sent us a statement regarding that segment, claiming that Oliver “ignored the facts” and saying that they had responded to the “producers refuting every point in his one-sided presentation.” Below is WWE’s full statement as well as Punk’s tweet:<doc-sep>UPDATE: Click here for WWE’s statement. ORIGINAL: John Oliver’s piece on HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” is already getting tons of mainstream media attention and wrestlers are reacting. The story has been picked up by several major outlets including The Hollywood Reporter, Newsweek, Time Magazine, The Huffington Post, Deadline Hollywood, Slate Magazine and Fox News. For those you have that have not seen it, click here to see the piece that aired last night. Note, it’s NSFW. Some of the wrestler reaction can be seen in tweets below: I guess if they induct a Celebrity into the WWE HOF this year it won’t be @iamjohnoliver ? pic.twitter.com/Fmop7NXmno — Lance Storm (@LanceStorm) April 1, 2019 Well, after a complete viewing, this is the absolute most truthful outside media piece I've seen on wrestling in over 40 years:https://t.co/CKsAnqbGUS — Jim Cornette (@TheJimCornette) April 1, 2019 . @LastWeekTonight piece shined a light on just how little power wrestlers have had over their terms of ‘employment’ in an industry with little to no competition or regulation. Sobering reminder that you can be our biggest advocates with how you spend your money and time. — HANGMAN PAGE (@theAdamPage) April 1, 2019 and to clarify, I'm not trying to encourage "this company's bad, this company's good" mud slinging or nit picking. just encouraging folks to support alternatives since the competition for your interest will create positive outcomes for wrestlers across the board. — HANGMAN PAGE (@theAdamPage) April 1, 2019 ESPN contacted me on doing a story about concussions for e60 years ago. I told them that wasn’t the story. The story was on “independent contractors”. Congrats to @iamjohnoliver & #lastweektonite for their great piece & I hope it gets people taking. — Colt Cabana (@ColtCabana) April 1, 2019 Thank you @iamjohnoliver As a former WWE wrestlers who has been fighting for the rights of wrestlers, and the CTE issue in the courts, you're show hit home last night. We are treated like circus animals, but more people have fought for the rights of animals than wrestlers. — Big Vito (@TheBigVitoBrand) April 1, 2019 Will trolls call him bitter too? Sometimes you gotta hear it from an outside source. One who is precisely accurate https://t.co/Pun9cIVpgW — Gail Kim-Irvine (@gailkimITSME) April 1, 2019 Compare the number of premature deaths to those who died of natural causes. Drug addiction is a lethal mask for PHYSICAL & psychological pain. Their wellness policy is also a sham & a selective "witch hunt" to weed out those who don't "play the game." Don't buy into #Propaganda — London…Paul London (@LondonFu) April 1, 2019 WWE: We haven't done a good job of listening to fans, but that will change. And now, the fans are the authority. Fans: We want wrestlers to have a union. WWE: No, not like that! — Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) April 1, 2019<doc-sep>Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe. CM Punk Responds to 'Last Week Tonight' Segment During Sunday's episode of Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver turned a critical eye toward WWE and highlighted its treatment of active wrestlers. At one point during the show, Oliver highlighted CM Punk's interview in November 2014 on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling podcast (warning: contains profanity). Punk said WWE doctors had given him so much of the Z-Pack antibiotic he "s--t [his] pants on a SmackDown." The former world champion evidently watched the segment and seemed to approve (warning: tweet contains profanity): WWE released a statement saying it "responded to [Oliver's] producers refuting every point in his one-sided presentation" but he "simply ignored the facts" (h/t Wrestling Inc's Raj Giri). Tommaso Ciampa Discusses Neck Surgery Video Play Button Videos you might like WWE announced in March that then-NXT champion Tommaso Ciampa would be out of action indefinitely in order to undergo neck surgery. The company subsequently released a video in which the surgeons who operated on Ciampa add some perspective on the injury and his potential comeback. On Monday, Ciampa tweeted cryptically the doctors "told me that if I return then I will be on borrowed time." Earlier in the tweet, he recounted how the odds were against him when he suffered knee and ankle injuries in May 2017. He returned to the ring at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans last April. During his most recent run, Ciampa not only cemented himself as the best heel in NXT but also delivered excellent match after excellent match. It's unclear when Ciampa might be cleared for a full return. Drew McIntyre Opens up about First Run with WWE Drew McIntyre was 24 when WWE Chairman Vince McMahon called him the "Chosen One" during an episode of SmackDown. While the company had high hopes for McIntyre, he was unable to break through in WWE and the company released him in June 2014. Speaking with Good Morning Washington, the 33-year-old said his departure from WWE was a blessing in disguise (h/t Fightful's Alex Santa Maria): "I wasn't achieving my potential, I had gone straight from university to WWE, I hadn't figured things out yet. Being outside the WWE bubble gave me perception, it let me realize that I can't mess up that opportunity. I worked extremely hard, becoming the busiest wrestler in the world, worked my butt off for three years and returned a man after leaving a boy." Upon coming back to WWE, McIntyre won the NXT Championship and he's wrestling Roman Reigns on Sunday at WrestleMania 35. Because the company has such a deep talent pool, mid-carders like McIntyre used to be can often get overlooked and fall out of favor. He's another example of how finding success elsewhere can open the door to stardom in WWE.<doc-sep>Once you have subscribed we will use the email you provided to send you the newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the newsletter email. Ahead of WrestleMania, the media spotlight has been shined on WWE, but not for the action in the middle of the ring. Instead, it's due to how they treat their superstars. During a segment on his TV show, Last Week Tonight, British comedian John Oliver criticized WWE for treating their superstars as 'independent contractors' so they do have to give them benefits like annual leave, pensions, and health insurance. Oliver also called Vince McMahon an 'a******' and talked about the clauses in certain contracts which state that WWE isn't responsible if a wrestler suffers permanent injury or death, even if they are negligible, and they can terminate a performer's deal if they are injured for six weeks or more. He also played clips from the likes of Jesse Ventura and Bret 'The Hitman' Hart criticizing Vince for his past actions, and made reference to CM Punk's concussion in 2013 and how he was asked by the medical team if he could still compete on the European tour, which was due to start the day after he suffered the injury. This has since been a topic of discussion amongst not only wrestling fans and past WWE superstars, but many members of the general public too thanks to the coverage it has received from many major news outlets, and it has caused WWE to release a statement too. WWE said in a statement, via Pro Wrestling Sheet: "John Oliver is clearly a clever and humorous entertainer, however the subject matter covered in his WWE segment is no laughing matter. "Prior to airing, WWE responded to his producers refuting every point in his one-sided presentation. John Oliver simply ignored the facts. "The health and wellness of our performers is the single most important aspect of our business, and we have a comprehensive, longstanding Talent Wellness program. "We invite John Oliver to attend WrestleMania this Sunday to learn more about our company." CM Punk, on the other hand and unsurprisingly, completely agreed with what John Oliver said during his TV show. Punk said in a tweet: "I s*** my britches, please RT @LastWeekTonight (I love you!) @iamjohnoliver" Fightful has reported that they've spoken to many WWE talent, stating their responses on Oliver's report ranged from calling it 'hacky' to a 'home run'. It's unclear if Oliver will take up WWE's offer and join them at WrestleMania this week, but it certainly looks like we haven't heard the last of this story just yet. News Now - Sport News<doc-sep>
What's the story? On the recent edition of HBO's Last Week Tonight, John Oliver presented a piece which highlighted WWE's alleged ill-treatment of its talents. As part of his routine, the comedian used an old quote of CM Punk from Colt Cabana's podcast where the former WWE Champion opened up about his forgettable experiences with WWE's medical team and the incident from SmackDown when he pooped his pants during a match. CM Punk responded to Oliver referencing him on the HBO show with a new tweet. In case you didn't know... The underlying theme of John Oliver's piece on Last Week Tonight revolved around WWE not paying enough attention to the well-being of its talents. He touched upon various points and gave documented examples of various Superstars who faced tremendous physical and financial troubles such as Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Roddy Piper, Jake 'The Snake' Roberts and King Kong Bundy, amongst others. Oliver brought up an incident involving CM Punk from 2013 as well, in which the former WWE Superstar claimed that the WWE's medical staff forced him to compete at the European tour despite dealing with a concussion. Punk had revealed on Colt Cabana's podcast that the WWE doctors bombarded him with Z-Paks (antibiotic), which forced him to soil his pants on an episode of SmackDown. Punk had even posted a tweet in the aftermath of the aforementioned match against Deam Ambrose from SmackDown back in 2013. Punk stated, “Just s–t my britches on Smackdown. Please RT." Oliver emphasized on the tweet during his piece, however, didn't air the footage of the match. Instead, he showed a photo of the exact moment when Punk suffered the embarrassing moment during the match. The heart of the matter As expected, Punk loved Oliver's mention and tweeted out the following in response, which was in semblance to his original tweet from 2013: Nicely done, Punk. Oliver's exposing showcase of WWE's handling of its Superstars as independent contractors has come at the worst possible time for the biggest promotion in the world. With WrestleMania 35 under a week away, WWE released a statement to counteract the mainstream damage that has been caused by the latest edition of Oliver's show. What's next? Vince Mcmahon is in damage control mode as the WWE aggressively hit back at John Oliver with a strongly-worded statement. Will the Emmy award-winning host accept WWE's invitation and show at WrestleMania 35? We'll have to wait and watch.