Jeff Jarrett defends CM Punk's moonsault during SummerSlam match

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One of the more notable moments of SummerSlam Saturday occurred when CM Punk missed a moonsault on Cody Rhodes during their WWE championship match. Punk has since appeared on ESPN SportsCenter and said the move was a tribute to Terry Funk. He also said, “It was incredibly bad, or it was so bad it was good.” On the latest episode of My World with Jeff Jarrett, co-host Conrad Thompson got into a discussion with Jeff about Punk’s botch. They seem to think either CM missed the move on purpose or it was meant to be ugly. Wrestling fans who say otherwise don’t know what they are talking about and should probably stop using the word botch. Also, did Punk actually shit his pants during the match? Here is their exchange. Conrad: “That was a Terry Funk moonsault. That is the exact way he did it. So [people] were saying oh it’s a botch, he shouldn’t be doing moves like that. No, he meant to do it that way. I don’t know. I think there’s a lot of chatter about things that didn’t really make sense. I don’t know if you saw it, and I feel weird even talking about it here, because it feels like it’s unfair, but there was some chatter…they say CM Punk shit his pants in the match. A lot of fans were breaking down screen grabs and pointing to circles. And I’m like, what are we doing? It happens. Maybe he had too much of that Taco Bell lettuce. Can you believe this is even a talking point…?” Jarrett: “[Shakes head in disbelief] Well, you got to love online. Jesus. The term botch. I saw the moonsault and that is where, God bless wrestling fans. You know how, Conrad, we say we just want to believe [as a fan]? I think there are certain wrestling fans, and I’m here for it, keep watching, keep criticizing, keep commenting, keep doing what you want to do. It’s the business. But I think there is a section of fans that want to believe that they know what they’re talking about, and that they would never, ever, ever believe Punk’s moonsault [is] exactly how he wanted to do it. It was a Funk [moonsault], or it was his version. If Punk hit this textbook, gymnastic moonsault that…” Conrad: “If he hit a Komander moonsault. Like, nobody expects that. Nobody wants [to see that.]” Jarrett: “Hell no!” Conrad: “By the way, I’m glad you said botch. Because I hate that term too. And I understand that we all love Botchamania, shout out to Maffew.“ Jarrett: “If you slip on the rope. If you truly botch…” Conrad: “But even that, Jeff. I know you’re not a huge UFC fan. But I’ve watched so much MMA in my life. I see guys try for things that don’t work out. In a real fight, if me and you went down to the Waffle House and saw a brawl…it’s not gonna look like we’re seeing Superman versus Batman. Every blow is not gonna be perfect, and devastating, and send the guy flying. People are gonna miss, they’re gonna trip, they’re gonna slip, they’re gonna fall. If it’s a shoot, if we really want to suspend our disbelief, it’s supposed to look like a miss every now and again.” Jarrett: “…That’s what I’m saying. Some people want to believe so bad that you have to have everything perfect, and seamless, and a dance contest, and a true ballet performance. And if everything isn’t flawless, that means it’s a sloppy match. That is so far from reality. But hey man, wrestling fans are gonna bitch about what they want to bitch about.” I’m going to interrupt right there, because Conrad doesn’t actually sound like someone who enjoys Botchamania if he has such a big problem with the term “botch” being used by pro wrestling fans. The issue at hand is not that Punk hit an ugly Funk-style moonsault instead of hitting a picture perfect Komander moonsault. He didn’t hit either one, because he missed. And after he whiffed on the landing, Cody sold it as if Punk’s knee got him in the head, which was mentioned by commentator Wade Barrett. That’s what ruins the suspension of disbelief, because we saw that Punk’s knee was nowhere near Cody’s head. You don’t see someone pretend to get hurt when a punch misses them in a real fight. If the plan all along was for Punk to pay homage to Funk by missing a moonsault and for Cody to sell it, that’s a shitty plan that makes a match worse and should be criticized. If the plan all along was for Punk to pay homage to Funk by hitting an ugly Funk moonsault on Rhodes, then it was a botch, because Punk missed the move. Either way, it’s okay for fans to pick that spot apart. I’d also like to point out that you don’t see moonsaults in a real fight, so I don’t think this amateur brawl at Waffle House scenario even applies to two professional wrestlers on the big WWE stage where fans should expect the highest level of performance, both in and out of kayfabe. As for Jarrett going on about wrestling fans bitching, I’ll just say it’s perfectly fine for wrestling fans to laugh at Punk’s missed moonsault, because it’s funny. That’s nothing at all like fans going on long rants about how much WWE booking sucks for not picking the exact winners or match finishes they they wanted. The guy missed a move. It’s funny. That’s not bitching. If Conrad and Jarrett can’t see the difference, then I once again question the claim that they love Botchamania. Regarding usage of the word “botch,” we are now in the WWE Unreal era, where Triple H is doing interviews days ahead of SummerSlam admitting that Brock Lesnar is actually mentoring his opponent, Oba Femi. If Triple H can do that and it’s totally fine, then what’s the problem with fans who try to analyze where a match may have deviated from the plan? A missed moonsault is the most obvious thing to point at. It seems like WWE is encouraging its fans to have these exact kinds of conversations about what’s really happening or meant to happen. People like Jarrett and Conrad are getting very defensive over a harmless word that is not going away any time soon, and is not inherently an insult to the wrestlers. Punk fucked up a move. It was funny. What’s the big deal? Moving on, let’s finish with a chat about wrestlers shitting their pants in the middle of the ring. Conrad: “Well here’s what we really want to know, Jeff. You ever shit your pants in a match?” Jarrett: “No! But, uh, is that true? I mean, my goodness.” Conrad: “Listen, there’s lots of stories out there. Punk has even admitted when he was on antibiotics before he left WWE the first time, he took a body slam [and] shit his pants. Ric Flair’s told the story wrestling Ricky Steamboat. They were like 10 minutes in to a 60 minute draw, and Ric turned his pink trunks brown, and the first few rows cleared out. It was bad.” Jarrett: “[laughs] Alcohol can do that. Antibiotics can do that. A stomach bug can do that.” Conrad: “Taco Bell lettuce can do that. Lots of things can do this. I just, I don’t know.” Jarrett: “As they, shit happens.” Conrad: “Shit does happen.” What’s your take on this strange conversation about CM Punk doing an ugly moonsault on purpose to pay tribute to Terry Funk, and how that means missing it wasn’t a botch? Let me know in the comments below, Cagesiders.