CM Punk doesn’t care for fandoms at all, and he’s chosen the Stranger Things and professional wrestling audience to make his point. He has compared the fans’ backlash to the popular Netflix series’ finale to John Cena’s WWE farewell match.
The Straight Edge Superstar has taken shots at the fans who grow angry about everything, only because something they liked didn’t go exactly the way they wanted it to. Punk never hesitates to keep it a buck and let loose over the fans that always want more.
He spoke on My Mom’s Basement with Robbie Fox and stated that both of these fandoms display a ‘slight mental illness’ to him. Punk isn’t happy with the way these fans react to events that transpire in fiction, according to the showrunner or creative’s plans, instead of having them play it out like they had thought about it in their heads.
Operation Sports App
Your ultimate companion for sports gaming. Access in-depth coverage, thoughtful discussion, and a community built around the games—and sports—you love.
Your ultimate sports gaming companion.
I see it in wrestling. I see it with fandoms, with Stranger Things,” he said. “People just seem to want to be angry about everything because it didn’t happen the way they fantasy booked it in their head. To me that’s a slight mental illness.”
CM Punk Drew Parallels To Wrestling And Stranger Things Fandoms
CM Punk has had enough of the fandoms that keep whining. He took the backlash to the Stranger Things finale as an example to prove his point and compared it to how wrestling fans react at times.
Many fans were unhappy about the season 5 finale of Stranger Things and expressed their displeasure online. It seems fans are as divided as ever on the Duffer Brothers’ showing Vecna falling too easily to the characters. Fans also weren’t pleased with being shown Eleven’s cryptic ending to her story, as the creators let the audience decide if she had made it out alive.
Similarly, many fans were livid about John Cena tapping out in his retirement match to Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13. Punk finally let the fans know that the fans have made up a fantasy ending, to something that doesn’t exist. He admitted that he’s not the biggest fan of Stranger Things but thought that the show’s epilogue was deeply poetic.
The Comparison Isn’t That Far Off
CM Punk’s comparison between the fans’ backlash to John Cena’s WWE farewell and the Stranger Things finale might not be so far off. Both fandoms have been overtly angry to an ending that didn’t go the way they would’ve liked.
However, there might still be valid criticisms at the core of their displeasure. But, at the end of the day, these character endings were still poetic and did make a tear come out of our eyes. Whether it was Cena holding onto the two titles, taking it all in before he walked away for good, or Eleven looking at the scenic waterfalls with hope in her eyes at the climax.
Published: Jan 9, 2026 05:41 pm