‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Half Shell’ has many connections to the WWE. Not only does Summerslam competitor and ‘Arrow’ star Stephen Amell play Casey Jones in the film, but former WWE Champion and current Money in the Bank holder Sheamus will play Rocksteady opposite Gary Anthony Williams’ Bebop. However, one of those ties might have been very different had the Best In The World beat out the Celtic Warrior during the audition process.
During his days in the WWE, UFC fighter and comic book writer CM Punk faced Sheamus many times. Although during their latest clash, the Great White came out on top against the Second City Saint. But the peculiar part is that this bout took place in Hollywood rather than the squared circle. According to The Chicago Tribune, Punk was also up for the role of Rocksteady in the upcoming TMNT sequel at one point. He reveals that the production called him out of the blue to come in for a read, but ultimately they went in another direction. The Straight Edge Superstar isn’t bitter about it though:
“I just assumed he’s a bigger dude, so they gave it to the big guy. It makes sense. They were looking for two big, muscly bouncer types. [Sheamus] fits the role.”
When asked for any details that he can reveal about the movie, Punk obliged with his trademark semi-snarkiness:
“I think they end up getting mutated half way through [the film]. You didn’t hear that from me though.”
Does this one setback mean that Punk’s acting career is over? Well, not necessarily. Despite appearing on a recent episode of ‘Maron’ on IFC, he just doesn’t have time to figure it all out right now since he’s preparing for his UFC debut, which is tentatively scheduled before the end of the year. But after that, it seems like there is a chance:
“Right now, I’m literally just training. There are a couple of things that are floating around that are huge maybes, but nothing I can talk about.”
Though I may be a fan of Punk’s, I definitely agree with his assessment that Sheamus was the better choice for Rocksteady. The character definitely calls for a bigger, broad-shouldered, oafy dude. Due to his size, the Irish-born WWE superstar can handle that with ease. But we’ll see how it turns out when the film is released next year.
Are you disappointed that CM Punk won’t be in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Half Shell’? Do you think that Sheamus will be a better Rocksteady? Let us know in the comments below.
