CM Punk Recalls Incident That Offended Brazilian Military During WWE Tour

With WWE's many tours around the world, talent often get into culture shock situations, and – in some cases – at odds with law enforcement. One such instance occurred when WWE visited the country of Brazil in 2012 — the only time the promotion has ever held an event in the nation.

"I had machine guns pointed at me," Punk recalled during an appearance on "The Late Run." "My opponent that night rolled out the ring and snatched a Brazilian flag from somebody. ... Brazil don't play. In America? You get people who are bent out of shape, but there's no law against it; people burning flags, doing whatever, right? Freedom of speech."

Punk didn't name his opponent that night but according to Cagematch, he faced current AEW star Chris Jericho. He further recalled how he tried to warn his opponent to not disrespect the flag, but couldn't prevent Jericho from angering the Brazilian people. "The instant this happened, all of a sudden there's a second referee in the ring," he recalled, adding how the refs had a conversation before the situation escalated in seconds. "And then, I turn around and I look, and the ring is surrounded by men in fatigues, and one has his gun pointed directly at me."

They were then instructed to quickly end the match, per Punk, but Jericho refused to comply. "I had to roll him up for real, stack him up, and the ref counted the three," he recalled. "I grab the flag, jump up on the turnbuckle, I'm showing – I'm kissing the flag. ... And then they tried to snatch the dude up and grab his passport. ... By the cover of night, [we] got him out of there, and we continued on the tour and he went home." 

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Late Run," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.