Amazing Red Recalls 2005 WWE Dark Match Against CM Punk

In May 2005, CM Punk was on the radar of WWE and had wrestled a handful of dark matches so the higher-ups could take a closer look at him. One of these dark matches ended up with Punk taking on a fellow indie standout from that time, The Amazing Red, who was asked about his one and only match with Punk during a recent appearance on Chris Van Vliet's "Insight" podcast. However, Red's memories of that day aren't exactly fond.

Things started well as Red revealed he was originally meant to be a squash opponent for Matt Morgan, but that was changed when people backstage told officials about who Red actually was. It wasn't until he spoke to Punk and the agent for their match, Ricky Steamboat, where he realized what he'd been brought in for.

"Ricky Steamboat wanted CM Punk to get signed. He needed CM Punk to get signed, obviously right? So, right before this match, what I was hearing is that CM Punk, this was his last-ditch effort to be signed. I've heard he just wrestled with Val Venis and it was not good and he was blown up. Or CM Punk told people he was sick, and they were like 'Red this is his last effort,' So that's added more pressure to me."

Red's close friend, Jimmy Yang, was also there on the night and gave him a heads-up about all of his signature moves being turned down due to the likes of Billy Kidman, Paul London, and even Rey Mysterio already used them in WWE, meaning Red would have had heat on him. Despite all of this, Red and Punk had their match, but Red didn't feel like things went according to plan. "It felt like no one wanted me with a job here. I'm like 'Okay that sucks.' I wrestled with CM Punk at the time. Match didn't feel good at all. We just kept messing up and botching and going to different things."

Once the match was over, CM Punk and Amazing Red went backstage where Red called Punk being taken into a room with John Laurinaitis and Ricky Steamboat, with Steamboat pleading Punk's case despite the lackluster performance. Red revealed that he waited around so he could thank Punk for the match, but when the door opened, he ended up having a conversation he has never forgotten with Laurinaitis.

"Johnny Ace comes out the room with CM Punk, he was in the room. He comes out the room and he goes 'Hey, have you ever wrestled in a big ring before?' I said 'Yeah,' he said 'Where? and I said 'All Japan [Pro Wrestling].' When I said All Japan, that blew his mind because that's where he came from, he was from All Japan, he was touring there. He was like 'You was in All Japan? How long?' I said 'Three months, like three months on and off.' He was like 'Well you look blown up, so you know, we'll give you a call.' I said, and I did the unprofessional thing of saying 'Do I look blown up?'"

Red understood what Laurinaitis meant with the question about being blown up because his match with Punk had a few moments where they both looked lost at times, and as Red put it, have a "Deer in the headlights moment." Red would ask Laurinaitis if there was anything else to work on, to he was told "Get bigger.' Once Laurinaitis left, Red thought he would finally get his chance to thank Punk, but that never happened. "I see CM Punk come out the door, [he] walks away. What's going on?" Jimmy Yang would tell Red that he did a great job and everyone applauded his efforts, but Red admitted to feeling bitter about being ignored.

Fast forward seven years and CM Punk had not only been signed by WWE, but by the summer of 2012, he was deep into his second reign as WWE Champion. As for Amazing Red, he was still traveling from company to company, and was invited to be a jobber at WWE No Way Out 2012 where he was supposed to face Ryback, and even be put through a table. 

The table idea was quickly scrapped and eventually Red never appeared on the show, or in a dark match, but he did want to take the chance to find CM Punk so he could speak to him about how he felt back in 2005. When Punk did eventually appear, Red realized that there was no point being bitter about something that happened over seven years ago. 

"CM Punk shows up. I'm at the doctor, and I felt someone hugging me from behind. 'Red! What's up, man? What's up?' And I turn around; it's him," Red said. "I'm like 'You know what? I'm not going to tell him anything,' because it's just so much at this point, water under the bridge. But I was very bitter about that day, just because I feel like it was my opportunity also to be signed, and I didn't get that. But I was bitter about it, where I felt like he ruined it for me. But I'm grown now to understand he had a job too. This was his thing, no hard feelings. That's why a lot of my guys who find out the story, they're like, 'Oh, CM Punk, you probably hate him.' I said, 'No, no, I don't hate him. I love that dude, honestly.'"

While Red would never get his chance in WWE, he would eventually get his flowers in TNA as he was announced as the next inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame at the company's Slammiversary pay-per-view in June 2026, with the ceremony taking place at the Bound For Glory pay-per-view in October.

Please credit "Insight" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.