Source: Pwinsider
— Here is a live report from last night’s CM Punk DVD screening:
The theatrical screening of the CM Punk “Best in the World” documentary was held last night at the. The free screening was sold out with over 1,000 fans, some of whom were let in to stand in the back of the theater.
CM Punk arrived with Amy Dumas, Colt Cabana, and Cliff Compton. WWE had a camera crew on hand to film everything.
Marty DeRose of $5 Wrestling was the host of the evening and spoke for several minutes, before bringing out Dumas. Dumas spoke to the crowd and brought out Compton, who cut a promo about Punk and then brought out Colt Cabana. Cabana then introduced Punk to a huge standing ovation.
Punk thanked everyone for coming and they began to play the film, only it was the most recent Triple H WWE Studios film. The crowd booed that, which was a joke. Punk “apologized for the mistake” and they began playing the documentary.
After the screening, Punk and his friends handed out cookies and milk to the audience, a nod to something Andy Kaufman did after his Carnegie Hall performance.
There was a Q&A as well, so if anyone there would like to send along a recap, please feel free.
Additional Notes: Punk’s family was in attendance at the screening….Punk had pizza from Dimo’s Pizza, which does the Punk inspired dishes, sent to fans waiting on line over the course of the day….Fans began lining up for the screening at 10 AM yesterday morning.
— Here is another live report (Christopher Keiler) from last night’s CM Punk DVD screening:
My friends and I arrived six hours before start time. There were maybe 50 other people in line at the time. The atmosphere was great, as it is always fun to be around that many fans. Around 5:00, WWE relocated the line so that they could shot footage for Raw. We were let inside shortly after 6:00.
The next half hour was spent watching ads for other WWE products and answering Punk trivia, most of which I got right because I’m pretty awesome. Shortly after 7:00, the theatre was mostly full – maybe 800 to 900 viewers. A local comedian came out and said they had some surprises. First of which being former WWE Women’s Champ and current Punk girlfriend, Lita. I freaked out and so did everyone else. She then introduced Domino, from Deuce and Domino, to a mild reaction. They then introduced Colt Cabana to a huge reaction.
Now it was time for the man of the hour. Punk’s music hit and the place exploded. He truly is wrestling royalty in Chicago. He got up on stage speechless, claiming to have forgotten the intro he had thought of. He then remembered it and said “A little over a year ago I promised two things – ice cream bars… (Crowd cheers and chants) and CM Punk the movie. I don’t have ice cream bars… (Boos) but I do have CM Punk the movie!”. He got off the stage only to show footage of Triple H laying in a bed with no shirt from the movie “Inside Out.” Punk came back and screamed for it to be taken down while we all laughed.
The Punk DVD was played and it was phenomenal. It was a similar style to the Edge or Steve Austin DVD. I learned many things about him and the indy footage is incredible. I am definitely picking it up Tuesday. After the DVD, Punk sat on stage and said he had more surprises. He brought chocolate milk and giant cookies for everybody. Lita and members of Punk’s family started passing out cookies and, of all people, Lita handed me a cookie. I never thought I would see that day.
Punk then opened it up to a Q&A session. I got to ask him what else does he still hope to accomplish. He answered by saying he would like to main event WrestleMania. He was also asked to tell the story about tipping a stripper with a fish sandwich, but declined because there were children present.
Punk thanked everyone for coming and left with security. Lita, Colt, and Domino were also escorted out. Some people got pics and autographs in the lobby but security rushed them away pretty quickly. Then some people from WWE were interviewing people about their thoughts on the DVD and show, so I decided to do one for them as well because I’m a camera whore. Anyone interviewed had to sign a consent form for the footage to be used on Raw.
Overall, the show was fantastic. This was a first from what I’ve heard and It’s great that Punk does so much for Chicago. If I ever heard of another city doing something like this, I would go cross country to it if I had to. Well worth it. Awesome.
