In a recent episode of the “Insight” podcast, actor Stephen Amell took a deep dive into former wrestler CM Punk’s contribution to the episodic drama, “Heels”, and recalled his own professional wrestling experience at All In 2018.
Punk, known as the Second City Saint in the wrestling world, stepped into the role of Ricky Rabies in the Starz series after the original choice of actor had to leave due to the coronavirus pandemic. Amell candidly shared details about the unexpected casting twist during the podcast.
Reflecting on Punk’s incorporation into the series, Amell explained, “[Punk] wasn’t initially envisaged for that role; we had filmed a good amount of scenes with a different actor and actress portraying Ricky Rabies and perhaps Vickie Rabies.”
When asked about his on-camera bout with Punk, Amell proudly claimed, “I am entirely satisfied with the match that we had; engaging and enjoyable, and if it played even the merest role in Punk’s return to wrestling, I am content.”
Amell also fondly recalled his 2018 wrestling match with Christopher Daniels at All In. “Christopher Daniels was a gentleman throughout. He was extremely helpful in the ring. I agreed to participate, but only on the condition that I would lose outright… I wanted one of those near-win moments, but ultimately lose. Disappointingly, he refused… I asserted, ‘Chris, I can’t go through with it unless you win cleanly.’”
Amell also confessed to becoming exhausted early in the match, explaining, “You will often forget to take a breath, leading to exhaustion. I found myself totally winded just a few minutes into that match, telling him, ‘We need to wrap this up.’ But he responded, ‘Quiet down and hold still – I have got you covered.’ And he certainly did.”