Jason David Frank, aka Tommy, the Green Ranger from the original Power Rangers TV series (and that amazing movie), has moved on to a new phase in his career, and he’s gunning for former superstars—presumably hoping to gain attention by pummeling someone who used to enjoy quite a bit of celebrity in his own right: CM Punk.
After his stint as the Green Ranger on the popular 90s kids show, Frank went on to further develop his martial arts career and overall prowess. At 47 years old, he’s a seventh-degree black belt and has a 1-0 career in the UFC. For Frank, the fight with CM Punk would be more about two veteran fighters with celebrated legacies going head-to-head as opposed to the huge marketing opportunity it so obviously presents.
Here’s what Frank had to say about the whole thing:
[The audience] would love it. If Punk fights again, everybody at the base, everybody that owns UFC wants me to fight him. If he fights again, that’s definitely something I would like to do. I got a chance to visit some of the WWE guys backstage at their shows, it’s much like the UFC. I’m not talking about the fighting, but the energy everyone puts into the show. One way or another I’d like to get involved with WWE or UFC just to please the fans.
For me I’ve been fighting my whole entire life, I could do it tomorrow if I want. It’d just have to make sense why we’re doing it. What I mean by makes sense is not financially, because I’d fight CM Punk for a dollar. I would do a Power Ranger movie for nothing, I’m not financially hurt. What I’m say is if it makes sense for my fan base. Do my fans say, ‘Yes that’s what I’d like to see. Yes, I’d like to see him in Bloodshot. No I don’t like that thing he did.’ I always like going back to the fans, thinking ‘Is this something they want?’ That’s what I mean about making sense, it’s not about money at all.
For the unfamiliar, CM Punk is a heavily tatted-up former WWE wrestler turned UFC fighter. According to MoviePilot:
CM Punk, on the other hand, is a character that people love to hate. They hated him when he was in the WWE, and his actions since his departure have have him even less popular. CM Punk left a bad taste in the mouths of WWE fans when he left and aired a lot of the company’s dirty laundry. Hs UFC career has been a disaster – with his staggering loss to Mickey Gall – and the controversy on whether he belongs in the UFC at all.
A former Power Ranger fighting a somewhat-disgraced former pro wrestler? Sounds like a hoot.
But seriously, this is bound to garner a ton of attention if it goes down, and probably—despite what the parties involved are saying—represents a huge windfall in terms of both fame and finance.
(h/t MoviePilot/Barstool Sports)