>>18826020Could be a Canadian indifference thing but nobody young gave a shit about politics back then. Like at all. Most politically activated person I met in my Toronto highschool was a girl who wanted to legalize gay marriage in the states and brought it up once or twice at the smokers pit.
As for breaking into the mainstream, I believe he did. I saw wrestling go from 2 guys I know watching it to an enitre row of backpacks with the Hardyz pendants dangling from them. Then by the next year they were all gone and nobody was watching anymore.
I remember in the summer of Punk someone went around the beach when Summerslam was in town and interviewed random people. Asked them who Punk was and barely anyone had heard of him. Punk is my go to example for the most popular a wrestler can be without escaping the bubble.
