CM Punk at Wrestlemania

[Pay Per Ghost]

Sneaky feeling, completely left field but one of the best disenchanted pro wrestler in CM Punk could propel pro wrestling int another boom.

WWE, NJPW, ROH and a very rich roster of superstars might need that one last shot in the arm that could bring pro wrestling to the mainstream again.

Discuss.

Imagine.

Discus.

[CyberPunk]

Originally Posted by Allah Loves PaperGhost

Sneaky feeling, completely left field but one of the best disenchanted pro wrestler in CM Punk could propel pro wrestling int another boom.

WWE, NJPW, ROH and a very rich roster of superstars might need that one last shot in the arm that could bring pro wrestling to the mainstream again.

Discuss.

Imagine.

Discus.

I don't get it. Are you suggesting CM Punk is going to come back to pro wrestling? Is there something I don't know about his appearance at Mania? Is it just a wishful thinking on your part?

[swallop]

If cm punk returns to wrestling i personally would like to see him wrestler in New japan pro wrestling. Imagine After kenny omega defeats chris jericho at wrestle kingdom 12, The lights go out and we hear "LOOK IN MY EYES WHAT DO YOU SEE? THE CULT OF PERSONALITY." Not sure about the copy rights to the song but if punk actually showed up in NJPW wwe would s*** there pants.

It would create some real competition in pro wrestling. And with daniel bryan leaving for the indies next year the game of pro wrestling will have drastically changed, I personally cant wait im so sick of watching wwe.

[Jack-Hammer]

If CM Punk ever decides to wrestle again, I think he'll more than likely go to ROH or New Japan. Although, when you think about it, if Punk went with one of those, he'd wind up wrestling at some shows for the other one anyhow. However, ROH is still King of the Indies and when you get right down to it, it's not really progressed a whole helluva lot from where it was 10 years ago. If Punk wants to be a bigger star, then New Japan would be the better place for him as there's been all kinds of buzz over the course of this year especially.

It's possible Punk could return to WWE, but I don't see that happening unless it's attached to a paycheck so absurd that even Punk would have to acknowledge that it's more than he's worth. Brock Lesnar gets about $12 million a year, far more than he's worth when you get right down to it, and I've little doubt Punk would want something similar, though higher, and with a similar work schedule. Punk hates Vince, he hates Triple H and the feeling is vice versa so you'd have three men with very huge egos that'd have to be willing to put them aside, something I just don't see happening.

Allegedly, New Japan is a lot less strict and allows the wrestlers a great deal of creative freedom. I've also read that New Japan pays for air travel, hotel expenses and food is provided by sponsors. On top of all that, their schedule is less than half of what WWE works, they average around 120 or so shows a year, and given that Japan is slightly smaller than the state of California, the wrestlers all travel by bus to the shows so that saves even more money. As far as the matches themselves, a lot of the matches on the cards, usually at least half if not more, are tag, six man or eight man tags, which helps the wrestlers with the wear & tear even more. Given the numbers of shows they tend to run, the wrestlers also get significant time off to rest up in between, sometimes as much as a few weeks. Given Punk's age and the various injuries he's dealt with over the years, I'd think New Japan would sound more attractive to him; he may not make as much money as he would in WWE, but he'd still make good money while working a heavily reduced schedule and have a good deal of creative freedom.

[GET THESE HANDS!]

There's no way he's returning for Mania. Certainly not the upcoming edition anyway. The hurt and damage between the two parties is very, very vast and would take a massive change in the personality of Vince and CM Punk. But we all know how stubborn both of those people are and that's the real sticking point. It's said that Vince will forgive anyone if it is right for business. But after everything Punk took them through, I'd imagine he is definitely on the blacklist. He would definitely command a huge paycheck to return and probably the perk of main eventing the event. There's just now way, right now, that Vince is gonna give him that.

[BigDaddyKewl]

As others have mentioned it's highly unlikely that we'll see Punk wrestling in a WWE ring again. I'm not going to get into all the heat between WWE and Punk. The WWE might feel Punk is not worth the investment with bringing back for a Mania spot with all the other part timers likely to return like Lesnar, Triple H, Angle and Undertaker. i think Punk is happy to hang up his boots while he still has his health and is financially secure which is something that not a lot of wrestlers are able to do.

[sikkbones]

Originally Posted by swallop

If cm punk returns to wrestling i personally would like to see him wrestler in New japan pro wrestling. Imagine After kenny omega defeats chris jericho at wrestle kingdom 12, The lights go out and we hear "LOOK IN MY EYES WHAT DO YOU SEE? THE CULT OF PERSONALITY." Not sure about the copy rights to the song but if punk actually showed up in NJPW wwe would s*** there pants.

It would create some real competition in pro wrestling. And with daniel bryan leaving for the indies next year the game of pro wrestling will have drastically changed, I personally cant wait im so sick of watching wwe.

Living colour (a band) wrote and owns the song. Royalties were paid when it was used.

That wouldn't be an issue if they paid the fees.

[George Steele's Barber]

He's a not so athletic 39 year old. He is a good hand that would draw for a short while. His greatest value is with WWE. That's where his story shockingly ended and would most shockingly pick back up.

I created a post a couple days ago where I took today's WWE and found a way to incorporate Punk back in to the fold. And again, that's where it could be huge but no one should expect a boom period from Punk's return. WWE's roster is full of Punks as it is with Owens, Zayn, and Styles. Punk is no longer unique. That's a credit to what he brought to the WWE but also a detriment as to what value he offers WWE in the long run today. Plus it hurts that his career outside of WWE hasn't really been all that successful.

I'd like to see it happen, it's been the right amount of time and the window is closing but the idea that it will lead to a boom period is absurd.

[Aeon Mathix]

CM Punk will be back in WWE one day. It could be this WrestleMania, it could be 5 years from now, but either way he will be back. It will most likely be a Hall of Fame offer and a WrestleMania main event. Ironic considering the guy has bitched about part timers taking those spots while working limited schedules for years now, but he essentially did the same thing in UFC already by waltzing in with a huge pay day and spot on the main card. I don't care personally because I and everyone else wouldn't turn down 6 or 7 figures for very limited work.

I missed the guy when he left, but since then there have been numerous guys and girls who have stepped up to fill the void. We saw the rise of Daniel Bryan in his absence and the Shield becoming main eventers as singles competitors along with guys like Samoa Joe and AJ Styles making their debuts. As Punk said "the wheel is going to keep turning". No wrestler lasts forever and when that happens someone else just comes in and capitalizes.

[shafe_41]

He's gone. He's done. Will he be back someday? Probably. But that ship has sailed for now and personally... I couldn't care less. It's been almost four years now.

If he decides to lace up the boots again anytime soon, it'll be somewhere else. You could get into an endless debate about Punk. Could he show up in ROH, New Japan, etc...? Sure. Less grueling work schedule. Probably more creative freedom. The list goes on. He'll tell you all day it was never about the money for him and honestly... I believe it. But he's also not a dummy. He can't not acknowledge the WWE is who got him the amount of money he's got right now that affords him to never have to work another day in his life. Time heels all wounds. Especially in the wrestling business. Look at Hogan. Look at Angle. Look at the countless other guys that have had a negative opinion about Vince McMahon over the years. They all come back eventually. Regardless of the reason, they come back. Punk's no different.

It would just really be great though if people would stop chanting his name during a random mid-card match at a July PPV.