What does CM Punk do after he loses the WWE Championship?

[Radical]

I know there is a thread about "What happens to Heyman after Punk?" but I think an equally fair question is: What happens to CM Punk after he loses the WWE Championship?

By most speculation and logic CM Punk will lose the WWE title between Royal Rumble and WrestleMania... and even, if by chance, he holds on to it past WrestleMania he likely won't hold onto it much longer after that ...

So what does he do after? His heel persona is HEAVILY anchored in him having and holding the WWE Championship for so long.

Once he loses it I guess it'd be obvious for him to go after the guy who took it from him to win it back. But does winning it back really make much sense? If he wins it back after such a long run ... his win streak is stopped anyway and there's no way he's going for another 400+ day run with is 2nd title reign. He's also unlikely to win it over and over and over again like Cena to try and get that "Most WWE title wins ever" crown. So what's left for him?

I think what's left for him would be to build to a match vs The Undertaker at WrestleMania 30 ... unless it happens THIS upcoming WrestleMania. In that case, I think CM Punk's days in the WWE are limited ... probably by his own choice.

Once Punk finishes his title run and Main Events WrestleMania and faces The Undertaker there isn't much more for him to do in the WWE that'll be very interesting. I'm sure he doesn't want to be like Cena and milk the same character for years.

Only thing I can think is that he will try to gain some sort of 'control' in WWE maybe like aligning himself with Heyman still and create a faction of "Heyman Guys" basically a new, fresh version of NWO (without too much obvious overlap) and keep adding to that faction as they create even a separate 'brand' and CM Punk can give himself a Championship because he thinks he is powerful and important enough that his Championship is the highest honor in wrestling.

I guess I'm just spit-balling here but that's my thoughts. What do you think?

[NotoriousMEAT]

I've been wondering the same thing for a while now. To be honest I have no clear answer or idea either. I imagine him getting 2 or 3 more big PPV matches (Undertaker, Stone Cold, etc), then probably calling it career. Punk's made it clear he won't be wrestling forever, and I'm not sure where he could go once this epic rise plateaus, then eventually heads down hill.

[fenderjapan]

The nice thing about the 400 day run is that even after he loses it he can still toot his horn as the last guy in however many years to do it. And any champ who wins the belt he can hold that over until they do it.

CM Punk is 34 so he probably has a few more years on the main event scene but he is not a spring chicken either. I would say next is to put him against all of the stars he hasnt faced yet. Maybe he'll develop into a cult leader type character although I think that would more benefit the members of the cult than punk himself.

[theBusiness]

CM Punk is a very smart person. I believe he basically confirmed through a tweet that he is looking to retire in 2015. What surprised me is how surprised everyone else was at that. First of all, CM Punk has been wrestling since 2000 and secondly, you don't need a long career to be a legend (which I believe Punk is already). Stone Cold & Rock's prime lasted what, 4-5 years? In Stone Cold's case, he was forced to retire and in Rock's case, he reached his prime at a very young age and found better opportunities. I'm sure we can all agree Punk's "Prime" began in Summer 2011, which would have his reign at the top be about as long as Rock or Austin's was.

In my eyes, there are two things Punk needs to achieve before he retires and I'm fairly certain he feels the same way. The first thing is to main event a WrestleMania, which could and SHOULD happen this year (if Rock-Cena II takes place and goes on last, what a damn disgrace). The second thing he needs to do is have a feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin. I'm pretty sure this is going to happen one day eventually, probably next years WrestleMania or if Vince has been keeping this very downlow, call me crazy but maybe this year.

As to the question "what is next after he loses the title," I can honestly see Punk taking a few months off to recover and repackage himself somewhat. He make his return in the summertime where he is known to be at his best, just in time for SummerSlam. He would obviously get back into the title picture and win the belt again. He keeps the belt (or loses it shortly before) until WrestleMania 30 where *fingers crossed* the dream match takes place against Austin. After that, he would only have a years time until his retirement. I can see him coming out the night after WM30 and announcing it would be his last year and he promises "to wreak havoc and make sure he leaves his mark on the business and establishes himself as the greatest WWE superstar of all time with pipe bomb after pipe bomb, etc. Classic CM Punk style. It saddens me to even think about his retirement because he has confirmed himself as a legend in my eyes in the past year and a half, especially since his most recent heel turn. For everyone who's been bitching about having another Stone Cold/Rock since they retired or bringing back aspects of the Attitude Era, this man has done exactly that.

[thebarber]

After the obvious rematches etc, I think a switch to Smackdown and another fued with Randy Orton would be great, thus time with Punk displaying the same venom in his promos he has had with Cena and Rock.

[ztwhite]

With so much up in the air regarding when he'll drop the strap, or IF he'll drop the strap, it's hard to pinpoint what's next for CM Punk.

One thing that's interesting to take note of, the WWE released their 2013 PPV locations the other day, and on 06/16/2013, there's a PPV here in Chicago (even though it's unnamed, right now).

I have to imagine that the WWE could use this to their advantage and rehash the "I'm taking my ball and going home !" routine. But, this time he'd likely lose and take some time off. The dude has been going steady for quite some time, so I would imagine he'd like to have a few months to rest and recover.

[Mustang Sally]

A lot depends on what type of deal he actually cut for himself in the Summer of Punk. This is something I've always wondered about in pro wrestling: when they negotiate their contracts and are important enough performers that they're granted some input into their own creative directions, what do they ask for?

Money, certainly. Billing, probably. A career plan, to whatever extent they can.

But do they demand title runs and negotiate them into contracts? Did the Rock tell WWE he'd come back this time only if they gave him a brief (very brief) championship reign? Seems ridiculous, doesn't it? Seems as if that would be of zero importance to him, no? But, could it be true?

Then, we have Punk. Was the fact he's had such a long run as champion actually negotiated as part of the contract he wound up signing even as he "was almost out the door?" Along with the ability to speak out and receive top billing at just about every PPV in which he performs, was this title run something he had insisted on? Do pro wrestlers care about that?

We've read that this was so with Hulk Hogan; that even after WCW folded and he was coming back to WWE only for occasional appearances, he wanted to win his matches and be the big conquering hero no matter whom he was facing. Yes, it took a hell of a lot of nerve to demand that but, after all, this is Hogan.

If any of this theory is true, a loss of title by Punk would probably result in his winning it back after a short interlude. Since these matters are determined by people in boardrooms rather than legitimate ring competition, it's certainly possible all this was determined 1 1/2 years ago. Not the specifics, just the general idea.

My guess? When Punk loses the title, I think he'll lead another faction, perhaps even the Shield. He's always been good in the role of "leader of men" and could stir up a lot of trouble as an ex-champion with some rough people behind him. He wouldn't need to wear the belt in this situation, although a few more title runs would probably be in order, anyway.

It's been hard to believe Punk's contention that he has nothing to do with the Shield, since just about everything they've done has been of great benefit to him. So, that's what I think: he loses the title and winds up being their leader.

And you can throw in Brad Maddox as one of his subjects, too.

[BenChillin]

I think it's terrible that The Rock already announced he's main eventing Wrestlemania in that one interview. We just know it's not Punk. Seriously... that's all dude has left to do.

We need Stone Cold Vs CM Punk at WM 30 in a classic match.

[Just Do It]

Originally Posted by BenChillin

I think it's terrible that The Rock already announced he's main eventing Wrestlemania in that one interview. We just know it's not Punk. Seriously... that's all dude has left to do.

Well, did you expect Rock to be opening the show against Primo? Jesus. Anyway, nothing is to say Punk wont be in the main event. Maybe he will. Maybe he wont.

Either way, dude will make more money that night than I do in a decade, so my heart hardly goes out to him.

[LascoX]

I can see Punk doing the rematches for the title and possibly another title run immediatly after dropping the belt. After that like many have said taking time off to heal for a bit. Punk is good at reinventing himself so he could go multiple directions on a return. Obviously a face turn could easily be in the works on a return where Punk humbles himself to the WWE universe followed by another heal turn with an "I told you fools all along" type angle. Baring injuries I can see Punk wrestling past 2015 if he wants as his style , while extreemly physical is not overly crazy. Whatever he does , I am sure it will be entertaining and relevant to whatever is going on in WWE programing at the time.