Report: Dave Meltzer Reports CM Punk Expected To Return Tomorrow Night

[JJ15776]

This is like that old report about The Miz being blamed for the Survivor Series buyrate...the report was that sources said some in the WWE believed upper management were blaming The Miz. Who were the sources? Don't know. Who were the people that believed this and why did they believe it? No idea. Who were the people in upper management that were supposedly blaming The Miz? Not a clue. But, sure enough, the IWC ran with it as if Vince McMahon himself had sent out a vine where he personally put all the blame on The Miz.

This is only slightly more credible. Meltzer is claiming that a source told him a big star believes it's 100%. So it's 3rd hand information instead of 4th hand information. But what it has in credibility is lost in motive. Obviously, it greatly benefits the WWE if people think Punk is coming back. That means more people will watch. It MIGHT mean the crowd is somewhat less rabid, if they believe he's coming out eventually.(although, admittedly, it won't help much, if at all.)

I wouldn't be surprised if he came back, and I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't. My guess is he does come back, this whole thing has felt fishy from the very beginning, but who knows. The nice thing is, we will know for sure by the end of a Raw if he's done with the WWE or not. If he's coming back at all, this will be when it happens.

If he does come back, what does he do? I'd assume he picks up his feud with Kane and Triple H, since that was clearly the plan before he left. Why abandon it now? Yes, they're hinting at Triple H vs. Daniel Bryan...but let's be honest here. We all know Randy Orton vs. Batista isn't going to be the main event. We all know Daniel Bryan is going to be put in that match one way or another and he's going to win the title. Is he really going to wrestle two matches at Mania? Maybe. I could see it...he has to beat Triple H to get in the title match, then wins the title at the end of the show. I guess that could work. And if Punk's not coming back, that's what they'll have to do. But Triple H-Punk and Orton-Batista-Bryan still works just fine, if Punk does come back.

 

[gers09]

If he does come back then vince has been sitting in his office since the raw after RR laughing he played IWC for fools. The pop for punk will be huge if he returns on raw

 

[kadroan]

So many good ideas posted regarding a potential return for Punk. This is one of them!

Another good other idea from someone else in another thread that springs to mind is that HHH turns down Bryan at the end of the night and says that he will have a proxy in his place. Out come CM Punk in a full suit and parted hair and not saying anything or making any effort to pander to or entertain the crowd. They'll still go wild in Chicago, but if he can maintain it for a couple of weeks like Jericho did, I think he could draw atomic heat eventually from people who want him to verbally rip into his competition.

I get that it's been done in the past (with Jericho), but I thought it was brilliant then, and I think that Punk is one of the very few people that a good portion of the IWC loves to hear on a similar level to Y2J, so I believe the same strategy would probably work for him as well.

That would make the card look something like...

Orton vs Batista
Cena vs Wyatt
Sheamus vs Christian
Undertaker vs Brock
Bryan vs Punk
Whatever random diva match they throw together
Reigns vs Triple H

I would love to see Bryan vs. Punk at Wrestlemania. I just couldn't see him side with HHH though. He's so anti authority.

I wonder how Sheamus feels not being in the title picture for almost two years.

 

[DB2CMPUNK]

This is going to sound awful, but what happen if WWE make you download the WWE apps to see what happen during the commercial break. During the commercial break, CM PUNK just take a step forward, wave the crowd, and went backstage. After the break, Michael Cole will say along the lines that "You just miss out one of the biggest star appearance". Download the apps to find out.

LOL! Here your WWE apps advertisement.

 

[King502]

If punk is back then wwe championship match needs to b a fatel four way with randy Dave punk and Bryan when he beats hhh to then get inserted into the match

 

[Jack-Hammer]

This is going to sound awful, but what happen if WWE make you download the WWE apps to see what happen during the commercial break. During the commercial break, CM PUNK just take a step forward, wave the crowd, and went backstage. After the break, Michael Cole will say along the lines that "You just miss out one of the biggest star appearance". Download the apps to find out.

LOL! Here your WWE apps advertisement.

As pissed off as fans seem to be over the WM main event, especially internet fans, they'd definitely consider this to be an example of WWE management flipping them the bird. It has no actual chance of happening though because getting the most viewers to tune in to see what's actually happening on television is FAR more important from a ratings & financial POV than getting people to download an App to their phone that's free.

As far as Punk returning, I just had something of an idea. I've little doubt it won't go down this way, but I think it'd be kinda fun. Since Batista is targeting the "heroes" of the fans, he decides to go after Daniel Bryan tonight on Raw at the start of the show. Bryan comes down, accepts the challenge, bad mouths Batista & Triple H for a bit, Trips' music hits, he comes out on stage and informs Bryan after a little more back & forth that if he beats Batista tonight, he'll face him at WrestleMania.

Bryan & Batista have their match and it's a pretty long one, maybe somewhere around the 20 minute mark, neither guy looks like he has the advantage as both have gotten in a lot of offense. Bryan's taken a good deal as a means of helping protect Batista due to his subpar cardio conditioning. At this point, Batista's taken the hurricanrana off the turnbuckle. They are both selling the effects of the match and both are just starting to come about and get to their feet when Punk's music hits. Punk walks out on the stage, the crowd goin' nuts, and Batista turns his attention to the stage for a few seconds but starts to move towards Bryan again to resume the match. Bryan suddenly springs out of the corner, hits the running knee and wins the match. Bryan leaves the ring, with Batista still recovering from the knee shot, heads up to the stage and he & Punk lead the Chicago crowd in a huge "Yes!" chant to close the show. Punk doesn't say anything tonight, doesn't really have to as his sudden appearance is a tease for him to explain himself next week. It'd be enough for fans to know that he's back Even though Bryan being in a match against Triple H pretty much gives away that he'll be added to the title match, it'll still build anticipation for Punk's first, fully fledged appearance in more than a month for next week's Raw in which he officially declares his intentions.

Just a little fantasy booking but, to me at least, some that makes sense. Bryan scores a big win and Batista can claim some degree of distraction so he's protected in the loss. Bryan's defeated an "A Player" and Triple H has to face him at WrestleMania. And, of course, this is all IF CM Punk returns tonight. The potential downside is that the crowd might hijack a good deal of the show if they wait until the end to bring Punk out. At the same time, there's gonna be a ton of CM Punk chants whether he comes out at the start of the show, the middle or the end. Again IF Punk does show up tonight, I just think this could be a hot way to close Raw.

 

[Jonny B]

Is this really news? I mean an internet reporter telling us that he heard from "one of the biggest names in the business" that CM Punk is going to be on RAW. Is this big name under WWE contract? How many big names would be privy to this information? The questions just go on.

I think everyone needs to take a step back and think about this logically. CM Punk reportedly walks out and the WWE do not mention a thing about it... that to me suggests that at least a portion of this is reality rather than a work. Also look at what they have planned on RAW to try and appease the Chicago fans, Taker & Lesnar segment, Wyatt vs. Shield and Aaron Paul guest hosting. That to me says they are trying to distract the fans from the fact that CM Punk wont be there.

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm saying don't believe it just because some dude on the internet spoke to someone, who might have wrestled a few matches for the WWE 10 years ago and he heard it from one of the ring crew who heard it from a referee who was hiding under Vince McMahon's desk when they had a meeting about it.

 

[HeenanGorilla]

This could easily be a way to calm the live audience. Knowing Punk won't be there gives the idiots who plan to hijack the show full force. Planting a "legitimate" seed that he MAY be there can quiet them a bit. The thinking may be that the shred of doubt this puts in place will give the crowd a bit of hesitance. Not a bad move...

Whether he is there, isn't there, was a work, wasn't a work...I don't care. Why you people get so involved in characters amuses me.

As for getting him involved in Mania, you could have him challenge Triple H. Bryan could then be put into the main event. There are several clever ways to have this happen. They could also go a simpler route and toss him in with Kane. OR they could have a Bret/WMX type double-match angle with Bryan earning a spot in the main event during the WM show. Punk could be involved there.

If creative is "creative", they can go any number of ways here. I look forward to seeing how this will turn out. I'm curious. Just curious...not ready to explode like a lot of you jerks. Haha, good gried, calm down.

 

[Pedigree1]

So many great points on here.. Work or not,as Im typing this were 10 hours away from Raw tonight.. I don't necessarily believe it was a work,i do believe CM Punk has legit complaints,and needed time off to heal up and regroup.. You wrestle 300 plus days a year year after year,your going to get burned out it happens..

I also think Batista winning the Royal Rumble,and ME WM,was the straw that broke the camels back.. But if he does come back,does he go against Triple H at WM? Even though Daniel Bryan challenged him,Trips never accepted the match.. That could be a sign,that CM Punk and WWE did work something out last week,and has been put on hush hush as to throw everyone into suspicion.. Gotta love it if its true..

That would leave Daniel Bryan,as a possible 3rd entrant into the ME of WM while,Trips goes against CM Punk,with Punk going over IMO.. Tonight if he does indeed show up,its going to be a very memorable Monday Night RAWWWWWWWWWWWW!!

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

This could easily be a way to calm the live audience. Knowing Punk won't be there gives the idiots who plan to hijack the show full force. Planting a "legitimate" seed that he MAY be there can quiet them a bit. The thinking may be that the shred of doubt this puts in place will give the crowd a bit of hesitance. Not a bad move...

Well they better have him come out as soon as the show starts then.

If this is a contrived "seed", with no validity to it, they are only going to make it worse.

If you thought the chants were going to be bad BEFORE this report, it will only be worse the longer the show goes on without him coming out. And if he DOESN'T come out, and this is all BS, I don't know whats going to happen. We may see a "Bash at the Beach '96" type scene w/ garbage being thrown into the ring as the show is going off the air.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

LMAO! The IWC is hilarious. Your precious CM Punk left. He's not coming back tonight. Deal with it.

Meltzer is just trolling the IWC and you guys are eating it up. What's next, he's going to report that he knows to 100% certainty that Daniel Bryan will win the belt on RAW and then go on to face The Undertaker at Wrestlemania, and end The Streak? Then over the course of the year for the first time over, Daniel Bryan will hold the WWE World championship, IC championship, US championship, and Tag team belts all at the same time!!!! Apparently, a "major star" told him this is 100% certain.

 

[GOOZEKING]

Punk is my favorite wrestler, I would love him to come back but to be put in the main event with orton and batista just doesn't work for me.... No one I mean no one deserves to leave New Orleans champ more than bryan. Contracts or deals or not bryan should leave New Orleans as champ. There are many ways they can use a punk return. Personally, I've never believed that this story was about Punk not being in the main event at WrestleMania. Punk had to see the writing on the wall months ago when it became apparent that Batista was returning and that either Cena or Orton would head into 'Mania with the title. Additionally, with Daniel Bryan's popularity sky-rocketing, there was just no chance Punk was going to main event 'Mania. Why then did it take until the end of January for him to leave? There are 4 ways they can use punk return....

1) fatal four way- Punk is added to the title match, and Bryan faces HHH with the stipulation that if Bryan can beat HHH he will be placed into the title match. Turns to a Fatal Four way, an epic match with literally every style of wrestling, and Bryan goes over, Punk still main events and starts a new feud with Batista for Extreme rules.

2) hhh vs punk- I understand why so many would hear this news and predict that Punk will be inserted into the WWE Title match with Batista and Orton while Bryan would be left to wrestle Triple H. It would be the easiest solution since Bryan and Triple H have been teasing a WrestleMania showdown since the night after the Royal Rumble. My concern with that, though, is that simply inserting Punk into the main event won't be enough to satisfy the disgruntled fans - in fact, anything short of Daniel Bryan holding up the WWE Title to end WrestleMania probably wouldn't be enough. As popular as Punk is with the crowd, there's a risk that even he could be booed for simply not being Daniel Bryan. That's why I'd run with the originally-proposed match between Triple H and Punk and move Bryan into the WWE Title match.And if Punk truly is going to leave after his contract ends in July, they could even do a career vs career match. Punk says that if he wins, Triple H and Stephanie have to step down from their roles as Owner and COO. If Triple H wins, Punk will be fired on the spot. Of course, the outcome would seem obvious, but it does give a few options. If Punk decided to stay, they could have Triple H and Stephanie leave TV for a while and have someone like Hogan or even Vince step in as the new 'face' Authority figure. Then they could easily bring back Triple H and Stephanie at a later time, not big deal. If Punk decided to take an extended leave of absence, this would help write him off TV and, as any WWE fan knows, no one is ever truly fired and gone from WWE forever (Chris Jericho is a great example). This makes the match meaningful and really has a built-in backstory (Punk wants change and hates Triple H and Triple H despises Punk and everything he stands for). Also, imagine the heat Triple H would get if he ended up winning. This would be close to Vince's heat during his program with Steve Austin.

 

[#tamale]

Bringing out CM Punk tonight will no doubt cause this hostile Chicago crowd to be ecstatic and tone down their hijacking of tonights show. Even though I disagree with most of what Meltzer says, he is the most reliable reporter of wrestling on the internet. So the possibility is there. The question is if CM Punk returns tonight on the road to Wrestlemania, where does he go from here. I still think that Punk returning to help rid the company of the Authority by eliminating Triple H from this story makes sense. After their role is reduced, he turns on Bryan and starts a feud based on the jealousy he feels towards Bryan for being the new people’s hero.

We may see a "Bash at the Beach '96" type scene w/ garbage being thrown into the ring as the show is going off the air.

If they want to go that route, then really bring it on. Have Batista come out in a Punk shirt with Punk’s music. Bad News Barrett delivering some bad news. Triple H going heel on the crowd during the chants. Really build that heat.

 

[occ2]

I know that it's been pointed out before, but referencing the "Internet Wrestling Community" as some isolated group of people in a post you have authored, on a wrestling message board, belonging to a wrestling news site, ON THE INTERNET is really, really stupid.

It's not 1999 anymore. People consume all forms of entertainment online. They read TMZ, visit blogs about sports and politics and follow celebrities and trends on Twitter. They search for spoilers of and rumours about their favourite TV shows. The 1999 "internet wrestling fan" prototype - the guy trading Japanese wrestling tapes and hating Hulk Hogan - is the extreme minority of people who, in 2014, consume professional wrestling over more than one medium. Batista being booed out of buildings and "CM Punk" chants are a thing now because EVERYONE enjoys the same sort of access to news and rumours that the online wrestling fan in the 90s and early 00s did.

CM Punk, clearly, is missed by enough wrestling fans that his name is chanted, very audibly, on WWE TV. Batista, clearly, is maligned by enough wrestling fans that he very audibly received the exact opposite reaction of what was designed for him on WWE TV. So, which is it: somehow, the tiny "Internet Wrestling Community" of tape trading shut-ins has managed to organize and attend every WWE event together, or has the "Internet Wrestling Community" grown along with the explosion of online consumption of media to encompass most of the WWE audience?

WWE fans are going to search for WWE videos on YouTube and read the comments. WWE fans are going to Google their favourite wrestlers, surf wrestling websites and land on news sites. They're going to follow wrestlers on Twitter. They're going to read comments on the WWE Facebook page. They're going to be exposed to and influenced by the news, trends and popularity of wrestlers and the product in general on the internet. This is the world, and if you don't think that the WWE knows it, reference the Tout experiment, constant shilling of the WWE App, the fifteen mentions of Twitter trends per show and the launch of the WWE Network.

There weren't "Jericho" chants during Hulk Hogan matches in 1998. Goldberg wasn't effectively turned heel because the crowd completely rejected his character and the story line direction of the company.

If the jerk, hipster, "NJPW is real wrestling" smart marks were still the majority of the "Internet Wrestling Community", CM Punk leaving wouldn't matter because the majority of fans wouldn't know what has been speculated about why he did and it could have been easily explained away on television.

If the growth of the "Internet Wrestling Community" means that more people are less willing to be spoon fed wrestlers and stories that they don't like, then why would ANYONE complain? Every company in the world would love to have their consumers show up every week and tell them exactly what they want their product to be. In fact, most companies spend untold amounts of money trying to figure that very thing out. Go ask a McDonalds marketing executive if he'd be OK with 20,000 customers in different markets showing up outside of his office every week chanting "BRING BACK PIZ-ZA!"

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I know that it's been pointed out before, but referencing the "Internet Wrestling Community" as some isolated group of people in a post you have authored, on a wrestling message board, belonging to a wrestling news site, ON THE INTERNET is really, really stupid.

It's not 1999 anymore. People consume all forms of entertainment online. They read TMZ, visit blogs about sports and politics and follow celebrities and trends on Twitter. They search for spoilers of and rumours about their favourite TV shows. The 1999 "internet wrestling fan" prototype - the guy trading Japanese wrestling tapes and hating Hulk Hogan - is the extreme minority of people who, in 2014, consume professional wrestling over more than one medium. Batista being booed out of buildings and "CM Punk" chants are a thing now because EVERYONE enjoys the same sort of access to news and rumours that the online wrestling fan in the 90s and early 00s did.

CM Punk, clearly, is missed by enough wrestling fans that his name is chanted, very audibly, on WWE TV. Batista, clearly, is maligned by enough wrestling fans that he very audibly received the exact opposite reaction of what was designed for him on WWE TV. So, which is it: somehow, the tiny "Internet Wrestling Community" of tape trading shut-ins has managed to organize and attend every WWE event together, or has the "Internet Wrestling Community" grown along with the explosion of online consumption of media to encompass most of the WWE audience?

WWE fans are going to search for WWE videos on YouTube and read the comments. WWE fans are going to Google their favourite wrestlers, surf wrestling websites and land on news sites. They're going to follow wrestlers on Twitter. They're going to read comments on the WWE Facebook page. They're going to be exposed to and influenced by the news, trends and popularity of wrestlers and the product in general on the internet. This is the world, and if you don't think that the WWE knows it, reference the Tout experiment, constant shilling of the WWE App, the fifteen mentions of Twitter trends per show and the launch of the WWE Network.

There weren't "Jericho" chants during Hulk Hogan matches in 1998. Goldberg wasn't effectively turned heel because the crowd completely rejected his character and the story line direction of the company.

If the jerk, hipster, "NJPW is real wrestling" smart marks were still the majority of the "Internet Wrestling Community", CM Punk leaving wouldn't matter because the majority of fans wouldn't know what has been speculated about why he did and it could have been easily explained away on television.

If the growth of the "Internet Wrestling Community" means that more people are less willing to be spoon fed wrestlers and stories that they don't like, then why would ANYONE complain? Every company in the world would love to have their consumers show up every week and tell them exactly what they want their product to be. In fact, most companies spend untold amounts of money trying to figure that very thing out. Go ask a McDonalds marketing executive if he'd be OK with 20,000 customers in different markets showing up outside of his office every week chanting "BRING BACK PIZ-ZA!"

People are chanting because it's "cool" and "fun" and the smarks think that they're somehow hurting WWE by chanting "CM Punk." Do you honestly think the way people chant is the way they feel? Do you think anyone thought Kurt Angle sucked during the "you suck!" chants? No! They were chanting because it was fun and funny and people like to be part of the show.

During Real Americans segments, a huge number of people chant/say "WE THE PEOPLE" when Colter orders them to. Do you think that means they like the Real Americans? Do you think that means that they agree with what Colter is saying? Chanting catch phrases or "singing along" with a wrestler or wrestlers is part of the culture of pro wrestling and it DOES NOT necessarily mean that the people singing along or chanting, agree with what is being chanted.

Yes, many of those fans actually like CM Punk, but I'm guessing a large number of them don't love or hate Punk, they're just chanting it because it's fun and "funny" and they want to be part of "hijacking" the show.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

From the time the whole Punk situation began this was the date I couldn't wait for. This will be the time when we find out if Punk really walked out or if it was all a work. We know there is no way the WWE would not have Punk on this show if he were available. Not only that but if he is really back they have to have him come out right at the beginning of the show. They can't save it for the end because the crowd will roast them.

One way or another this will be one memorable night.

 

[occ2]

People are chanting because it's "cool" and "fun" and the smarks think that they're somehow hurting WWE by chanting "CM Punk." Do you honestly think the way people chant is the way they feel? Do you think anyone thought Kurt Angle sucked during the "you suck!" chants? No! They were chanting because it was fun and funny and people like to be part of the show.

During Real Americans segments, a huge number of people chant/say "WE THE PEOPLE" when Colter orders them to. Do you think that means they like the Real Americans? Do you think that means that they agree with what Colter is saying? Chanting catch phrases or "singing along" with a wrestler or wrestlers is part of the culture of pro wrestling and it DOES NOT necessarily mean that the people singing along or chanting, agree with what is being chanted.

Yes, many of those fans actually like CM Punk, but I'm guessing a large number of them don't love or hate Punk, they're just chanting it because it's fun and "funny" and they want to be part of "hijacking" the show.

I think I'd rather assign motive to people based on evidence instead of inane speculation. CM Punk goes away - fans chant his name. You can write it off as "smarks" trying to hurt the show (akin to your "Internet Wrestling Community" banality earlier), but the volume, consistency and popularity of the chant obviously means *something*, so are entire WWE audiences filled with the smarky smarks from the Internet Wrestling Community?

Wait, though. Apparently, your other argument is that wrestling fans are mindless drones who chant along with anything anyone says. Jeez, someone should send a memo to half the roster that can't get anything over with the crowd. If "We The People" is "fun and cool", doesn't that also make it popular? It sure seems like Cesaro is pretty over with a lot of fans lately, so I'm not sure your examples are entirely relevant or logical. Of course chanting "you suck" to Kurt Angle's music was fun. At the time, Angle also did his very best to antagonize the audience and garner that exact reaction from people, so was the chant over or was the wrestler over?

Who, exactly, are people "singing along" to when they chant "CM Punk" or "Daniel Bryan" during segments that have absolutely nothing to do with them? Both phenomenons are ones that started organically and have become popular organically. It's funny that you would characterize people voicing displeasure for something they've already purchased as attempting to "hurt" the WWE. If you get a cold pizza from Little Caesars, you call to complain or submit feedback online. If the wrestlers people want to see aren't on the only widely available, global wrestling show, they show up and chant their names.

"We Want Flair" completely hijacked shows before the internet was a mere sparkle in Al Gore's eye. Did the Wrestling Magazine Community of awful smarks hijack WCW shows out of spite to hurt the company? Maybe they just wanted Ric Flair to be a part of the show they liked to watch.

Don't assign a motive to things just to fit your ridiculous conclusions. It's ignorant.

Regards,

Your Fellow Internet Wrestling Community Member

 

[HeenanGorilla]

Regards,

Your Fellow Internet Wrestling Community Member

Posting on a wrestling site doesn't make you part of the "IWC". The IWC are people like the Brain, Dagger Dias, Jack Hammer and other tools who are on here all day every day. Simply adding to an internet wrestling post doesn't mean you are part of the community.

And yes there are many smarks in the crowd, joined by other puppets who chant what everyone else is chanting. These idiots have been all over the place since that terrible "What?" chant that is absolutely terrible and annoying.

 

[OYDK]

Than WWE has played this storyline friggin flawlessly. I mean, to go through the effort of having people bash Punk's character "off air" (a la Michael Cole), leaking false information to dirt sheets, not having Punk or Vince comment on the situation, and basically pulling Punk from all upcoming shows and appearances is ridiculous. IF this is a work, than I don't think ANY fan can bash the WWE for being same-old same-old.

This could change the whole landscape of storylines going into the future. Then again it could just be a shoot...

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

Than WWE has played this storyline friggin flawlessly. I mean, to go through the effort of having people bash Punk's character "off air" (a la Michael Cole), leaking false information to dirt sheets, not having Punk or Vince comment on the situation, and basically pulling Punk from all upcoming shows and appearances is ridiculous. IF this is a work, than I don't think ANY fan can bash the WWE for being same-old same-old.

This could change the whole landscape of storylines going into the future. Then again it could just be a shoot...

Let's say he DOES come back tonight. Why does that mean that him leaving in the first place was orchestrated from the top?

Would it not be possible that he left on his own for whatever reasons, had some cooling off time, and in the meantime the WWE saw what was happening w/ Batista-Orton and made an overture for Punk to come back w/ the promise that he would be put into the main event of WM?

 

[Mitch Henessey]

IF Punk shows up tonight, I disagree with the ideas to do a fake out entrance using Punk's music with Batista or Triple H and Stephanie to anger the Chicago crowd. Think about it like this, you only get ONE shot at that thunderous reaction for Punk, so why would you waste it on a fake out? Sure, if Punk comes out to close the show, the Chicago crowd will pop for him, but the ovation will feel watered down the second time around.

Punk or no Punk, tonight's a turning point for all the hoopla surrounding this walk out. If he shows up, there's a good chance Punk took a little break to be somewhere close to 100% for Wrestlemania. If not, then it's safe to say he's gone for real.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

Posting on a wrestling site doesn't make you part of the "IWC".

Yes, it does actually. Someone who reads legit wrestling news (not just kayfabe WWE.com news), and gets into conversations about it online, is a member of the IWC.

If it makes you feel better to disengage from that label like you are somehow above the fray, go for it, but you're only kidding yourself.

 

[TheVolFan52]

If WWE was able to fool us on the punk situation and the bryan/rumble fiasco then I will give Vince and company a ton of credit. JoeFromTomsRiver brings up a great point though. What if Punk legitimately left and they was able to talk him into coming back? How do we know what the story was?

 

[occ2]

Posting on a wrestling site doesn't make you part of the "IWC". The IWC are people like the Brain, Dagger Dias, Jack Hammer and other tools who are on here all day every day. Simply adding to an internet wrestling post doesn't mean you are part of the community.

Wow.

Perhaps you've conjured up some definition of what the term "Internet Wrestling Community" means to you. I assure you, however, that all three of those words already exist in the English language, each with its own unique and agreed upon meaning. When you put "internet", "wrestling" and "community" together in that order, posting on a wrestling message board on the internet certainly qualifies you as a part of it.

Hell, it's far above and beyond the absolute LEAST you could do to be part of an online community of wrestling fans.

And yes there are many smarks in the crowd, joined by other puppets who chant what everyone else is chanting. These idiots have been all over the place since that terrible "What?" chant that is absolutely terrible and annoying.

I'm impressed that this board has at least two telepaths, ready and willing to give the rest of us insight in to what thousands of other people are thinking.

It's also amazing that you have a statistic as obscure as "smark population of WWE crowds" so close at hand. It's remarkable that you can speak with such authority on the demographics of the WWE live audience.

 

[OYDK]

Well... Punk's name was just mentioned (in passing) on the Raw pre-show... Don't be surprised if Punk returns during the Batista-Bryan match and costs Batista the match.