CM Punk Gone From WWE - Keep It All Here

[TheOneAndOnlyGOAT]

While CM Punk has yet to give an explanation as to why he left the WWE but to be honest there is no explanation that could justify him walking out on the company and the fans like that.

A lot of people say it's Batista returning and winning the Royal Rumble in his first match in four years but to be honest shouldn't Daniel Bryan be the one walking out on WWE? He should've have won the Rumble not Batista and Punk had nothing to do with it, nobody expected punk to win the rumble, it was obviously that it will be a Punk vs Triple H (Punk vs Authority storyline).

Why did punk leave? Because bryan didn't win? Is Punk daniel bryan's dad or is he responsible for him in any way, shape or form?

"John, last week you said something. You said something that landed on me. And it resonated with me, John. You said that come April first, you were gonna fight at WrestleMania for all the people in the back who loved to be a professional wrestler. That's what you gonna do, John. John, let me tell you something. I grew up in this business of professional wrestling. And I was always taught that there was no one who is ever going to fight for me. The only person who fights for you is you. That's how we learned. That's how we got better. No one fought for me, John. Do you think when I was climbing the ladders, clawing, scratching, the WWE, that someone was fighting for me? No. You think that when I would come out to these arenas as a good guy, as a babyface, just like you, and they would boo me unmercifully, just like you, you think Stone Cold Steve Austin was fighting for me? No. Hell no! You think someone was fighting for Triple H, for Mick Foley, for Randy Macho Man Savage? You'll like this one. Do you think that anyone fought for Rowdy Roddy Piper? No, hell no. No, no, no, no, no. No, John, no. No one had to fight for us because we were men." - The Rock



Batista won the rumble instead of Bryan. Bryan fought for himself and gave his best and the fans saw the BS!!

The fans did something about it. they hijacked the entire Royal Rumble PPV. Why did Punk walk out? The fans were already supporting Bryan and going crazy for him.
All Punk did now was steal the spotlight from Bryan. All the buzz that was on Bryan is now on Punk.

Bryan isn't 6'5, he isn't great looking either, he doesn't have the huge support from WWE Officials, they're waiting on him for one bad PPV buyrate, one bad rating to send him back to the mid-card, but he's got a huge fan support that appreciate his talent in the ring and now Bryan lost that because of punk, maybe not all of it, but expect to hear "cm punk" chants just as much if not more than "YES" or "Daniel Bryan" chants.


What's more fustrating is that a lot of people are spamming the comment sections on WWE's YouTube channel, disrespecting the NXT talents especially in the last show where people were chanting "CM Punk" all the time...

CM Punk left WWE on his own terms, he left on his own, nobody forced him to go out. Just because in his opinion, he doesn't think this guy should main event or that guy shouldn't, it doesn't give him the right to leave.

How was WWE booking CM Punk is all that mattered. Was CM Punk being misused? Absolutely not.
I can think of many many wrestlers who have a right to leave, who are being misused and punk sure isn't one of them.


As much as popular "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was, many people hated him for walking out at the time.

I don't understand how people can still support a guy like Punk who left because he saw himself above a match with Triple H, if Taker can do it two years in a row and Lesnar did then Punk sure isn't above a match with Triple H at WrestleMania.

Also, let's think for a second that the Royal Rumble crowd resulted in a change of plans and that the HHH-Bryan staredown will lead to a match at WrestleMania and punk will be facing Kane at mania. Is punk above a match with Kane? No he's not!!

Randy Orton, after his main event push got demoted to the mid-card between 2011-13 and he put over MANY talents, and now he's finally in the main event scene again and rightfully so.
With all the bad attitude Orton has, he was fine with being in the mid-card for 2 years and doing all that.

CM Punk has been in the mid-card since SummerSlam which is only a couple of months and he didn't do anything there, he's been extremely sloppy in the ring, his mic work is average at best now, he didn't have ONE great match nor ONE great promo since SummerSlam and he didn't put ANYONE over.

He straight out beat Fandango, Big E Langston, Ryback, Curtis Axel, The Wyatt Family, The Shield...
He even beat The Shield 3 ON 1 !!!



IMO, CM Punk has absolutely NO reason to leave the company and I hope we don't have to watch RAW and hear some ann0ying chants for a guy who left the company and the fans without giving them any logical argument.




P.S (I created two threads before this one, why did they got removed?)

 

[BestWrestlingOpinions]

Well, I will go ahead and say that your news' post account is GOATXVIII, or something like that, so I'll prefix what I'm going to say with that you are an idiot, Cm Punk hater and everything you say have little respect among the IWC and I will now show you why.

First of all, we don't even know if this is a work or a legit walk out. But for argument's sake, let's agree that it is indeed a legit walk out. PUNK HAS EVERY REASON TO DO SO.

Let's see the reasons for the walk out. Mainly, they are about the misuse of Daniel Bryan. The fans wanted Bryan to win the Rumble, and ONLY Bryan. Not Punk, not Reigns, certainly not Batista, only Bryan. On that note, even Punk himself knew that he wasn't going, nor did he deserve to win the Rumble. Therefore, he didn't walk out because he didn't win it, which is the first point where you were wrong in your rant above.

Then, we have the overall bad booking of Cm Punk after his return. He had a great match with Jericho, then he had meaningless feuds and matches, except the ones with Brock Lesnar. Everything Punk did was just meaningless. You are going from the hottest thing and longest reigning WWE Champ ever (in my opinion) to being relegated to fighting Ryback and Curtis Axel? Are you kidding me? HELL YES he has every reason to talk out. And Jesus, don't start all this "Punk buried the Shield" thing. The whole thing was to plant the seeds of their eventual break up, not to make them look weak. If anything, they now look even stronger, especially Reigns.

We can't compare Punk's walk out to Austin's. Different eras, different opinions, different situations. I'll give you a reason why Punk CAN walk out at this moment and fight the fight for Bryan, while Bryan can't do that himself. Punk has accomplished everything he can accomplish, apart from headlining WM and winning the Rumble. Seeing as Vince is so stupid with his part-timer, body builders fetish, that will be a hard thing to do. Therefore,
Punk pretty much can't do anything more in the WWE, so him leaving as of now isn't that bad for him. Bryan on the other hand still has a lot of things to accomplish. First and foremost, he needs a healthy title reign. He needs to be recognized as the man, needs to win a Rumble, in general needs to do what Punk did. Emerge on top on his own, and that means that he needs to be THE MAN. If Bryan leaves now, there is a good chance that he might not get to accomplish these things ever. After all, Bryan seems to be laid back and be able to take whatever is thrown at him, which at times could be a mistake though.

Yes, you say Punk is bitching, but if he didn't bitch back in 2011 to start all this movement where WWE actually pushes the "IWC darlings", Bryan wouldn't be where he is right now. Punk and his bitching opened the eyes of the fans.

So yea, as far as Punk walking out, it is nowhere near selfish, it is all about Bryan. He wanted Bryan to win the Rumble and headline WM and since Bryan doing it would have bad consequences on him, Punk is the one who can and afford to do it. The attention switching from Bryan to Punk, well, it is nowhere near intentional. It is a probable thing that Punk might have thought, but someone had to take a stand,and Batista winning the Rumble was the icing on the take. And guess what pal, Punk's walk out is way better than no one doing anything and sit there and take it like a bitch.

On a side note, Punk is way way above a match with HHH. He went from being the longest reigning WWE Champ ever, to having MotY 2011, 2012 and 2013, to fighting the Rock and Undertaker and Lesnar to having a match with HHH??? The guy that tried to bury him in the Summer?? Yes, it is a step down. Punk should be fighting for the Title, Bryan should also be fighting for the title, Batista should not be anywhere near Wrestlemania at the moment. Cena and Orton can fight for some Authority thing, Lesnar can fight Taker and we get Punk and Bryan for the title, the two most over guys in the company. But hey, we want big guys right? Punk fighting HHH is so stupid. It will be a good feud. Punk will have golden promos again. But it is not what we want. The title picture is looking so weak now with Cena, Orton and Batista feuding over it. YES, it does seem weak. We need Bryan and Punk on top, and as long as they are getting screwed out of the top, especially now Bryan, Punk has every right to walk out. WWE lose one of the main reasons to keep tuning in every week, while Punk will just lose a paycheck.

 

[L@RISANO]

First off: ALL the CM Punk threads have been placed in one thread because they all are just the same, so your two threads are in there as well.

I do agree with you on the notion that Punk walking out might affect Daniel Bryan's popularity somewhat and also take some of the spotlight off of him for a little while. However, if Punk is really gone, eventually people will accept it and move on.

When Stone Cold walked out, for a similar reason, due to booking,according to reports, he was buried by the WWE and they didn't pull their punches. Austin has said in interviews that he regretted the Walk out, and I think Punk will as well.

That said, if Punk comes out and says, it was not being in the Main Event that pushed him to leave(I read on one report, that they were looking at possibly Kane vs Punk at WM and HHH vs Bryan), then expect the crowd to support him and troll the WWE even more.
The coming Monday Night RAW might well reveal more answers on Punk and if he will return soon or not.

 

[Zycho32]

Gonna make a response on the premise that CM Punk's departure AND reason for said departure were genuine and not a work at all; (I personally believe the excuse was a work and that he left from exhaustion)

I really get an uneasy feeling when anybody discusses someone's 'Right to Leave'. I've heard it every now and again when a Sports star leaves a franchise in Free Agency (LeBron James anybody?) and I imagine it's been discussed in the Wrestling world from time to time in the past. But when most fans use the 'Right to Leave' rationale, it's pretty much ALWAYS 'He had NO RIGHT to Leave'. That just makes me cringe, mostly because most fans wouldn't bat an eyelash if athletes and performers were SHACKLED to their roles and their locations until they fell apart physically and were tossed aside like garbage.

You can talk about it being a great insult to the fans, but I personally wouldn't trust any of them to care about my own well-being when it came down to the nitty gritty. Imagine if DB suffered a legitimately serious concussion? Most would bitch about his absence and proclaim that the previous generations of wrestlers were REAL MEN who would take several dozen chair shots to the head and get concussions every freaking Raw or House Show and kept going, and would criticize either DB or the WWE from keeping him out of the Rumble. I'm pretty sure FEW cared if Punk was starting to buckle under the relentless workload most wrestlers have to take on just to make ends meet, let alone be in the Main Event Picture. They just wanted to see him out there performing.

But realistically, I don't see this as a legit excuse. I see it as furthering the storyline and reinforcing Punk's character. I can sure believe he's exhausted as all hell and whether or not he returns for Wrestlemania is up in the air, but beyond that, I've got no animosity for how he went out.

 

[L@RISANO]

Gonna make a response on the premise that CM Punk's departure AND reason for said departure were genuine and not a work at all; (I personally believe the excuse was a work and that he left from exhaustion)

I really get an uneasy feeling when anybody discusses someone's 'Right to Leave'. I've heard it every now and again when a Sports star leaves a franchise in Free Agency (LeBron James anybody?) and I imagine it's been discussed in the Wrestling world from time to time in the past. But when most fans use the 'Right to Leave' rationale, it's pretty much ALWAYS 'He had NO RIGHT to Leave'. That just makes me cringe, mostly because most fans wouldn't bat an eyelash if athletes and performers were SHACKLED to their roles and their locations until they fell apart physically and were tossed aside like garbage.

You can talk about it being a great insult to the fans, but I personally wouldn't trust any of them to care about my own well-being when it came down to the nitty gritty. Imagine if DB suffered a legitimately serious concussion? Most would bitch about his absence and proclaim that the previous generations of wrestlers were REAL MEN who would take several dozen chair shots to the head and get concussions every freaking Raw or House Show and kept going, and would criticize either DB or the WWE from keeping him out of the Rumble. I'm pretty sure FEW cared if Punk was starting to buckle under the relentless workload most wrestlers have to take on just to make ends meet, let alone be in the Main Event Picture. They just wanted to see him out there performing.

But realistically, I don't see this as a legit excuse. I see it as furthering the storyline and reinforcing Punk's character. I can sure believe he's exhausted as all hell and whether or not he returns for Wrestlemania is up in the air, but beyond that, I've got no animosity for how he went out.

If it is revealed that CM Punk is suffering from burnout, I believe that the Majority of the IWC would understand his reasons. Even if he misses Wrestlemania due to burnout, most would support him.

However, the reports so far point to other matters such as booking especially with regards to the Main Event.

If this turns out to be a work and a way to let CM Punk heal(He really does need a break judging by his body language), then kudos to the WWE if they can further the storyline on the way and get a new and refreshed CM Punk back.

 

[TheOneAndOnlyGOAT]

While CM Punk has yet to give an explanation as to why he left the WWE but to be honest there is no explanation that could justify him walking out on the company and the fans like that.

A lot of people say it's Batista returning and winning the Royal Rumble in his first match in four years but to be honest shouldn't Daniel Bryan be the one walking out on WWE? He should've have won the Rumble not Batista and Punk had nothing to do with it, nobody expected punk to win the rumble, it was obviously that it will be a Punk vs Triple H (Punk vs Authority storyline).

Why did punk leave? Because bryan didn't win? Is Punk daniel bryan's dad or is he responsible for him in any way, shape or form?

"John, last week you said something. You said something that landed on me. And it resonated with me, John. You said that come April first, you were gonna fight at WrestleMania for all the people in the back who loved to be a professional wrestler. That's what you gonna do, John. John, let me tell you something. I grew up in this business of professional wrestling. And I was always taught that there was no one who is ever going to fight for me. The only person who fights for you is you. That's how we learned. That's how we got better. No one fought for me, John. Do you think when I was climbing the ladders, clawing, scratching, the WWE, that someone was fighting for me? No. You think that when I would come out to these arenas as a good guy, as a babyface, just like you, and they would boo me unmercifully, just like you, you think Stone Cold Steve Austin was fighting for me? No. Hell no! You think someone was fighting for Triple H, for Mick Foley, for Randy Macho Man Savage? You'll like this one. Do you think that anyone fought for Rowdy Roddy Piper? No, hell no. No, no, no, no, no. No, John, no. No one had to fight for us because we were men." - The Rock



Batista won the rumble instead of Bryan. Bryan fought for himself and gave his best and the fans saw the BS!!

The fans did something about it. they hijacked the entire Royal Rumble PPV. Why did Punk walk out? The fans were already supporting Bryan and going crazy for him.
All Punk did now was steal the spotlight from Bryan. All the buzz that was on Bryan is now on Punk.

Bryan isn't 6'5, he isn't great looking either, he doesn't have the huge support from WWE Officials, they're waiting on him for one bad PPV buyrate, one bad rating to send him back to the mid-card, but he's got a huge fan support that appreciate his talent in the ring and now Bryan lost that because of punk, maybe not all of it, but expect to hear "cm punk" chants just as much if not more than "YES" or "Daniel Bryan" chants.


What's more fustrating is that a lot of people are spamming the comment sections on WWE's YouTube channel, disrespecting the NXT talents especially in the last show where people were chanting "CM Punk" all the time...

CM Punk left WWE on his own terms, he left on his own, nobody forced him to go out. Just because in his opinion, he doesn't think this guy should main event or that guy shouldn't, it doesn't give him the right to leave.

How was WWE booking CM Punk is all that mattered. Was CM Punk being misused? Absolutely not.
I can think of many many wrestlers who have a right to leave, who are being misused and punk sure isn't one of them.


As much as popular "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was, many people hated him for walking out at the time.

I don't understand how people can still support a guy like Punk who left because he saw himself above a match with Triple H, if Taker can do it two years in a row and Lesnar did then Punk sure isn't above a match with Triple H at WrestleMania.

Also, let's think for a second that the Royal Rumble crowd resulted in a change of plans and that the HHH-Bryan staredown will lead to a match at WrestleMania and punk will be facing Kane at mania. Is punk above a match with Kane? No he's not!!

Randy Orton, after his main event push got demoted to the mid-card between 2011-13 and he put over MANY talents, and now he's finally in the main event scene again and rightfully so.
With all the bad attitude Orton has, he was fine with being in the mid-card for 2 years and doing all that.

CM Punk has been in the mid-card since SummerSlam which is only a couple of months and he didn't do anything there, he's been extremely sloppy in the ring, his mic work is average at best now, he didn't have ONE great match nor ONE great promo since SummerSlam and he didn't put ANYONE over.

He straight out beat Fandango, Big E Langston, Ryback, Curtis Axel, The Wyatt Family, The Shield...
He even beat The Shield 3 ON 1 !!!



IMO, CM Punk has absolutely NO reason to leave the company and I hope we don't have to watch RAW and hear some ann0ying chants for a guy who left the company and the fans without giving them any logical reason.

 

[TheOneAndOnlyGOAT]

Let's see the reasons for the walk out. Mainly, they are about the misuse of Daniel Bryan. The fans wanted Bryan to win the Rumble, and ONLY Bryan. Not Punk, not Reigns, certainly not Batista, only Bryan. On that note, even Punk himself knew that he wasn't going, nor did he deserve to win the Rumble. Therefore, he didn't walk out because he didn't win it, which is the first point where you were wrong in your rant above.

Then, we have the overall bad booking of Cm Punk after his return. He had a great match with Jericho, then he had meaningless feuds and matches, except the ones with Brock Lesnar. Everything Punk did was just meaningless. You are going from the hottest thing and longest reigning WWE Champ ever (in my opinion) to being relegated to fighting Ryback and Curtis Axel? Are you kidding me? HELL YES he has every reason to talk out. And Jesus, don't start all this "Punk buried the Shield" thing. The whole thing was to plant the seeds of their eventual break up, not to make them look weak. If anything, they now look even stronger, especially Reigns.

We can't compare Punk's walk out to Austin's. Different eras, different opinions, different situations. I'll give you a reason why Punk CAN walk out at this moment and fight the fight for Bryan, while Bryan can't do that himself. Punk has accomplished everything he can accomplish, apart from headlining WM and winning the Rumble. Seeing as Vince is so stupid with his part-timer, body builders fetish, that will be a hard thing to do. Therefore,
Punk pretty much can't do anything more in the WWE, so him leaving as of now isn't that bad for him. Bryan on the other hand still has a lot of things to accomplish. First and foremost, he needs a healthy title reign. He needs to be recognized as the man, needs to win a Rumble, in general needs to do what Punk did. Emerge on top on his own, and that means that he needs to be THE MAN. If Bryan leaves now, there is a good chance that he might not get to accomplish these things ever. After all, Bryan seems to be laid back and be able to take whatever is thrown at him, which at times could be a mistake though.

Yes, you say Punk is bitching, but if he didn't bitch back in 2011 to start all this movement where WWE actually pushes the "IWC darlings", Bryan wouldn't be where he is right now. Punk and his bitching opened the eyes of the fans.

So yea, as far as Punk walking out, it is nowhere near selfish, it is all about Bryan. He wanted Bryan to win the Rumble and headline WM and since Bryan doing it would have bad consequences on him, Punk is the one who can and afford to do it. The attention switching from Bryan to Punk, well, it is nowhere near intentional. It is a probable thing that Punk might have thought, but someone had to take a stand,and Batista winning the Rumble was the icing on the take. And guess what pal, Punk's walk out is way better than no one doing anything and sit there and take it like a bitch.

On a side note, Punk is way way above a match with HHH. He went from being the longest reigning WWE Champ ever, to having MotY 2011, 2012 and 2013, to fighting the Rock and Undertaker and Lesnar to having a match with HHH??? The guy that tried to bury him in the Summer?? Yes, it is a step down. Punk should be fighting for the Title, Bryan should also be fighting for the title, Batista should not be anywhere near Wrestlemania at the moment. Cena and Orton can fight for some Authority thing, Lesnar can fight Taker and we get Punk and Bryan for the title, the two most over guys in the company. But hey, we want big guys right? Punk fighting HHH is so stupid. It will be a good feud. Punk will have golden promos again. But it is not what we want. The title picture is looking so weak now with Cena, Orton and Batista feuding over it. YES, it does seem weak. We need Bryan and Punk on top, and as long as they are getting screwed out of the top, especially now Bryan, Punk has every right to walk out. WWE lose one of the main reasons to keep tuning in every week, while Punk will just lose a paycheck.

I agree with what you're saying but CM Punk can't be in the title picture all the time, he is not John Cena, he is not the face of the company.

I see him as Randy Orton, the #2 guy. He'll face part timers and he'll be in the main event but not all the time, at some point he has to step down to the mid-card to help young talents before going up the card again.

Punk can't be facing The Rocks and The Undertakers all the time, WWE spend all of late2011-early2013 establishing Punk as a main event star.

Now that he is one, shouldn't he be helping mid-carders and putting them over?



Also, crediting Punk for Bryan's success is absurd.

Bryan had a huge following before he signed with WWE, when WWE released him after choking Justin Roberts with the Nexus debut, the whole Internet went crazy and demanded WWE to resign him.
It was just a matter of time before Bryan became a star.


Also, if he wanted people to support Bryan, he could've said something on his twitter. But now people will chant for punk instead of bryan which will bury bryan further.

 

[Mustang Sally]

If it is revealed that CM Punk is suffering from burnout, I believe that the Majority of the IWC would understand his reasons. Even if he misses Wrestlemania due to burnout, most would support him.......However, the reports so far point to other matters such as booking especially with regards to the Main Event.

Ironically, the wrestling community might/might not understand the reasons behind a performer's burn-out, because they aren't suffering from it themselves and can't empathize. Others might tell us: "Hey, the dude has the right to do whatever he wants with his life."

All I can say to that is professional entertainers (including athletes) lead a lifestyle that is unique, certainly to us. How many of us have earned enough money to retire at age 35, as many have speculated for Punk? These folks appear on internationally viewed vehicles and receive compensation far beyond what any of us earn. If one of us loses/leaves his job, only a few people will be affected by it. When a guy like Punk leaves, it creates a bigger vacuum.

Do I think this should be so?

Hell no, it shouldn't, but if Punk departs, watch all the folks on this forum who'll write: "If Punk goes, I'm not watching WWE anymore!"

As I see it, WWE has bent over backward to accommodate Phil Brooks....and if this whole thing is real, he's still living a life of unbridled misery. I don't know if he's upset because of how WWE is treating his character, or whether he's busting a gut because of how they're handling Daniel Bryan, but in either case, indications are he's always going to be riled up about something.

If all this is a work.....then, brilliantly done, Punk. If it's real, hopefully he'll come back someday when his wounded feelings are soothed.

 

[Staaaang]

This is all true. You have to ask, what more does he want?

He wants to be the most special-est boy there is in the WWE!! I am happy to see the guy off my TV. Maybe he can go to ROH or whatever where I'll never see him wrestle again.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

According to F4WOnline.com, the latest word regarding Punk's gripes include him feeling he hasn't been fairly compensated for events in the past. He's also upset, allegedly as WWE hasn't informed him, or anyone else, as to how ppv payouts will be handled for WrestleMania and due to the launch of the WWE Network.

The report also alleges that Punk's disgruntled over that, no matter what happens, he's not going to be pushed as a John Cena level babyface. Punk wants to be THE top guy, basically. It says that Punk also pushed hard at one point to go heel, even though he's crazy over as a babyface, because he felt he'll always be #2 as a face behind Cena, but at least he could be the #1 heel in the company.

Finally, the report says that there's still a small number of people in WWE who feel this is a work, but the majority doesn't think so. Those who think its legit are said to be split on how things are and it's an issue that's alleged to be a really polarizing issue within WWE. Half of them feel that Punk stood up for himself and did the right thing while the other half feels that he's being a baby about everything and shouldn't have simply walked out, or at least not without giving the company time to write him out of storylines.

As far as how the payouts for ppvs are going to be handled, I do agree that it's time WWE informed the locker room how that's all gonna play out once the WWE Network launches. Wanting to know what's what concerning the payout is very reasonable.

As far as being unfairly compensated for past events, allegedly, that sounds a little fishy to me. I don't know if it's all completely legit or not, but I read recently that Punk's salary in WWE is over $1.2 million, though I don't know if that's only his downside guarantee. If he's genuinely griping over money in this sense, I can't say I feel sorry for the guy. Kinda hard to be sympathetic towards a wrestler who complains about money while making a seven figure salary.

 

[Best in the World]

The report also alleges that Punk's disgruntled over that, no matter what happens, he's not going to be pushed as a John Cena level babyface. Punk wants to be THE top guy, basically. It says that Punk also pushed hard at one point to go heel, even though he's crazy over as a babyface, because he felt he'll always be #2 as a face behind Cena, but at least he could be the #1 heel in the company.

I think everyone kind of has this kind of opinion to be honestly, everyone wants to be THE top guy, and people like Punk and Bryan are definitely both possibilities, they got themselves over and they still couldn't get to the same position as that of Cena. This is like if Hogan stuck around with WWE for the years that followed, would anyone have gotten over Hogan? Would Rock and Austin be able to do that? Doubtful. Yeah, they would have made an impact on the business, but I don't think either of them could reach areas they did with Hogan around. It's difficult when you get yourself crazy over and still can't top the shows, Bryan will most likely be the case as well, Cena is going to always be on the top. Punk had a tough decision to make on turning heel, but hey, it worked for him, and for a time he was the #1 heel in the company. The guy easily had the potential to be the #1 guy in the company without Cena around, Bryan has the same chance to do it. Going on that, putting him in a match with a part-timer in HHH or running a feud with...well, I think it's safe to say, Kane is also sort of a part-timer, but a possible match in the works against him too? How do you go from something like "Summer of Pun" and longest-reign in years, to matches with Kane and HHH just about on the mid-card?

Finally, the report says that there's still a small number of people in WWE who feel this is a work, but the majority doesn't think so. Those who think its legit are said to be split on how things are and it's an issue that's alleged to be a really polarizing issue within WWE. Half of them feel that Punk stood up for himself and did the right thing while the other half feels that he's being a baby about everything and shouldn't have simply walked out, or at least not without giving the company time to write him out of storylines.

So only a limited amount of people actually know what the situation is? If the fact that even the guys in the back are questioning if this is a storyline or if this is legit, that's pretty telling. And ironically, that's kind of the case here, half think he's either "standing up for himself" the other half think he's being a baby about it. But with the limited amount of people knowing the situation...I think it's best to wait for Punk, Vince or HHH to say something, and their not talking, this kind of knocks down the credibility of these reports to speculation and guess work honestly.

As far as how the payouts for ppvs are going to be handled, I do agree that it's time WWE informed the locker room how that's all gonna play out once the WWE Network launches. Wanting to know what's what concerning the payout is very reasonable.

Agreed. The time has definitely come and the guys deserve to know how things will work money-wise for them, it surprises me that WWE hasn't told them about this yet. How long has the WWE Network been in the works before it was announced for launch? They had to have something figured out concerning that in that matter of time.

As far as being unfairly compensated for past events, allegedly, that sounds a little fishy to me. I don't know if it's all completely legit or not, but I read recently that Punk's salary in WWE is over $1.2 million, though I don't know if that's only his downside guarantee. If he's genuinely griping over money in this sense, I can't say I feel sorry for the guy. Kinda hard to be sympathetic towards a wrestler who complains about money while making a seven figure salary.

It sounds off, it was already reported how he didn't "need" the money, he saved his money, he walked out with enough money to live off of, so money being the issue sounds off to me. Why walk out over money, when you have what you want already? In the end, I don't think this is the case of money honestly, sounds off.

 

[lenguy]

I've taken a backseat to this thing, in regards to Punks supposedly WWE departure until now. I wanted to wait for more details to come in on why something like this could have happened before I start freaking out like so many of you have already. With that said, its almost been a week and there is a lot of news to share.

While it hasn't officially been confirmed by WWE as of yet, all signs would suggest that yes, CM Punk has flown the coop. So while we still need to work out the fine details. The reasons for his departure come for a few reasons. 1. Creative differences. 2. Burnt out. 3. Heated backstage argument. or the 4th and more recent development, Money. Now, I don't know Punk but from what I gather from reading backstage new or watching the product, my guess would latch on to creative differences. Punk has been very vocal many a times about his frustrations with the direction of his character, storyline aspects or just not getting what he wants. So if this is due to creative differences, it really wouldn't surprise me.

If anything, it probably has to do with all of those elements combined that ultimately swayed Punks hand in leaving. In my personally opinion though, I think this is rather selfish of Punk to just up and leave like that. I mean, you have certain duties and obligations to fill to not only the company but to the fans as well when you are under contract with not just WWE but any organization. Punk basically gave the company and the fans a giant middle finger as he walked away. For what I might add? Because he's not in the main event of Wrestlemania? Because he's not as "big" as John Cena? He keeps acting like he's treated like some, lower class talent and the only way he'll take himself seriously is if hes pushed as the top guy. I'm sorry but Punk's poor judgment in this is only match by his ego. The dude thinks he has this god-complex to him. Like he's the best thing to come around since Stone Cold or The Rock. When's he's not really on that level and he needs to understand that. He might not be "thee guy" but I'll be damned if he isn't one of the top guys in the company. But I guess being #2 or #3 just isn't good enough.

Punk needs to step back and gain some perspective on this whole situation. I mean, he's only got like what? Half a year remaining on his contract? Then to pull something like this, on the heels of the biggest Wrestlemania yet? To me, if I was that unhappy but my contract was almost up. I'd simply just let it runs its course and just leave once its up. I think Punk couldn't have picked a more inconvenient time to pull a stunt like this.

Don't get me wrong. I love Punk, I'm a huge Punk supporter. I think what he's doing, standing up for himself is the best thing anybody could do. I just think he's going about it all wrong. I can sympathies with his frustrations. Constantly being snubbed due to part timers only there to relive their glory days and collect a big fat cheque at the end of it all. Punk just needs to realize that being #1 might not be possible with Cena being around. But there is nothing wrong with being a solid #2 or #3. You still have a good place on the card and you are still one of the main attractions and focal points on the show. It's not that bad. Most guys would kill to have the spotlight that Punk has. But it's just not good enough for somebody like CM Punk.

Like I said. He needs to take a step back and reevaluate his stand point with the company. Take some time off, gather your bearings and come back. Don't pull a Steve Austin, Punk. Put aside your damned ego and do the right thing. You can't change things just by sitting at home on your couch Punk!

 

[Kidpolean]

Got to say, I disagree with a lot of this:

Punk has simply never been in a position where it would have been logical for him to main event wm. I have to disagree with that one. Honestly I wouldn't see any issue with Jericho/Punk being the main event at WrestleMania 28, in fact I feel it could have been the perfect time to do so. Punk was still riding the waves of his shoot, and Jericho was pretty much at the top of his game (or as much as he could be at the time). It was before WrestleMania 28, that Punk really took off, so logically, WrestleMania 28 would have been the perfect time to do it. Punk/Undertaker could also have been a perfect time. WWE could have easily booked WrestleMania 28, with Cena winning rather than Rock winning, that was the perfect time to pass the torch over, have it be over and done with rather than leave another years worth of build-up. That could have easily left things open for a possible Cena/Punk main event at WrestleMania 29, with Punk holding onto the title, and Cena winning the Royal Rumble. Of course that would have also meant possibly finding someone to fight against Undertaker. But in the case of WrestleMania 29, it made sense. Punk would have walked in the longest-reigning champion in years, go up against Cena, and adding to the fact that these two had history, would have made the match work even more-so. I honestly, see things working better for Punk at either WM28 or 29, I'd probably say 29 was the best option, what stopped that and Punk's momentum cold around that time was losing the title to Rock who moved onto Cena, leaving Punk left with a pretty shakily booked storyline with the Undertaker.

There are guys that have had better careers than Punk and never Main evented a Mania, or only main evented once and it was at the end of their careers. Honestly, by this kind of logic Miz shouldn't have been anywhere near the main event then. How many people have honestly had better careers than Miz? Think about it? How many of those people were probably wondering why Miz was there to begin with. I won't deny that Miz might have been hot around that time, but main eventing WrestleMania? Even against Cena? That's way off. Around the 2011/2012 period Punk was pretty much hot, he had just about every reason going for him to main event at WrestleMania.

Punk needs to realize that he has only been relevant for two maybe three years and half of that time he has been irrelevant and hasn't done anything great for the WWE. Edge, Jericho, and Foley have all only closed the show once and imo they were all relevant longer than punk, gave us more legendary moments than Punk, and had better careers than Punk. Outside of Cena or Rock, during those two-three years who was more relevant? I mean, obviously, Cena and Rock are going to be the main attractions when they are around, but everyone else, out of everyone else, who was really more relevant than Punk at that time? Outside of Cena and Rock, who made some kind of impact during that time? You could definitely say Brock Lesnar, but keep in mind he was a part-timer, Punk was on just about every week. But outside of that, anyone? Bryan is definitely a possibility, he started to pick up steam around that time as well, of course, he ended up going to the tag-division, but he still held onto it during that time. But outside of that, in that realm of time, who around the main event scene was more relevant than Punk, outside of The Rock and Cena? Being relevant longer doesn't really mean much, unless you have people you're competing with, around that time Punk was competing with two main people, Cena and Rock, yes Bryan and Lesnar both could be argued, but again, neither of them went much of anywhere, Bryan got regulated to the Tag Team Division with Kane, and Lesnar, had a match with Cena, then worked out a feud with HHH sometime later.

And hasn't done anything great for the WWE? His shoot alone put him on the map. The match at MitB with Cena was pretty damn great in general the whole "Summer of Punk", he was on fire, his time after that was going great (until he went against HHH which pretty much killed his momentum), having the longest Championship reign in years, a 5-star match with John Cena and a match with the Undertaker. Honestly, does that sound like a guy that doesn't deserve a main event shot at WrestleMania?

Even if Batista never signed Punk still wouldn't have been in the main event. Debatable. Punk and Bryan both had a shot of going against Orton before Batista came along. With how far Punk made it into the Royal Rumble, it's very possible that either Punk or Bryan could have picked up a Royal Rumble win and went on to headline WrestleMania. Going by the crowd, Bryan could have probably picked up the win and been on his way to the Royal Rumble. And Punk (who was likely to have been involved in the Elimination Chamber, could have actually won it). Probably wishful thinking on my part, but without Batista, I think either of them could have made it to headlining WrestleMana, or even both. Punk is very well at the tail-end of his career. Whether or not his contract expires and he re-signs depends on him. Now could have been another perfect time to have Punk main eventing WrestleMania.

Ok I see that you are obviously a Punk fan since your picture is of him, so your going to completely ignore what I say anyway but here it goes

1. Im not talking about changing history. The fact is that at WM27 Miz was the top heel in the company, at WM28 both Rock vs Cena and HHH vs Taker were bigger matches than Jericho vs Punk so why the hell would they go on last? And once again at WM29 Rock vs Cena was the obvious choice for main event. This is what I mean by there not being a logical time for him to ME Mania. You really think Punk vs Jericho should have closed WM28? The three biggest pops of the night were HHH near fall on taker after superkick/pedigree combo, Rock vs Cena when match started, and DB entrance, NONE of these had anything to do with Punk vs Jericho so the crowd reaction alone should tell you that that match was correctly placed on the card.

2. CM Punk was in NO position to main event this Mania with or without the signing of Batista. Punk hasnt been a TOP guy in months. Hes a glorified midcarder at this point. I cant even remember a time where he was in the top feud/storyline. When was the last time he closed a ppv? Come on dude...Punk was not closing the show this year regardless of Batista. Brock, Cena, Orton, DB, and Taker all are at a higher booking than Punk, so unless all of those guys fell off the face of the earth, Punk was not closing the show.

 

[Best in the World]

Ok I see that you are obviously a Punk fan since your picture is of him, so your going to completely ignore what I say anyway but here it goes

1. Im not talking about changing history. The fact is that at WM27 Miz was the top heel in the company, at WM28 both Rock vs Cena and HHH vs Taker were bigger matches than Jericho vs Punk so why the hell would they go on last? And once again at WM29 Rock vs Cena was the obvious choice for main event. This is what I mean by there not being a logical time for him to ME Mania. You really think Punk vs Jericho should have closed WM28? The three biggest pops of the night were HHH near fall on taker after superkick/pedigree combo, Rock vs Cena when match started, and DB entrance, NONE of these had anything to do with Punk vs Jericho so the crowd reaction alone should tell you that that match was correctly placed on the card.

2. CM Punk was in NO position to main event this Mania with or without the signing of Batista. Punk hasnt been a TOP guy in months. Hes a glorified midcarder at this point. I cant even remember a time where he was in the top feud/storyline. When was the last time he closed a ppv? Come on dude...Punk was not closing the show this year regardless of Batista. Brock, Cena, Orton, DB, and Taker all are at a higher booking than Punk, so unless all of those guys fell off the face of the earth, Punk was not closing the show.

You know, I probably could have gone without the starting comment. I realize that past experience with CM Punk fans, might give you the idea that majority are like that and would ignore what you have to say, but in the future, why not give people the benefit of the doubt and see how things play out? I'm more than willing to listen to criticism of the guy, and just about any wrestler in the business that I like, I don't expect everyone to have the same opinion as me, and people most definitely shouldn't, they should speak for themselves. But in the case of this, yeah, I believe in what I am saying and have no problem backing it up either, it's the case with every wrestler that I'm a fan of. That said, I will post a response to your message here, and I won't ignore your response and will answer it.

1. I never denied that The Miz was the top heel at the time, that much was obvious, and virtually nobody was ready to take that position, you stated that Punk could have been in the main event of WM 27, I even disagreed with that because Punk didn't pull off the shoot that made him into a certified main event player until a few months after that.

2. Despite the fact that Rock vs. Cena and HHH vs. Undertaker were on the card, and probably even bigger matches, it hasn't been the first time that those kinds of matches have been placed in the middle of the card. WrestleMania 18, being the perfect example. Hogan vs. Rock, and Flair vs. Undertaker were easily bigger matches than HHH vs. Jericho, yet HHH vs. Jericho still headlined the PPV. This is why I said, it wouldn't be impossible to do. HHH vs. Undertaker, while big has never headlined a PPV to begin with, so why would it start doing so now? WrestleMania 28 was a perfect example, HHH vs. Undertaker was virtually in the middle of the card, CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho was second to last, before John Cena vs. The Rock.

Now with that information in mind, do you really think that HHH vs. Jericho should have closed WrestleMania 18? In my eyes, if HHH vs. Jericho could close the show over, Flair vs. Undertaker, and The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan, I don't see any problems with Punk closing the show at WrestleMania 28. Even more-so to back it up, CM Punk was the WWE Champion walking in, so that adds even more of a reason to put the match on as the main event.

3. In recent years, name one time, one time where either the World Heavyweight Championship or the WWE Championship hasn't headlined a WrestleMania? Name one. The only time in recent years, that neither of those titles have actually headline a WrestleMania, was because of The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels - Streak vs. Career match, and it was very obvious why that match headlined, because that match was going to be big regardless who won it. That was the only other time a Championship in recent years, has not headlined a PPV, outside of The Rock vs. John Cena, and then the next year The Rock vs. John Cena is once more headlining the PPV, this time actually for the WWE Championship. So why couldn't have CM Punk headlined with Chris Jericho at that time? He was the WWE Champion, he had every reason just like everyone else who was Champion walking in to main event the show. Then the very next year, the WWE Championship is yet again headlining WrestleMania, with Rock vs. Cena? So yeah, I do really think that CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho should have and could have headlined WrestleMania, and honestly, around that time, I don't think many would have argued with the decision in doing so.

4. That might be true, but that doesn't mean that just because Punk wasn't around the main event, his chances of getting back into the main event wouldn't be the case. Case in point, this Royal Rumble, if Batista wasn't in that Royal Rumble, who are the two main people that people would be looking at to win it? CM Punk or Daniel Bryan. Nobody else in that Rumble was ready to headline a main event. And if Bryan was left off the match, I could easily see Punk picking up the Royal Rumble win, he lasted the longest in the Rumble so wouldn't it be logical to assume that without Bryan in that Rumble that Punk would have actually won the thing? I don't see why not. Now if this was the case of Bryan being in the actual Rumble, which may or may not have happened, we can only speculate not know for certain, then yeah, Punk might have not been anywhere near the main event. But in the case of Bryan not being in it? I can't think of anyone else that could have won the Rumble outside of Punk if Batista wasn't there, that could actually have headlined WrestleMania.

 

[lowandmighty]

I'm on CM Punks side for this. Batista was never exactly the shit and I don't think he is now. Punk is the guy who should have been going into wrestlemania with momentum, after Daniel Bryan he is still the most over guy in my opinion.

However you still have to give WWE the benefit of the doubt, they can be pretty clever and maybe Punk just wasn't let in on what was really happening for dramatic purposes.

With Punk leaving, the whole thing has now turned into a fiasco.

I really liked CM Punk, he was one of the best guys for a long time, probably since Jericho or Edge when he became rated R.

Hopefully we'll see him go to TNA so we can still see him get involved with some other good wrestlers. I think Punk could give the TNA championship some real value that it has been missing.

 

[DB2CMPUNK]

I just feel like CM Punk just want to be in Wrestlemania Main Event, just once. He doesn't give a damn about Wrestlemania. He just want HIS time to shine. I would be piss off too if a 45 year old high school jock took the same spot I work hard for 365 days.

But CM Punk need to step aside, took a breather. Come back in Chicago's raw event. Apologize to the crowd for stepping out for a bit and renew his rival with Triple H. Then when his contracts end, he could do whatever he want.

CM Punk should know that his time is running out and if I were him, I would get much financial/money as much as possible. You never know what will happen in the future and I rather be secure in life.

 

[Kidpolean]

You know, I probably could have gone without the starting comment. I realize that past experience with CM Punk fans, might give you the idea that majority are like that and would ignore what you have to say, but in the future, why not give people the benefit of the doubt and see how things play out? I'm more than willing to listen to criticism of the guy, and just about any wrestler in the business that I like, I don't expect everyone to have the same opinion as me, and people most definitely shouldn't, they should speak for themselves. But in the case of this, yeah, I believe in what I am saying and have no problem backing it up either, it's the case with every wrestler that I'm a fan of. That said, I will post a response to your message here, and I won't ignore your response and will answer it.

1. I never denied that The Miz was the top heel at the time, that much was obvious, and virtually nobody was ready to take that position, you stated that Punk could have been in the main event of WM 27, I even disagreed with that because Punk didn't pull off the shoot that made him into a certified main event player until a few months after that.

2. Despite the fact that Rock vs. Cena and HHH vs. Undertaker were on the card, and probably even bigger matches, it hasn't been the first time that those kinds of matches have been placed in the middle of the card. WrestleMania 18, being the perfect example. Hogan vs. Rock, and Flair vs. Undertaker were easily bigger matches than HHH vs. Jericho, yet HHH vs. Jericho still headlined the PPV. This is why I said, it wouldn't be impossible to do. HHH vs. Undertaker, while big has never headlined a PPV to begin with, so why would it start doing so now? WrestleMania 28 was a perfect example, HHH vs. Undertaker was virtually in the middle of the card, CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho was second to last, before John Cena vs. The Rock.

Now with that information in mind, do you really think that HHH vs. Jericho should have closed WrestleMania 18? In my eyes, if HHH vs. Jericho could close the show over, Flair vs. Undertaker, and The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan, I don't see any problems with Punk closing the show at WrestleMania 28. Even more-so to back it up, CM Punk was the WWE Champion walking in, so that adds even more of a reason to put the match on as the main event.

3. In recent years, name one time, one time where either the World Heavyweight Championship or the WWE Championship hasn't headlined a WrestleMania? Name one. The only time in recent years, that neither of those titles have actually headline a WrestleMania, was because of The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels - Streak vs. Career match, and it was very obvious why that match headlined, because that match was going to be big regardless who won it. That was the only other time a Championship in recent years, has not headlined a PPV, outside of The Rock vs. John Cena, and then the next year The Rock vs. John Cena is once more headlining the PPV, this time actually for the WWE Championship. So why couldn't have CM Punk headlined with Chris Jericho at that time? He was the WWE Champion, he had every reason just like everyone else who was Champion walking in to main event the show. Then the very next year, the WWE Championship is yet again headlining WrestleMania, with Rock vs. Cena? So yeah, I do really think that CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho should have and could have headlined WrestleMania, and honestly, around that time, I don't think many would have argued with the decision in doing so.

4. That might be true, but that doesn't mean that just because Punk wasn't around the main event, his chances of getting back into the main event wouldn't be the case. Case in point, this Royal Rumble, if Batista wasn't in that Royal Rumble, who are the two main people that people would be looking at to win it? CM Punk or Daniel Bryan. Nobody else in that Rumble was ready to headline a main event. And if Bryan was left off the match, I could easily see Punk picking up the Royal Rumble win, he lasted the longest in the Rumble so wouldn't it be logical to assume that without Bryan in that Rumble that Punk would have actually won the thing? I don't see why not. Now if this was the case of Bryan being in the actual Rumble, which may or may not have happened, we can only speculate not know for certain, then yeah, Punk might have not been anywhere near the main event. But in the case of Bryan not being in it? I can't think of anyone else that could have won the Rumble outside of Punk if Batista wasn't there, that could actually have headlined WrestleMania.

ok well I apologize for the first statement. Most Punk and DB fans on here don't listen to reason and just want Punk and DB to hold the title for 4 years and main event every ppv against each other in iron man matches .

I'm glad you brought up wm19 because that is the exact reason Punk vs Jericho didn't main event WM28. Jericho and HHH had to wrestle with a dead crowd and the show just felt like it had already climaxed. Now imo, the title should always go on last, so I believe that Cena vs Rock at WM28 should have either been for the belt or shouldn't have been on the card. But like I stated in my other post, we can't change history. So with the cards having the matches that they had on them, I don't see a logical time for CM Punk to close the show. WM30 without Batista signing would probably have just been Cena vs Brock, Cena vs DB, or Cena vs Taker, now of course this is all just speculation but you can see how these would have easily been chosen over anything containing Punk especially considering Punks somewhat midcard status at the time.

 

[Best in the World]

ok well I apologize for the first statement. Most Punk and DB fans on here don't listen to reason and just want Punk and DB to hold the title for 4 years and main event every ppv against each other in iron man matches .

I'm glad you brought up wm19 because that is the exact reason Punk vs Jericho didn't main event WM28. Jericho and HHH had to wrestle with a dead crowd and the show just felt like it had already climaxed. Now imo, the title should always go on last, so I believe that Cena vs Rock at WM28 should have either been for the belt or shouldn't have been on the card. But like I stated in my other post, we can't change history. So with the cards having the matches that they had on them, I don't see a logical time for CM Punk to close the show. WM30 without Batista signing would probably have just been Cena vs Brock, Cena vs DB, or Cena vs Taker, now of course this is all just speculation but you can see how these would have easily been chosen over anything containing Punk especially considering Punks somewhat midcard status at the time.

Well, if that's been your experience with them, then I can get why you thought the way that you did at first. I can say, I'm not looking for either of those guys to reign over the WWE forever and ever, I might respect what John Cena does, but the title runs have me wore out and honestly I don't want that to be the case with Bryan or Punk, or any other wrestler for that matter. Either way, no harm done, apology accepted.

Now then. I can definitely agree with you full when it comes to the title, the only exception that I would make concerning that would be in the case of career-ending matches. Matches like those I have no problem headlining a PPV, there is no doubt in my mind that Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels deserved that spot, especially with it ending up being Shawn's final match in the WWE. And being the big Shawn Michaels that I was (and still am), I was more than happy to see him closing the show. But I think that's what really bugged me about the whole process, it isn't just the case of Punk being there, I would have been mad for anyone that had to play second to someone coming back and missing out of the chance of headlining a WrestleMania. Especially if this is your first chance and probably only chance at doing so, doesn't matter who it was, it just really sucked because Punk was always the guy I followed through the years and he reached that point, and he was so close to actually doing it, but never reached that point. Seems to be the case for a lot of people supporting Bryan, the fact that he's so close to main eventing, and that idea is up in the air, but I see Bryan having a lot more chances to do it, Punk is pretty much on his way out (either now or within the next year or two, if this whole thing turns out to be a work).

But, I digress. Maybe it's also the wrestling fan in me that talks even more-so, I don't deny the fact that Rock/Cena and HHH/Undertaker are bigger matches, but as a wrestling fan, I found Punk/Jericho far more appealing, so it's probably my outlook on the matter that's makes me see Punk/Jericho headlining as the best option. Though to be honest with you, the way the wrestling was in the match (it was in my personal opinion, the best match of the night in terms of pure wrestling), I don't think it would have had the same issue as HHH/Jericho did. The reaction to Rock/Cena was pretty poor in my opinion, after seeing Punk/Jericho, it reflected even harder on my opinion of the Rock/Cena match, I recognized it being a big moment in WWE, but it really did fall flat for me, but to be honest, I didn't expect much out of it, you really can't when you factor everything involved in it.

But, in the end, it can't be changed, it's over and it's done with, but I do believe, I would probably be pretty frustrated by that fact, which is what I mentioned previously, I can understand where Punk is coming from what, the fact that this happened on the year he happened to be champion, when this hasn't happened to any other wrestler who walked in as Champion before him sans Diesel. Because honestly, during that time, it really makes the WWE title seem just about worthless, until later on in time when the title is suddenly important enough to be involved in the Cena/Rock feud (when obviously, it's already been shown that those two were above the title). Really was the case of getting snubbed despite being the champion. All-in-all, I get where you're coming, the timing was definitely the worst it could have possibly been for Punk to hold the title, both times actually.

As for this year, I think the case of Bryan being in the main event would have made sense, it would fit in as well. But I'll be honest in saying that I was all for a possible Bryan/Punk confrontation myself. With of course Cena possibly going over to Undertaker.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Definitely a work. WWE and CM Punk are blurring the lines between reality and kayfabe in a masterful manner, exploiting some of CM Punk's well known gripes into a storyline which may have somewhat of a factual basis, but is still ultimately a storyline. It is well known that CM Punk wants to headline a Wrestlemania. He wants to be the number one guy in the company. I have no doubt that he is hurting physically and likely somewhat burned out mentally. And he has to be jealous of Bryan blowing past him in popularity as well as the part timers such as Brock Lesnar, Dave Batista, the Undertaker, and possibly even Sting being more prominently featured at Wrestlemania than he is (potentially). So I'm sure Punk legitimately has issues. But ultimately, he and the WWE are using these issues to be incorporated into a storyline, coming to a head at WM30.

What is he going to do if this is legit? Retire? The man is 35 years old and I don't care how financially secure he may or may not be, that's pretty early to walk away from the business. Return to the indies? You have a choice between being near the top of the biggest company in the world in terms of professional wrestling, but you are going to compete in smaller venues for significantly less cash? Doesn't make sense. Pursue other ventures? Possibly, but I'm skeptical.

Who knows what WWE has planned, Wrestlemania is still 9 weeks away, and a whole lot can go down between now and then. I realize that not everything reported turns out to be a work but in today's pro wrestling world, a lot of it is. And CM Punk has a Jericho-esque tendency to work the fans in social media and the like. Let's face it, we aren't that far removed from the summer of Punk, another example of Punk and the WWE exploiting a situation whereby there were some factual issues, but they were incorporated into a well orchestrated storyline.

At the end of the day, we are days away from the launch of the WWE network, weeks away from Wrestlemania 30, and WWE is financially stronger than ever. There's no way in hell the (arguably) number two guy in the company is simply taking his ball and going home. I'm simply not buying it.

 

[DJKariZma]

I'll probably catch some heat for this, maybe even some X-PAC heat...

With the long time dream match within the IWC of Punk/Austin could this be the catalyst to make the match happen if this is indeed a work? Yes when Austin "took his ball and went home" that was not a work but what if and this is a huge what if this whole Punk saga was indeed a huge work where only guys like Vince, Hunter and Punk were the only ones that knew. The similarities to the reports of Punks walkout and the known reasons of Austin's walkout are insanely similar.
- Both weren't happy with the overall creative direction of the company.
- Both weren't happy with the direction of their characters.

I'm probably just over thinking everything but just imagine if all this was a work towards one of the biggest matches of all time. Sure Austin has said as of this time he doesn't want to do one more match but like they say "never say never in this industry"

Feel free to bash in 5...4...3...2...1...k go

 

[#tamale]

Ironically, the wrestling community might/might not understand the reasons behind a performer's burn-out, because they aren't suffering from it themselves and can't empathize. Others might tell us: "Hey, the dude has the right to do whatever he wants with his life."

All I can say to that is professional entertainers (including athletes) lead a lifestyle that is unique, certainly to us. How many of us have earned enough money to retire at age 35, as many have speculated for Punk? These folks appear on internationally viewed vehicles and receive compensation far beyond what any of us earn. If one of us loses/leaves his job, only a few people will be affected by it. When a guy like Punk leaves, it creates a bigger vacuum.

Do I think this should be so?

Hell no, it shouldn't, but if Punk departs, watch all the folks on this forum who'll write: "If Punk goes, I'm not watching WWE anymore!"

As I see it, WWE has bent over backward to accommodate Phil Brooks....and if this whole thing is real, he's still living a life of unbridled misery. I don't know if he's upset because of how WWE is treating his character, or whether he's busting a gut because of how they're handling Daniel Bryan, but in either case, indications are he's always going to be riled up about something.

If all this is a work.....then, brilliantly done, Punk. If it's real, hopefully he'll come back someday when his wounded feelings are soothed.

Punk is a diva. WWE has given him what he wants; he wants more. That's all fine, but he goes about it jumping up and down like a petulant man-child.

The funny thing is these fans that are hijacking facebooks and house shows in support of CM Punk, demanding the WWE bring him back don't seem to understand the situation. CM Punk left. He walked out on the WWE and also on you, the fans. Is it really WWE's fault that CM Punk took his ball and went home?

Now if this a work...bravo. Great job. I fully expect CM Punk to turn heel after this going after the new people's champion, Daniel Bryan.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

If anything they'd surely team up if that was the case?

I wouldn't "bash" the idea, it's as feasible as anything else right now...

Someone did make an interesting comment last night according to reports

"If at first you don't succeed...quit"

Now forgetting the outrageous hypocrisy and open goal irony of the comment coming from Randy "AWOL Twice" Orton about quitting when you don't succeed... it could be a way back in to the match for Punk...

Right now I could easily see it suddenly being a fatal fourway for the title with Punk, Bryan, Orton and Dave...

If Punk is a "diva" is that a problem? Triple H certainly was as were his chums Shawn, Kev and Scott and Dave, Hogan was, Warrior without measure... Austin, Rock even Bruno frigging Sammartino was... the guys who weren't, the Foley's, Jericho's the Savage's the Bret Harts didn't really get to quite the same level because they weren't... and invariably they have the short end in some way during the last 20 years while the first batch of names has gotten what they want almost without exception... Is Punk wrong for wanting to be in the first list rather than the 2nd?

 

[#tamale]

They could team up just to take down the Authority, but Punk could have underlying intentions. The reason I think he could/should turn heel is because the action of quitting is unlike Punk (the character). Punk likes to fight authority figures and disrupt the system. His quitting and deciding to give up on the fight gives this an uneasy feeling. After fighting the Authority at Wrestlemania, Punk attacks Bryan for him taking the spot of the man of the people.

That's if this is all a work...if it's not, then I stand by Punk taking his ball and going home.

 

[Best in the World]

Mick Foley is speaking out once more, in a more calm cool and collective manner. Giving her personal insight and view into the situation. Lot of interesting information here, Foley goes in-depth on how Punk is not only perceived in the back, but how he is and a small little stab into why the situation has led to what it has.

All the while giving advice to Punk about what it could still lead to for him. Very interesting watch.

[YOUTUBE]http://youtu.be/eSr-5yyywc8[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Best in the World]

Just noticed I put the video up wrong...reporting the other post, moderator can go ahead and remove that, sorry for the inconvenience.

Mick Foley is speaking out once more, in a more calm cool and collective manner. Giving his personal insight and view into the situation. Lot of interesting information here, Foley goes in-depth on how Punk is not only perceived in the back, but how he is and a small little stab into why the situation has led to what it has.

All the while giving advice to Punk about what it could still lead to for him. Very interesting watch.

[YOUTUBE]eSr-5yyywc8[/YOUTUBE]