Analysis on CM Punk walking out of WWE: Why did he leave? Will he be back?

 The topic I’m covering tonight is one that I already referenced in my last entry. The night after the Royal Rumble, CM Punk abruptly left the WWE. If you pay attention to any of the dirt sheets and wrestling news sites, you’ve seen some conflicting reports of what happened and the reason why it happened. I don’t know the definitive truth because the only man that knows what’s going on in the head of CM Punk IS CM Punk. There’s only speculation, but I read the reports and I looked back at recent interviews that he did and some of his recent work and I think I have this figured out.

Two and a half years ago on Raw, CM Punk infamously dropped a “pipe bomb” on the WWE. If you are one of those people that look at the name that I gave this blog and wonder what exactly a “worked shoot” is, this is the definition of one. A “worked shoot” is when a performer apparently breaks character and appears to go off the script, when in reality; it’s all part of the plan. The “pipe bomb” from June 27^th, 2011 is the best example of a “worked shoot” that there is. Check it out:

After the “pipe bomb” promo, CM Punk went on to become the WWE Champion in the last match of his contract and left the company as the Champion. Eight days later, he was signed to a much more lucrative contract. As a main eventer, CM Punk promised CHANGE. He told us that he was the “Voice of the Voiceless” and that the WWE would never be the same again. Fast-forwarding a few years to 2014, Randy Orton is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion and Batista is the number one contender. John Cena is still superman and Brock Lesnar is likely in a top spot on the Wrestlemania card against The Undertaker. The McMahon family continues to book themselves into big moments on Monday night Raw and part-timer Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has headlined the last two Wrestlemanias. Most of all, we STILL haven’t gotten our WWE Ice cream bars. We’re seeing the same faces on top of the card as we had 10 years ago and Vince McMahon still loves his big guys. Roman Reigns, the powerhouse of the Shield, is getting a big push after dominant performances in both the Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble. And how about Big E Langston running over everybody in sight as the WWE Intercontinental Champion? A few months ago after WWE management lost faith in Daniel Bryan as a Championship contender, the WWE thrusted the Big Show into the title picture. Big bodies everywhere…..

Let’s face it, NOTHING’S CHANGED and CM Punk knows it. There were reports that the reason why CM Punk walked out and went home a half hour before the start of January 27^th’s Raw is because he was frustrated with the creative direction of the company. Reports say that he was upset that Batista won the Royal Rumble in his first match in four years and appears to be getting that spot in the Wrestlemania main event that the world believes that Daniel Bryan deserves more. Additionally, those same reports say that CM Punk believes that he deserves more than the planned feud with HHH and the Authority. If those reports were true and that’s the reason that Punk walked out, he’s right. However, while I do believe that frustration is there creatively, I don’t think that was the primary reason that CM Punk left.

In my last entry about the WWE network, I referenced the fact that the network model would change the pay per view business, as we know it. The truth is that while the WWE network seems like a dream for every WWE fan around the world, the talent is weary of the changes. When the talent on the roster get paid after a pay per view show, they’re likely to receive “pay per view bonuses” based on the number of buys on pay per view that the show generates. The wrestlers are left wondering what this means for their pay per view bonus. Will they make less money?  There were reports that WWE officials were supposed to hold a talent meeting a few weeks ago to clear the air on any questions that any of the boys may have about this, but the meeting was cancelled at the last minute and wasn’t re-scheduled.

CM Punk confirmed this in an interview that he did with Ariel Helwani, which was posted up on YouTube on January 25^th, only two days before he walked out of Raw and went home. Surely, there must be frustration over the fact that there’s a question about how he’ll be paid going forward. However, I don’t think that’s the primary reason that CM Punk left either.

I think it’s simpler than that.  The wrestling business has lost so many of its stars at a young age due to the toll of drug and alcohol abuse. Professional wrestling is tough physically on the human body with many of its stars working hurt and being on the road so much has its effects emotionally on them. Most of the stars of the past turned to drugs and alcohol as a way to cope with those things. There’s a wellness policy in place today and things are cleaner than they used to be, but a majority of the guys will still rely on painkillers here and there when they feel the grind.

CM Punk has prided himself his entire career on living a straight edge lifestyle. His father was an alcoholic and his experiences with him scarred him enough to make him promise himself that he wouldn’t follow in his father’s footsteps. Punk doesn’t drink or do drugs, so when he gets hurt and is exhausted from being on the road, he doesn’t take a pill to help himself. He toughs it out without a pill and at the age of 35, it’s not getting any easier for Punk to wake up in the morning hurt.

There were reports that CM Punk “got his bell rung” during the Royal Rumble match and was believed to have suffered a concussion. When he was questioned and given an impact test, CM Punk got frustrated and left. While it came out that CM Punk did NOT have a concussion and that he passed the impact test, I do believe that he’s banged up and I believe that the pain combined with the exhaustion of being on the road for so long without a break IS the primary reason why CM Punk left the WWE.

He has openly expressed that he isn’t in the wrestling business for the long haul and that his days as a professional wrestler are numbered. With that said, I don’t think that CM Punk has wrestled his last match with World Wrestling Entertainment. As a matter of fact, I think it’s likely that CM Punk will be back with the company in time for Wrestlemania 30. That may be wishful thinking, but I can’t see him missing this milestone event. I may be wrong on that, but if done correctly, a CM Punk return in March could be the jolt in the arm creatively that the Wrestlemania 30 card needs.

If I were booking the WWE, I would keep the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on Randy Orton after the Elimination Chamber pay per view. And yes, that means that Daniel Bryan will come up short once again, likely at the hands of the Authority. My reason for this is because in order for Daniel Bryan’s ascension to the top to be most effective, his Championship win has to be saved for Mania. It’ll give Wrestlemania 30 it’s feel good storybook ending that it needs to be successful.

Daniel Bryan will come out on the Raw after the Elimination Chamber on February 24^th and be pissed about being screwed out of the championship yet again by the Authority. This is the time for Bryan to drop a “pipe bomb” of his own and really lay into HHH, Stephanie McMahon, Vince McMahon, Randy Orton, Batista, and whomever else he wants. The “pipe bomb” will be interrupted by HHH and after some back and forth banter, HHH will agree to fight Daniel Bryan NEXT WEEK on Raw with the stipulation that if Bryan wins, he’s in the Wrestlemania main event. If he loses against HHH though, he won’t be on the Wrestlemania card at all.

On March 3^rd, Daniel Bryan will fight HHH with a No DQ stipulation. Halfway through the match, Randy Orton runs out to attack Bryan. Batista comes out to even the odds and chase off Orton, keeping him a babyface in all of this. Bryan makes a comeback, but before he could finish the job, Kane comes in and chokeslams Bryan. Suddenly, CM PUNK hops the guardrail to massive cheers and hits Kane with a GTS. HHH gets up and Punk lays him out as well with a GTS. Daniel Bryan crawls over and scores the 3 count on HHH to secure his position in the Wrestlemania main event. Raw that night will be in Rosemont, Illinois, coincidentally CM Punk’s home state, so the crowd reaction will be thunderous.

Just like that, the Wrestlemania main event will change to a triple threat match and will give the fans the opportunity to see Daniel Bryan FINALLY overcome the odds and win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania. Also, this adds some fire to the originally planned CM Punk vs. HHH match at Wrestlemania.

Again, this may be wishful thinking, but if everyone plays their cards right, I think this whole CM Punk controversy could be capitalized on and everyone, especially the fans, could come out of all of this happy.

Do you think that CM Punk will be back in time for Wrestlemania 30? Let me know what you think below in the comments section, tweet me @majorlugo or email me at jlugo22@hotmail.com