January 28th 2014 was a day we certainly did not expect to hear about the departure of CM Punk from the WWE. Punk had become a staple of the flagship show Raw and was a crowd favourite selling tonnes of merchandise and drawing more fans around the world to the product.
I personally read all the “dirt sheets” on a daily basis and I had no tell-tale signs that this departure was on the horizon. I don’t believe this was a shock to just myself. I think this one shocked the entire WWE universe.
Punk last held the highest ranking belt in the Pro Wrestling industry on January 27th 2013, which may come as a shock to some people that time has slipped away so fast since then, On this fact, does it maybe lead to an idea that he has fallen out with the top brass backstage since then and was only kept around due to his strong merchandise sales and ability to draw large crowds?
Or is this yet again a genius stroke by Vince McMahon to bring attention and publicity to his product while the whole world is intrigued by the upcoming launch of the WWE Network and the fast approaching Wrestlemania XXX ?
I personally believe this is a work based on the fact punk has kept reasonably quiet since this news broke (if he was no longer under contract he would be sure to fire off a few “pipe bombs” on twitter. I also think it could be part of a storyline to incorporate “The Authority” as a top heel faction and bring even more heat onto them. Vince is way too smart to let one of his top draws and a wrestler who is widely regarded as “The Best in the World” walk away before one of the landmark events in WWE’s history being the 30th anniversary of Wrestlemania.
On the other hand even if this is legit and Punk is gone, it begs the question, where would he go? TNA? A company with well documented unhappiness in its lockeroom right now and a plethora of stars departing or refusing to sign new contracts, would CM Punk leaving the WWE really affect the WWE that much? Right now Vince has a stacked roster of top tier talent and CM Punk can easily be replaced, with the right push and angle stars like, Antonio Cesaro, Big E Langston, Bray Wyatt or even very new faces like Xavier Woods could fill the shoes of punk in a short amount of time.
Here’s hoping this is a great big work and we will see a nice long feud or in-depth storyline come out of this, and a sweet sweet match to steal the show in New Orleans.