Punk Walks Out of WWE

[Sean Liska]

WWE posted an article about ROH on WWE.com today with several references to CM Punk. A few hours later all of the mentions of Punk are removed. They have to know this is just going to incite people, right? It feels like a genius work but I know it's not.

 

edit: they may have just removed the references to him as a trainer, never mind.

[Steenalized]

More likely the WWE website has some sort of autonomy (or a lack of oversight) and when someone else realized there were a bunch of Punk references they had them edited out.

[Jesse Ewiak]

Or, more likely, most of the piece was written before Punk left and nobody forget to edit the article til it popped up.

[Steenalized]

Or, even more likely, that's what I just said.

[Bix]

[Timbo Slice]

It's like Dana's squinting to see if that's actually Punk's name.

 

EDIT: Also, it looks like he's being interviewed from jail with that shirt.

[rvd356]

This is such a huge loss to me. Say what you will about his babyface character, but in my opinion he had the top 3 WWE matches last year: vs. Undertaker, vs. Brock & vs. Cena on Raw. Sure other guys will step up but his big matches will be sorely missed.

 

But on the flip side he will blow the roof off the joint when he returns.

[cheapshot]

Listening to Lance Storm on F4D last night, and I agree with him regarding Punk leaving. If he really wants to main event WrestleMania then buggering off for a couple of years might not be the worst idea, otherwise is he always going to be the bridesmaid but never the bride.

[goodhelmet]

This week's Colt Cabana show has to be the most anti-climatic show ever. Raise your hand if you thought this was when CM Punk broke his silence.

[Jmare007]

Nah. He wont talk until he's completely out of WWE. It all seems to indicate he didn't burn bridges with Vince and that the old man wants him back ASAP, so I'm sure they've been talking lately. Punk is not gonna come out and tell what happened unless it's safe to do it or it doesn't matter anymore and it doesn't look like we are there yet.

[rovert]

This week's Colt Cabana show has to be the most anti-climatic show ever. Raise your hand if you thought this was when CM Punk broke his silence.

From all accounts he isn't talking. Cliff Compton referred to the CM Punk - WWE relationship as the Cuban Missile Crisis on the PWInsider site. Wade Keller said Punk isn't returning WWE's calls as of Tuesday. Wade also said Punk isn't confiding in the people he normally confides in. Wade made the very vague allusion to my ears to Punk not talking to Lars. You may or may not know the truth in that, Will I am just saying. Anyway I am surprised that you were surprised about the podcast.

 

Nah. He wont talk until he's completely out of WWE. It all seems to indicate he didn't burn bridges with Vince and that the old man wants him back ASAP, so I'm sure they've been talking lately. Punk is not gonna come out and tell what happened unless it's safe to do it or it doesn't matter anymore and it doesn't look like we are there yet.

Yep. WWE could get really nasty really quick.

[goodhelmet]

I was surprised because I thought Cabana made a statement about sending Questions for Punk to him. natural reaction was he was going to get the Punk exclusive.

[shawmic]

I was surprised because I thought Cabana made a statement about sending Questions for Punk to him. natural reaction was he was going to get the Punk exclusive.

It was meant as a joke...he told people to DM him their questions for Punk but you can't DM someone unless they follow you.

[KrisZ]

From WON

 

The departure of C.M. Punk (Phil Brooks, 35) after eight-and-a-half years under a WWE contract remained the most talked about thing in pro wrestling this past week, with chants for Punk at most of the arenas the company held shows in.

 

Not a lot has changed in the past week. Punk walked out on 1/27 in Cleveland, about 30 minutes before the Raw television show was going to go on the air. There have been a lot of claims as to why, including reports claiming he was mad Dave Bautista returned and was getting the WrestleMania title match at Randy Orton (which would contradict what he said in an interview with Ariel Helwani a few days earlier, where he said he was fine with that).

 

Those close to the situation say that people looking for a singular reason or a simple reason are missing the point. Nearly everyone who knew him reasonably well said that they knew he was going to leave. At one point, Orton vs. Punk for the title was planned for WrestleMania, but that changed some time back. Some had noted to us that they didn't believe he'd last through July, when the three-year contract he signed in 2011 would expire.

 

From those within the company, the talk is that Vince McMahon wants him back, because he is the company's second biggest merchandise seller, behind John Cena, and one of its key performers, plus was figured into a key WrestleMania match with HHH. McMahon is said to be the one who is going to handle this situation even though HHH, or Paul Levesque, as he's really known by most who aren't wrestlers, runs talent relations. Some have said that Levesque felt that Brooks walking out was unprofessional, and that the company didn't need him or anyone. Others have noted that he can't express that feeling and it's best for him to stay quiet. Even though a guy walking out of a television shoot as a headliner and with no notice would be considered unprofessional, for him to express strong feelings would have people say he's putting his personal wrestling angle ahead of business. A key is that Punk made it clear that a match with HHH was not a match he was interested in at WrestleMania. This is in a sense is a slap in the face of HHH as a performer.

 

The reality is that a match with HHH, because of his power and long-time stardom, is guaranteed to be one of the key pushed matches on the show. On the flip side, if Punk was going to leave in July, which was his plans, it really wouldn't make sense for Punk to beat HHH, who is going to stay, and who, while not a full-time wrestler, will remain a key performer with the company for years to come. And even if HHH doesn't want to win, he's very well versed in both promos and matches at not really putting people over, even if he does get pinned in the end. And the reality is, if Punk is leaving, there is no reason for HHH to put him over past pacifying fans for the moment while not building the next step, unless it's to build for a return where HHH does go over.

 

WWE has made no public statements. Punk has, however, been removed from all advertising going forward. His name was never mentioned on Raw and the chants for him were not acknowledged in any form. Some expected a big burial like the company did in 2002 when Steve Austin walked out under somewhat similar circumstances, but the company probably learned to have the foresight to avoid that.

 

Still, they are clearly not confident he's coming back. He was removed from the open of the show and replaced with a shot of Kane. He was removed from a graphic on the app and replaced by Cena. On 2/4, a licensee was given the instructions to remove all graphics on merchandise going forward that was to have Punk and replace them with Randy Orton. The latter move, in particular, is a long-term move and wouldn't have been called for unless they were pretty sure he wasn't coming back soon.

 

Those who have spoken with him and told us to expect him to leave have noted his being unhappy about money and creative, that there were things he had been told would happen that didn't pan out. It wasn't any one thing, although his WrestleMania payoff for the Undertaker match was said to be one of many things. But it was made clear to me not to look so simply at one specific thing, past he had lost his enthusiasm and wanted out. Because he didn't live high on the hog, and can afford to go home and with the way he lives, he'll have no money worries for the rest of his life.

 

There was the continual frustration that he felt, correctly, that he didn't have the look that they believe a top guy should have and it was keeping him from that position. There were also a lot of injuries to be considered. He had a few MRIs done over the past two months regarding various injuries, and underwent ImPact testing for a possible concussion (he tested negative) the night before.

 

The general feeling in the company was that a lot of people were tired of his negativity and from an office standpoint, many were glad he was gone. Unlike a lot of fans, there was a mood that because of the way he left that they should move on rather than have him come back for a few months to a relationship neither wants, even though he sells a lot of merchandise.

 

Mick Foley, in particular, noted that he would watch him and cringe when he would go to the top rope for the Randy Savage elbow drop, noting he knew how much it hurt him to do it and suggested Punk to take that move out of his repertoire. He noted Punk was going to do everything he could to have the best match possible until he left.

 

Austin noted that, whether he agreed or not with the creative as it was in 2002 that led him to leave, he regrets doing so the way he did, because he left a lot of money on the table, as Punk is doing.

 

A key thing Austin brought up is that when he left, he, like Punk, would have been in breach of contract. They can't force him back to work if he doesn't want to work. However, when Austin left in 2002, because of the breach, they cut off all money, meaning he didn't get any merchandising checks from items that bore his name and likeness, or from DVD's sold featuring him, video game royalties, or any royalties. If he were to complete his contract, he would continue to get merchandise checks after leaving the company, which in his case, would be a significant amount of money.

 

McMahon did learn from the Austin situation, and situations with so many others who left on bad terms, that it's not smart business to bury a major star after an abrupt departure, because it only leaves bad feelings if he does come back. There is nothing that has said they have called him in breach and are holding up all future payments, only that they do have the right to do so.

 

Punk would not be able to work in pro wrestling, or MMA, until his contract expires in July, but he would be free and clear from that point forward to go anywhere or do anything.

 

WWE had talked of changing up the planned WrestleMania show based not just on Punk leaving, but the crowd reactions at the Royal Rumble. At this point, we are not aware of any major changes. The belief is Daniel Bryan vs. HHH will take the place of Punk vs. HHH, and the Cena vs. Bray Wyatt, Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton vs. Batista WWE title matches will go as first scheduled. From TV, it did appear Orton vs. Batista is still a direction. Lesnar, Paul Heyman and Cena all didn't work TV this week. Lesnar was pulled last week from the Raw show in Los Angeles. Cena will be back on that show and there is no word at this point if Heyman is booked on TV in Los Angeles and/or Ontario, CA.

 

Foley, who described himself as someone who knew Punk pretty well and had talked with him at length over his situation, said on one hand his leaving was shocking, but on the other hand, he wasn't surprised. Foley, who has also left the company a few times, frustrated with working there for different reasons, said he, like many, were aware of how frustrated Punk had been and said he had tried to convince Punk to look at the glass as being half full instead of half empty. But he said that someone who fancies himself on being the best in the world is not going to be able to do that.

 

"Punk is a really honest guy," Foley said in a video talking about the situation. "He rubbed people the wrong way. A lot of people personally don't like him, but if you were to ask the guy to change, you'd eliminate who he is. You'd take away his drive."

 

Foley noted Punk was undersized and didn't have the look that WWE wants, but in spite of that, he had become one of the top stars in the business.

 

"The sky should have been the limit, and it hasn't quite been. There have been some decisions made as far as his direction that I didn't agree with. I knew he was thinking of leaving. I knew he was looking forward to leaving for a while."

 

Foley said he would tell Punk to just take time off and let his injuries heal and comeback refreshed.

 

"He would say to me, `I'm not you. Once I'm done, I'm done.'"

 

He said that he expects to talk to Punk and will tell him to work out his contract, then take time off and heal up.

 

"If you still love the business, go back to the indies. Do it on your own terms. I have to believe he no longer needs the money but I think he's going to love the wrestling business for a long time to come."

 

Foley said he was glad Punk stood up for what he believed in, but felt it was an opportunity lost for both the WWE and Punk. He, like Austin, encouraged Punk to come back and at least work out his contract. Foley said he felt Punk's promos had been lacking for the past several months. Punk, in interviews days before quitting, said that he had gotten tired of fighting and was just accepting things.

 

Foley said he would encourage WWE that if he does come back, to not script his interviews at all and let him say what he wants. Foley noted that when they worked together, Punk refused to do scripted lines that made fun of Foley's weight. He said that a build for a Punk vs. HHH match would be a great buildup and almost guarantee a great match because both are good big game players.

 

A grandstand challenge to Punk for a fight that will likely never happen, was issued by Jason David Frank, the former Green Ranger of the "Power Rangers" and the World Series of Fighting. Their matchmaker and Executive Vice President, Ali Abded-Aziz confirmed to Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com that Frank's manager contacted them about such a match and said they would be interested in promoting it. He also said they were interested in having Punk fight if he'd like to. Bellator has also expressed interest in Punk. UFC President Dana White said he thought Punk, who he's met at several shows, including on 1/26 in Chicago, was a cool guy, but said Punk made no hints at wanting to fight in UFC when they talked last week. He said he didn't know if Punk could fight so didn't give a definite answer when asked if they would be interested in using him. Punk had told Helwani that there's a chance he'd fight, but he also says he's thinking of fighting so he can entertain himself reading people talk shit about him on message boards. Frank, who is 40, fought three times as an amateur and once as a pro, as a heavyweight, but hasn't fought in more than three years. If Punk were to fight, and the odds are against it because of the risk/reward aspect, based on his frame, he'd more likely fight at middleweight. But he has the same risk/reward as Dave Bautista, and is younger, and few really expected Bautista to fight, but it was something on his bucket list and he did it. Bill Goldberg, a big MMA fan who trained in the sport, had also entertained doing an MMA fight after WCW closed down, but in the end, decided against it.

[Sidebottom]

It's like Dana's squinting to see if that's actually Punk's name.

That's a gorgeous comment, well done bruddah

[Russellmania]

anybody have Dave's latest update on punk?

[KrisZ]

 

After a week where the C.M. Punk news started dying down, people both in and out of the company are now looking at the 3/3 Raw, since it’s from Chicago.

Either Punk will be back on that show and they’ll get an incredible reaction for it, or there is a lot of concern how that show will play out. My gut says that if Hulk Hogan and Undertaker are brought to that show (both are scheduled to be brought back to TV at the 2/24 Raw in Green Bay), as they should be, plus Brock Lesnar, that while the Punk chants will probably be there, having Hogan there may serve as a counter. If Hogan was around too long, it would be one thing, but on week two and in Chicago, where he was a star dating back to around 1981, they aren’t going to “turn” on him.

There was less concern this past week because while there were Punk chants at several house shows, they didn’t pick up strongly nor last long. The feeling is that with nothing significant on that front happening with a Los Angeles television crowd, that it’s a pretty much done situation with the possible exception of Chicago.

At the house show I went to in Oakland, it sounded like maybe four people who were clearly aware of the situation (since Punk was never booked for that show to begin with) started the chant. It picked up somewhat, but it was mostly little kids just parroting a chant, and not any kind of a protest akin to the nearly two years of “We Want Flair” chants at WCW shows from the summer of 1991, to early 1993 after he left the company for WWF.

At the Raw show in Los Angeles on 2/10, the company feared given they were in a major market, that fans could hijack the show and ruin the John Cena vs. Randy Orton TV main event, like happened with their match at the Rumble. So the idea was to bring Daniel Bryan out twice, including right before the main event, have him go over strong and get the chants out of the way.

For Punk, what happened, whether by design or an audible (and I’d be shocked if this was an audible because can you imagine the heat Rollins would have gotten had it backfired and he did it without prompting?), is that during the Dean Ambrose vs. Mark Henry U.S. title match, in the third hour, Rollins got on the mic as soon as they cut to a commercial at home, and said “C.M. Who? How about showing some respect for Dean Ambrose, the greatest champion in this company,” which started the Punk chants (one person said the Punk chants started right before and Rollins said that in response).

The idea seemed to be that long before the three minute break was up, people would get it out of their system and at home, nobody would hear it. That seemed to work to a point. When they came back from the break, there were remnants and there was a woman right in front of the camera holding up a Punk sign, but it was barely audible and the chants never came back.

During that commercial break, Lawler made a remark about them going to die out soon, Cole on the headset said, How about “Go away, Go away,” like they should chant that instead, while people were doing the chant. Layfield laughed and said there wasn’t much determination in them (the ones chanting as it quickly died down).

During the videos they showed during commercial breaks on the show, there was a lot of Hogan and Sting, but everything with Punk was edited out. They even played the ad for the “Best of the Money in the Bank” DVD and everything with Punk was edited off the ad.

But they were not confiscating signs when you came through the door. There were a few Punk signs, and as noted, one was right in front of the camera shown during the Henry vs. Ambrose match, but that was about it.

The next night in Ontario, there was one small chant but one can argue the people who start those chants are smart enough to know it’s not making it to television on a taped show. The crowd was said to have responded there pretty much the way one would program them to respond.

There is a mixed feeling within the company. Virtually nobody sides with him when it comes to walking out 30 minutes before a live TV shoot unless it’s an elaborate angle (which on 3/3 we’ll likely find out 100%, although those in the company certainly don’t believe it’s a work). Many have sympathy for some of his points about being promised things, or the heads of the company being so steadfast into believing that if you don’t have the right kind of size and physique you can’t be the top star. But they argue Punk very legitimately was No. 2 for a while. I guess the idea is that he really wasn’t No. 2 because Cena was always around, and Dwayne Johnson was clearly ahead of him, and Lesnar was ahead of him, and now Batista was being positioned ahead of him.

While most conceded he was very popular, the belief was that he was not a ticket seller to live shows, and only on occasion was he a difference maker in PPV (clearly he was a few times).

On the flip side, he was the No. 2 merchandise seller, and his T-shirts in particular are a hot item so he is a strong revenue generator.

One person noted to us that he saw with his own eyes Staples Center security telling fans not to chant for Punk, and that security pulled two people aside and threatened to kick them out if they kept chanting it as they tried to get a chant going while they were on the air.

Regarding Punk, I don’t know who he’s in contact with, but it doesn’t seem like he’s in communication with many. The story is that those who have worked with him and know him that have tried to contact him haven’t heard back, just like a TNA storyline about not returning phone calls, texts or e-mails in between shows.

It is notable that he really did come close to leaving in 2011 and when the angle started, he was gone. I think the moment it changed is when he was going through that period on Raw where he quietly lost every week, until all of a sudden things changed.

Jim Ross, who had been in communication with Punk in recent months, said he thought C.M. Punk would make a great MMA announcer.

“He’s glib. He’s intelligent. He’s well-spoken. He understands infinitely the product and he knows how to entertain. He has everything that an MMA company would desire. And I think he would just be phenomenal.”

During one of the periods where Punk was injured and he worked as an announcer on Raw he was praised for his instinctual timing in the role.

Mick Foley, another friend of Punk’s, was on Live Audio Wrestling this past weekend talking about him.

“The last time I touched base with him was after the Rumble and I don’t want to discuss what he said exactly. I’ll just say I wasn’t shocked when he decided to leave because he and I, there is a deep, mutual respect there and we like each other. I would say to him after I watched him at a house show and I would say, `Geez, you don’t have to work that hard every night.’ And he would say to me, `If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.’ And I respect the work ethic and I understand if you’re hurt and you’re not enjoying yourself that it’s not the place to be. I would hate to see C.M. Punk turn into what I did where my philosophy became, `Good enough is going to have to be good enough.’ And it wasn’t that philosophy that helped me succeed, to get me into the WWE Hall of Fame and I kind of regret going through a few years where things had to be that way. I don’t think Punk wants anyone to see him at anything less than his best and I know he’d been frustrated for a while.

“He’s a pretty outspoken guy, and in the end, he’ll make the decision that’s best for him. What I said, and I’ll repeat for you guys, if he can reconsider one thing, it’s not to let whether or not he’s officially the main event dictate how good his match is. If he had a big match coming up at WrestleMania, I would encourage him to at least think about taking advantage of that. In 2006, in no way, shape or form were Edge and I the main event at WrestleMania, but we had a great match. I didn’t walk away from that WrestleMania thinking it was any less special because we weren’t the feature, so that’s the only piece of advice I’d give him, not to let those words, main event, dictate how important the match is, but if your heart’s not in it, it’s not in it.”

[Russellmania]

Cool, thanks for posting that.

 

Dave is funny sometimes...how much detail do we really need about the chants at various arenas? Do people really care? took him forever to get to the meat of the story which is where do things stand between Punk and WWE.

 

I like the advice from Foley at the end, and if Punk does come back he'd be wise to heed it. Had Savage and Steambot just gone through the motions at WM 3, or had Bret and Shawn just given up hope and worked safe matches in the mid-card in the 80's and 90's then the business would be very different today so I hope if he comes back he at least goes out there and genuinely tries to have the best match every night.

[Sidebottom]

Dave is funny sometimes...how much detail do we really need about the chants at various arenas? Do people really care?

 

I'd be disappointed if Dave stopped with is fine tooth comb writings.

[tlk23]

According to Pwinsider.com, there was talk at the weekend WWE live events that CM Punk was given his official release from WWE on Friday. WWE has not confirmed the release at this time, and as of today, Punk is still shown on the Superstars page of WWE website. Pwinsider.com also notes that people that have spoken to Punk recently have stated that Punk has said he is done.

[Matt D]

I think the best way to deal with Chicago is to have, as part of the terms of his release, Punk film a short thing beforehand letting people know that he's leaving on his own, that people can chant for whoever they want, and Punk always encourages that freedom of expression, but chanting for him won't bring him back right now and if they want to chant for someone who deserves it, then they should chant for the best in the world, Daniel Bryan.

 

Something like that.

[Coffey]

That would most definitely 100% backfire because they would know that Punk was told to say that shit. That's exact opposite of what Punk, for the most part, stands for. If anything, I think that would draw more attention to it & make it worse.

[Matt D]

That would most definitely 100% backfire because they would know that Punk was told to say that shit. That's exact opposite of what Punk, for the most part, stands for. If anything, I think that would draw more attention to it & make it worse.

 

It's based in truth though. He's mentioned Daniel a ton recently and he doesn't want them to chant him to come back. He just wants them to leave him alone. It's all stuff he'd plausibility say. It's not like he's asking them to chant for Batista.

[Loss]

He could throw in some digs at other people (HHH, Vince, Orton, Batista, etc.) to balance it out.

[rovert]

Apparently WWE want to do the "AJ Styles angle right."