CM Punk on his way out?
 

From PWInsider:

As we initially reported last night in the PWInsider.com Elite section, former WWE World champion CM Punk has not signed a new WWE deal and there's been a lot of talk that Punk is looking to exit the company when his deal expires in a few months.

Internally, that possibility has been discussed for some time but during the European tour, discussion of Punk's exit came more and more to the forefront.

According to WWE sources, Punk has been offered a new long-term deal but has balked at signing, citing burnout with being on the road for years and unhappiness with his position in the company over the last year.

As one source pointed out, Punk has been something of an "Iron Man" for the company, working full-time on the road with the exception of his hip injury needing to be rehabbed last year. At the same time, despite delivering with whatever was handed to him creatively, Punk has watched as other talents developed since he debuted ended up pushed as bigger names and treated as more important than Punk, including Miz and Alberto Del Rio.

"When you look at how the company brands it's characters, Punk is never among the top 5-8 names that are promoted or pushed," said one WWE office source. "It's Cena, Orton, Miz, Undertaker, Rey, now Alberto, etc. these days and Punk is sort of floating right under there. He didn't fit into the youth drive a few months back but he's not treated like a top veteran either. He's just there, doing his job and while everyone knows he delivers, he's never really treated like someone who does. He's never dropped the ball but we don't give it to him really, either. He's treated like a guy, but not THE guy. For a driven guy like him who's made wrestling his entire world, it's got to drive him crazy. Now, the excuse will be don't push Punk because he might be leaving, but the reality is the environment and situation is what is probably making him want to leave to begin with. Either it gets fixed or it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, just like it did when Batista walked out."

As is the norm with such situations, a new deal could be struck at any point, but as more and more sources discuss Punk leaving the company as a distinct possibility, time will tell. We'll have more when we get it.

This would suck completely if Punk left... Hopefully not...

I can understand if this is the case, but it could also be a case of Punk looking to see if he can get a better deal or push out of this.

Really, Punk is one of those guys who not only has the potential to be a top drawing heel, but can really make his character work for most situations. When it works, it REALLY works.

WWE isn't in a position to lose Punk with Edge gone, either.

Orton will punt him into "retirement" at Extreme Rules!

As much as I disliked Punk originally, if he really feels like that, I completely agree with him.

Something tells me Punker would look super legitimate with that WWE Championship belt.

Moreso than the World Title. See him running the show as champion I would enjoy.

If this report is true, it does sound an awful lot like he's pushing buttons to see how far they will go to keep him, like Xero said.

A CM Punk/Christian feud for the WWE Championship would be very entertaining.....

This would suck.

Actually I could see Punk being the end of the "Spinner" belt. It would look pretty weird on him if he were to win it. I could see him bringing out a more "respectable" belt. (I was gonna cite that he would say that the blinged up title shouldn't represent wrestling/wrestlers but, well, y'know...).

On topic though...I don't think Punk will ever be the "go-to" top guy. I see him like a Chris Jericho or even a Christian, he's a fantastic wrestler that makes the real top guys look good. Besides, he just had back-to-back fueds with the top two faces in the company, what more could he want? I mean, aside from going over, but that ain't gonna happen.

WWE does need him though. With Edge retired, HHH/Taker as good as and the likes of Batista AWOL. Mind you, a certain Chris Jericho could very well come back and fill his spot. If Punk is playing games, he needs to be careful.

Part of me would love for him to leave for 2 years and pull a Jericho, absence makes the heart grow fonder and Y2J's 2nd run was at a much higher level than his first, thus making him a legit main eventer.

Plus, I think most of the indy marks here would love to see Punk back in ROH to give it a rub and give it more exposure (as I don't think he'd go to TNA)

Punk reminds me of Chris Jericho when he left the last time he was burnt out and disillusioned with his position in the company, fully understandable I mean giving everything week in week out and not getting the position you deserve has got to be HARD man I mean the likes of Jericho and Punk give everything for the company. I whole heartedly believe his stock will go up if he leaves the company for a while and returns much like Jericho.

He can still be the "go-to" guy you have to remember CM Punk is just 32 so he still has a good 6 or 7 years left. The thing is though he needs to take some time out and return when he is ready.

Being the "Ironman" is commendable and all but sometimes you have to leave and let the landscape change. Return when your stock rises it will in time I have full faith in CM Punk he can be a main eventer, most veterans see the potential in Punk I think he is overlooked as a legit talent in the WWE and it's a real shame he seems to be stuck in limbo right now.

He has to do what's right for CM Punk right now not the company.

Exactly this! Good post Dave you pretty much covered what I just posted. Infact I seem to remember Jericho saying this actual quote in an interview he gave it was part of his reasoning for leaving.

A was hoping for this for a few months back before Punk moved to Raw. Would be great.

The promos would be insane..... Punk making fun of Canadians being slow and Christian poking fun at SXE.....

Christian has been boring for years now so it'd be Punk carrying that feud.

Does Gerty have a new trolling victim? Bored with Daniels already? (Like everybody else, right?)

:y:

I totally get where Punk is coming from, and really this seems like a trend in the company. When a guy is legitimately fantastic at everything he does, WWE seems willing to let them do their thing, but saves the big pushes for the guys who need to be placed in the right situations in order to succeed. The thinking on this is well that guy is already super over, he doesn't need a title run or a mega push. He'll be fine on his own. That happened to Jericho, it happened to HBK, it happened to Foley and it's happening to Punk. Meanwhile guys like Batista, Cena, and JBL got pushed to the moon and got every chance to succeed because while they had the ability to be successful, they needed the help.

It's a great luxury for the company to have a guy you don't have to book to get over, but I'm sure it can get on the nerves of a guy who's watching his talents get passed up.

TNA must be getting excited

Yeah, while I'm sure he may not WANT to go to TNA, it's really his best option. The schedule is incredibly light and he stands to make more there than in ROH. I'm sure Spike would be more than willing to throw in on his contract too. Plus, TNA does typically allow guys to work both TNA and ROH shows, so he could still be getting decent TNA money supplemented by some ROH money

Plus we know TNA's push policy on WWE guys. He'll be champ the day he debuts

If he went to TNA I couldn't see him getting the Jericho treatment on return to WWE.

If Punk leaves he won't be going to TNA. He had a bad experience there last time he was in the company and I think he's way too smart about the business to go and join that sinking ship. Do you really think guys like Hogan, Bischoff and Flair are going to look at a guy like CM Punk and say "that's going to be the star of our company"? Hell no. Punk is smart enough to realize that. He might be misued in the WWE, but he'd be abused in TNA.

If this whole leaving thing does come true, I can see Punk taking time off, maybe to be at home and heal up and get back to 100% while his stock rises and the WWE realizes how much they actually need his talents. I think it's true that he's been misused pretty badly for the past couple of years. His feud with Jeff Hardy was one of the best things on WWE TV in a long, long time, mixing reality with fiction, having some great exciting matches and developing an incredible heel character. His feud against Rey Mysteri only helped to evolve that character.

He should've been brought onto RAW and given a chance to run with the WWE Title during his feud against Cena. I honestly think the Punk's Nexus storyline shoudl have run all the way to WrestleMania and it should've been Punk vs. Cena in the main event instead of Miz vs. Cena. Punk has worked his ass off and he deserves it, and he delivers better than pretty much anyone else on the roster, both on the mic and in the ring.

I don't think that Punk would ever go to TNA but I really do feel for the guy a bit. I remember at one of the survivor series when he teamed up with dx and he was out popping them. He reminds me a bit of Edge in that he has always been able to get over and help others get over but has never REALLY been treated on the same level as the top tier guys.

Punk is a 3 time World Champion. Its not like he has had to pick up dog shit or anything.

Youell nailed it.

Pull a Y2J

Take a year off and come back as the MAN. By that time Taker and HHH will be gone and he will get a much more elevated push.

At least in theory.

And haven't Taker/HHH been gone for most of the last year as it is?

I don't blame Punk if that is his thought process. I seem to remember someone posting his record from his past several PPVs and it was horrendous. Now, I know people have said that wins and losses don't mean everything and I agree, but it's hard to be pushed when you are losing every PPV match (which are where the title matches take place.)

The problem with CM Punk 'pulling a Jericho' is that Jericho left to pursue various non-wrestling roles, mostly to do with Fozzy, but throughout his entire time away he was still a loyal WWE guy.

If CM Punk refuses to sign a contract and then goes to TNA or ROH, what's to say WWE will want him back in a years time? And how do we know he'll come back as 'the man'. Didn't quite work out for Christian did it? And I doubt it's above Vince/WWE to hold a grudge like that.

CM Punk is great, that being said, he's very overrated. WWE won't really suffer much without him, believe it or not.

He isn't a cornerstone of any sort. I think he's one of the only good heels they have, yes, I think he's great, but I'm not going to kiss his ass about "agreeing with him" or whatever the hell is going on in this thread.

I don't like where he is in the company either.

He might just want a different contract than the one offered.

YAY!

Didnt he sign away the CM Punk name when he signed his initial contract? Read an interview with someone else saying something to that effect, one of the reasons he didnt get a new name, or is just a figure of speech?

While Punk pulling a Jericho would be nice, it would also be quite complicated, especially if he actually leaves the company. (Could he not go coach some of the younger guys for a year or something else behind the scenes?)

A problem would be that the WWE seem quite invested in bringing in newer guys right now, so while Punk leaving _could_ result in a Jericho-esque return, it could also simply mean he doesn't ever return. . . Which would suck!

:wtf:

LOL what?

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I'd be gutted if Punk goes, hope he goes back to ROH.

ok that didn't make sense.

This is true. While Punk has been misused to a point, I don't think you could ever say he was depushed to the point Jericho was. He's always been booked strongly (or came out of everything looking strong). A case could be made for his face run, but I think that was more of a case of WWE not knowing how to properly utilize Punk.

It's more of a case of Punk not being prominently featured at the top than an all-out burial. In fact, I wouldn't say Punk has ever been buried in WWE.

I can see why Punk feels this way, but he's been treated a lot better than a lot of guys in his position.

I basically take any internet rumour about CM Punk with a big pinch of salt so just going to wait and see what happens before I start talking about what would be best for him and the WWE.

i don't rember what was the problem he had with tna before, if he goes back i can see him getting better treatment. i can see some killer fueds with the hardys, an with his old friends aj, fallen angle, and i would love him fueding with samo joe again.

Okay, Punk in TNA is obviously not being discussed, but is obviously most peoples first thought after "Oh no!" or "Well, he's right" ....

Punk vs Angle, Styles, Daniels, Sting, Anderson... damn right there we got some potential classic programs for TNA....

It would be good for them, probably good for him if he wants less travel and higher status. Plus, he gets to keep the name CM Punk wherever he goes.