I miss the pipe bombs.
I miss “The Best in the World.”
I miss CM Punk.
A few months ago, CM Punk walked out on WWE. That’s the catchy, grabby headline, anyway. In reality, he walked out on his fans. WWE will be fine without him. They have seen the best of all-time come and go and they continue to be a multi-billion dollar conglomerate.
When Punk first left, most of the attention was on the behind-the-scenes happenings of a business arrangement gone wrong. Everyone was focused on the story behind what led to his departure. As a fan, which I remain first and foremost, my initial reaction was more along the lines of, “damn, that sucks.” No more CM Punk pipe bombs? No more “Best in the World” in-ring performances?
When the “Chicago Made” Superstar first delivered his infamous “pipe bomb” promo in June of 2011, I fell back in love with the sport I have had a passion for since childhood. At the time, I was growing sweet on this new love of mine known as mixed-martial-arts. Pro wrestling became too PG. It was too geared for children.
CM Punk changed all of that.
After hearing of his promo, I checked it out on YouTube. From then on, my television was tuned into the USA Network every single Monday night. The key segment I looked forward to each week was one that featured Punk with a microphone in his hand. He never failed to deliver the type of entertainment that I had missed for so many years.
Eventually everyone in the pro wrestling business gets burned out. As of right now, I hold out hope that Punk will regain his passion for the business in the same way that he helped me regain mine. I fully expect to hear Living Colour’s “Cult Of Personality” again one day.
But what if I don’t?
After all of the focus on the answer to the question, “what happened?” died down, the attention now seems to be on ole’ Phil Brooks himself. After all of of those who cried “work” realized as the Chicago RAW came and went, the big WrestleMania XXX event came and went, and we still haven’t seen “The Best in the World” on our television sets, it seems like the reality is finally setting in.
He isn’t coming back. Not anytime soon, at least.
So what does this tell us as fans? Punk couldn’t work out an arrangement that would see him remain as an active WWE performer? In a time where many top-level Superstars are managing to secure special part-time contracts with limited dates and tons of dough, you mean to tell me that both sides couldn’t figure something out?
The job of a promoter is to deliver the matches and performers that people want to see. Clearly people want to see CM Punk in WWE. Having said that, how is it possible that Vince McMahon couldn’t come to some kind of arrangement to deliver Punk in Chicago, or in New Orleans?
Something isn’t right here.
I obviously don’t know Vince McMahon on a personal level, but I think it’s safe to say that his reputation as a guy who will bury the hatchet with people is well known. His reputation as a guy who delivers what people want to see is at the least above average. Knowing that, you would have to assume that he made every effort possible to get Punk back in the mix.
It didn’t happen.
The question now becomes, what is it that CM Punk wants? Based on behind-the-scenes rumblings, it seemed that Punk wanted a guaranteed spot in the main event of WrestleMania. Since he walked out, it seems as though anything short of that wasn’t good enough.
WWE doesn’t suffer, it’s the fans that suffer. Especially CM Punk fans. WWE fans will still find something to enjoy on Monday and Friday nights. WWE will be just fine. CM Punk fans, however, are screwed.
Unless you’re a fan of Mike Maron or Talking Dead, you’re not going to have the chance to see your favorite performer on television.
After reading a lot of feedback across a variety of platforms, I am noticing a trend. No longer are fans saying “screw WWE for not giving Punk what he wants.” The mood seems to be more along the lines of “what the hell, Punk, why aren’t you coming back?”
Listen, we don’t know what happens behind closed doors. It’s unfair to say with any kind of real certainty that the blame lies on this person or that person. But the bottom line is this: they need to figure out something that appeases both sides. The bottom line is WWE needs to deliver CM Punk. At the same time, CM Punk needs to figure out a way to get back in the mix. If he’s burnt out, that’s one thing. Take some time off, rest up, heal up, and get back in there. If he’s done, he’s done. But from all accounts, that’s not what happened. What happened, as best I can tell, is Punk didn’t get his way, so he up and left.
If Punk does come back, and shoots directly into the main event picture, does that make him a hypocrite? Isn’t that exactly what bothered Punk in the first place? Guys coming in and walking directly into main event spots? How is coming back and getting direct access to the top spot any different than what The Rock did? Or Brock Lesnar? Or Batista?
It’s not.
I’m an enormous CM Punk fan. For selfish reasons, I don’t care what happened. I don’t care what it takes to get him back. I just want it to happen. It’s up to WWE and Phil Brooks to find out a way to make that happen. Everything else is irrelevant.
I spoke about catchy, grabby headlines. I look forward to the day I can put a headline on an article that reads, “CM Punk Returns To WWE.”
I look forward to more pipe bombs.
I look forward to seeing more of “The Best in the World.”
I look forward to seeing CM Punk.
