Oh, you didn’t know? CM Punk is gone. I wouldn’t say it was out of the blue because this was months of increased frustration, but it was rather at an unexpected time. Half an hour before RAW, CM Punk told Vince McMahon that he’s simple going home. CM Punk, arguably the top in ring talent WWE has to offer has decided to hang up the boots, at least it seems for now. However, was he right for leaving and have we, as wrestling fans set a double standard that is acceptable to one wrestler but inexplicable to the other? Let’s dive in.
Let me preface this by saying that CM Punk had every right to leave WWE if he wanted to. He saw a product that wasn’t profitable in his eyes and he didn’t want to be a part of it. So he took it upon himself to take the initiative and tell the chairman of WWE that he is leaving and there is nothing he can do to stop him. Does that make the morality for why he left pardonable? Here is my take on it. WWE creative gets a lot of heat for bad booking decisions and rightfully so. At the same time, they are not perfect. They make decisions based on what they feel is going to benefit them forward. Now I have been made to understand that two of CM Punk’s optimal concerns have been the treatment of his ROH companion Daniel Bryan, and having Batista win the Royal Rumble. First of all, it is amazing to see how over Daniel Bryan is right now. I mean, when you see that fans were trying to get the White House’s attention, you know he is over. But WWE has most hardcore fans in the palm of their hands. They aren’t stupid. For those of you who say that WWE doesn’t listen to fans, you are wrong. WWE does listen. Triple H and Vince aren’t deaf. They know that Daniel Bryan is who they want to see in the main event of WrestleMania and all that stuff. WWE is simply building up Bryan right now. They feel that the journey to the title is going to be much more greater than when he actually wins it. Months upon months of YES chants and loud pops will finally culminate in an extreme reaction when Daniel Bryan finally gets his glory. I mean WWE would have to be that devilish to not have Bryan win the title at all. It just takes a little patience. So I’m surprised CM Punk wouldn’t see that. It’s nice to see him be an advocate for his bearded, exciting friend but he also has to understand that he too is part of the system that WWE has set up.
Here’s the issue I have with Punk. It’s not necessarily that Punk left. But it’s just because that he screwed over a lot of people. Whether or not the REASON why CM Punk left can be debated until the cows come home but this puts WWE and most fans in an extreme limbo. WrestleMania fans are expecting to see CM Punk. Casual fans expect to see CM Punk every Monday night on RAW. Especially the crowd that is going to shake up WWE on March 3rd, which so happens to be in CHicago. For CM Punk to just up and leave like that puts a hole in not only creative plans, but for fans who pay to see him as well. Now another one of CM Punk’s gripes have been the way he himself has been treated. Now correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t CM Punk hold the WWE title for 434 days? If I’m not mistaken he won the title via submission against Alberto Del Rio at the 2011 Survivor Series and finally lost it against The Rock at the Royal Rumble last year. Especially in this era, that is not only incredible, but rare that in this era someone gets to hold a title for that long. Remember that earth-shattering promo CM Punk cut in July of 2011? He wanted, demanded rather, to be WWE Champion and to get what he wants. And he finally got it. He was allowed to get anything he wanted for a full year and then some. Yet, he had a big problem when he lost it. Now sure it was against the part timer in The Rock, but it’s not like he could hold the title forever. And who else at the time would be better suited to end his reign than The Rock himself. He has such a big gripe with it. Here’s where the double standard plays in. When John Cena faced The Rock for the first time at WrestleMania 28, and lost, you didn’t see him complain about it (I guess partly because he did win the rematch in the following year). He took the loss to the part timer and rolled with it. Cena still busts his ass despite what anybody says and he works hard. Now in today’s age, if Cena’s reign was as long as CM Punk’s was (6th longest of all time-longer than The Rock, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hard, Undertaker, Stone Cold, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, John Cena, Triple H, Edge, Jericho, etc.) he would be crucified. But there wouldn’t be a problem with CM Punk if he has a long reign. Now sure, he wasn’t exactly the main eventer than Cena was or the top draw, but at the end of the day, he still held the title.
Look at it like this. When Randy Orton cashed in unceremoniously on Daniel Bryan at Summerslam last year, that would be the first time he held a world title since Night of Champions in 2011. When John Cena won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania last year, that was the first time he held a world title since Hell In A Cell in 2011. There is so much flack about these two in particular holding the title when in fact they have taken long breaks from being in the main event (despite them having their chances before). During that time, it would be the likes of Daniel Bryan, Sheamus and CM Punk holding the world titles. Now where CM Punk has a legit gripe is with Batista winning the Royal Rumble. I mean, a 45 year old wrestler who is fresh off a 4 year hiatus from WWE winning the Royal Rumble over the likes of Punk, Bryan and even a guy like Roman Reigns seems immoral. And i do agree with him in that regard. I an sure that CM Punk wouldn’t have left if someone other than Batista won (with the exception of Kevin Nash). Batista winning seemed to be the final ace in the hole that prompted CM Punk to take his leave from the WWE.
To summarize, CM Punk leaving is right and wrong in a lot of ways. Punk leaving like that is a slap to the face to the company that gave him a 400 plus reign with the company’s most prestigious title and a slap to the fans who have been loyal to him. Now some fans may support him for leaving as examplified by the hijacking tactic used by fans at WWE’s social media sites and I have no problem with that. But CM Punk at the time owes it to fans to not just leave if things don’t go your way. As for the double standard, I also think that certain things acceptable for the likes of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan would be deemed as unacceptable to the likes of John Cena and Randy Orton. I am not an ignorant CM Punk hater (he happens to be one of my favorites wrestlers, especially when he introduced me the top rope pedigree in his ROH days) and I am not a die hard Randy Orton fan boy (albeit I am a fan of his). This topic is all up for debate and I sincerely hope that CM Punk will one day find it in his soul to come back to the WWE where is more often than not always welcomed by fans who appreciate the work that he does in the ring night in and night out. But was it right? Comment below and thanks for reading.
