The Future For CM Punk
I know a lot of people are holding out hope for a CM Punk return prior to Wrestlemania, but dont count me among them. Yes, the WWE didnt bury him on RAW, and yes, Punk has yet to come out and do the same to the WWE. But that doesnt mean there arent real problems between the two parties. There are. But this doesnt mean things wont eventually be resolved. Two key elements can help us to formulate a strong opinion regarding an eventual return for CM Punk. One, we can by all rights assume that since Punk didnt show up in front of his hometown crowd in Chicago, he wont be back for Wrestlemania. The WWE wouldnt pass up an opportunity to get a tremendous reaction from the crowd. Not this close to Mania anyway. No one on the WWE rosterpossibly past and presenthas had such a hometown following as CM Punk has had with Chicago. For the WWE to balk at such an opportunity if Punk was willing to come back makes no sense whatsoever. In this regard, we can safely assume he is gone for a much longer period of time than previously thought. And two, despite a huge missed opportunity, the door was far from shut on CM Punk by the WWE. Quite the contrary. It takes some critical thinking and analysis, but by dissecting Paul Heymans promo as we did, we can again safely assume that, at least for the time being, the WWE is not willing to give up on CM Punk. He remains one of the companys biggest stars, and taking this into account, it would be foolish for them to permanently abandon the hopes of a return. Maybe Vince McMahons statement regarding Punks sabbatical wasnt foreshadowing at all. Maybe it was a genuine statement, and Vince has no idea when the said sabbatical will end. That certainly seems to be the case now. So when will CM Punk return? Or will he? For me, if he is to return, it will be after Wrestlemania, and probably a good chunk of time after. WWE returns to Chicago for Payback in June, but again, theres no signs that things will get resolved by then. Of course, this is professional wrestling. Things can change, and they can change quickly. However, after last night, I dont expect them to change quickly enough to see Punk in action any time prior to the summer. As I said in the beginning of this article, we all had a chance at something special Monday night. We all had a chance to see a moment. And I, among thousands of others at the Allstate Arena, and millions of others watching worldwide, collectively waited with breathless anticipation for the Second City Saint to arrive. Right up until the very end, we held out hope. It didnt happen. Ive been to countless amounts of sports events and wrestling shows, and I can tell you with absolute certainty, Ive never seen a more deflated crowd exit an arena (and Im a lifelong Cubs fan). Its sad, its disappointing, its a shame. But this is wrestling. Anything can happen.