4. Walking Out On Monday Night Raw Hours Before Show Started
By the time the January 27, 2014 episode of Monday Night Raw came around, CM Punk decided it was time to go home. A lot of things had led him to that point, including injuries, problems with WWE medical staff and disagreements with Vince McMahon and Triple H. A few hours before Raw was beamed live, Phil Brooks told the company he was done. CM Punk had been scheduled for that evening's show, and he had wrestled in the 30-man Royal Rumble match less than 24 hours before. That would be his last bout for the company to date, and it must have horrified McMahon. According to Punk during his interview with Colt Cabana, the boss was teary-eyed once he realised what was going on. People have walked out on WWE before and come back to being on good terms with McMahon. Steve Austin did it in 2002, but he was the highest-drawing star of the 'Attitude' Era. It was unthinkable of someone like Punk to do the same, but he did it. Even if it was a little tongue-in-cheek, McMahon told Austin (ironically) on his WWE Network show that he forgave Punk for walking out.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
