Prior to WrestleMania XXIX, CM Punk was physically beaten up. He had been wrestling a high-intensity style for years giving his all every night with no extended break, and the wear and tear was becoming a problem. At the show of shows, a diving elbow drop onto an announcers' table-laid Undertaker (a standard big-match spot for the ultra-physical Punk) saw the Straight Edge Superstar whack his knee against the table, adding to his woes. Eight days later, on Raw, a despondent Punk simply walked out of WWE, leaving his manager, Paul Heyman, in the lurch. The truth, though, was that the former WWE Champion simply needed time off to heal. Surgery wasn't necessary, but rest and recuperation were. Punk was called back to action in June, returning to face Chris Jericho at Payback 2013, in his hometown of Chicago. He clearly hadn't missed a step, as the Jericho match was one of many great in-ring performances he had in the last year of his career. However, the time off wasn't enough Punk was still in pain. When confronted with the effects of a full-time wrestling schedule on an aging body, Punk may have simply chosen what most would consider the smart answer.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
