10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About CM Punk

1. He Walked Out On WWE The Night After Royal Rumble

The last time CM Punk appeared in person on WWE programming was January 26, 2014 at the Royal Rumble. Punk made it near the end of the match when he was attacked by Kane (who was already eliminated) and eliminated from the match. Most fans assumed it was going to lead to Punk facing off against Triple H at WrestleMania. Obviously that isn't going to happen now. The next day at Raw, CM Punk asked Vince McMahon for a meeting. It took a while because it was such a busy day, but when Punk finally talked to him the story goes that Punk didn't like what he heard so he told Vince he was going home. One month later, when Vince McMahon was on a conference call with WWE investors, he explained the situation this way: "He's taking a sabbatical. Let's just put it that way." When WWE held Raw in Chicago on March 3rd, they teased Punk coming out at the beginning of the show. Paul Heyman did a promo about it, but then he masterfully moved on to his client Brock Lesnar's feud with Undertaker. There were chants for Punk all night. He wasn't there to answer them. While we don't know all the details, most believe that the reason for Punk's absence is his frustration with the creative team. He made it clear in the past that he wanted to be in the main event of WrestleMania, which means the last match. Since it likely wasn't going to happen this year, he chose to go home. It's not a money issue because he's leaving a lot of money on the table not to mention a huge payday at WrestleMania. It's a creative issue. Will he return? Nobody really knows. All we know is that his contract is up this July and at that point he would become a free agent. For now he can't really do anything professionally since WWE has him signed. We don't even know if WWE wants to bring him back because they're likely very upset that he walked away. Can you blame them? No. They spent years investing in him and pushing him. They're likely angry just like he is. Punk's a legend in WWE based on the things he's done. While there is optimism that he might return one day after he gets over whatever it is that has bothered him, it's not a guarantee. Just don't expect WWE to mention him. He's not exactly one of their favorite people right now.