Nobody knows why CM Punk left WWE in January. There are theories, stories and rumours but neither Punk himself nor anyone from WWE management has commented on the record about Punk's reasons for leaving. It is fairy well established, though, that Punk has a history with being unhappy with the WWE. There are several confirmed stories about Punk being unhappy with his role in the company, and all of these stories are drenched in politics. It was never the wrestling that Punk had a problem with. In 2009, for instance, CM Punk became the best heel in wrestling with his Straight Edge Society. CM Punk came up with the concept himself, and it was clearly something he truly believed in. And on TV, it showed. It was utterly compelling television. Punk was completely hated, and had an amazing program with Rey Mysterio culminating in a match at Wrestlemania 26. But after that, management seemed to lose interest and the angle fizzled out. At Wrestlemania 28, Punk was the WWE Champion and still didn't get to fulfil his dream by headlining the event. That spot went to The Rock, a part-timer who had only appeared on a handful of Raw episodes before the match. The final straw seemed to be the plans for Wrestlemania 30. It would make sense, given his past, that Punk would be unhappy about being relegated down the card to face Triple H. There are also rumours that he didn't like the idea of Batista being hot-shotted straight into the main event only a few months after his return, taking a spot that should go Daniel Bryan, or Punk himself. It seems that, in this case, backstage politics has cost WWE one of their most talented stars. Perhaps for good.
Michael Palmer is a contributor at whatculture.com and thelineofbestfit.com, and he probably likes WWE slightly more than most people would call "healthy".
