There's that one day that AJ and Punk walked into catering and saw Triple H and Stephanie gathered around the prime rib and snickering when they saw the two of them walk into the room. Of course, the fact that at that moment both Punk and AJ were champions probably didn't mean much in the grander scheme of the idea that the two people who are the management future of were probably making fun of them. Whether or not this actually occurred isn't the point. It's the fact that Punk and AJ likely felt like uncool, nerdy hipster outcasts in WWE that sucked for them. John Cena and Nikki Bella don't likely get castigated for their every thought and creative idea. As well, Daniel Bryan's toed the company line and is even married to Brie Bella, too. The idea that Punk and AJ were two people that ultimately ended up together because they were probably each other's best allies while employed by WWE is significant. The fact that they're now married, disillusioned by wrestling, and never to return to WWE? That was definitely cemented when they realized that WWE under Triple H and Stephanie will likely be similar for them as it was under Vince McMahon. At that point, rather than being spiritually broken forever, they really had no other choice but to leave.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
