World Wrestling Entertainments reaction to CM Punks departure has been that of a company that does not care. They have been highly selective with their use of Punks name and image: they have not uttered it on air since he left; they have ignored fans chanting it; they have confiscated signs. But they still categorize CM Punk as a Featured Superstar on WWEShop.com because CM Punk is still a money maker for them. While I dont have stats on whether sales of CM Punk merchandise took a big hit or a big jump right after he left, its clearly still doing well enough that he is considered home page material. Regardless of what we say about Punk, or the companys treatment of him before and after his departure, WWE is going to just truck right along as they please. And many people will pay them for the experience. Furthermore, our fixation on CM Punk has clearly had no ill-effect on the rest of the Superstars. Theyre doing just fine, thank you very much. One less wrestler to jockey for position at the top of the card. One less talented promo-cutter to clash with on the microphone. One more reason to prove themselves, and try to earn our attention away from the Straight Edge Superstar.
Follow me @kickyhick :) I hold a degree in English Rhetoric & Professional Writing from the University of Waterloo in Canada. I've done technical writing, executive presentations, and recruiting materials for BlackBerry, and I write for non-profit organizations. My favourite project so far has been combining my passion for writing with being a die-hard wrestling fan. It's a pleasure to write here for WhatCulture, and also for TJRwrestling.com.
