5. Its Daniel Bryans Year
CM Punk attended Wizard World Comic Con in Portland on January 24th. It was one of his last public appearances prior to his departure. At the event, he fielded questions from fans and responded to them in the most honest, Punk-like way. One of the more intriguing moments came when he proclaimed that, Its Daniel Bryans year. He went on to say, They want him in the title picture, because its something new. He went on to compare his previous run under similar circumstances, and even took small shots at guys like the Rock and Batista who are part-timers but receive main event pushes. Now, the rumors surrounding his departure are often similar, but they have never been substantiated. For the most part, they circle around some disconnect between the WWE and Punk on how Wrestlemania would shape up. Reports indicated Punk would face Triple H, and that Punk was unhappy with this angle for his character. Other rumors claim he was battling a series of nagging injuries, and hadnt been healthy in quite some timeeven going as far to suggest that a myriad of tests had been done to find out what was wrong with him. Or, maybe he was simply burnt out. But the most likely scenario has to do with contracts and promises. CM Punk has accomplished more than many wrestlers ever will, but hes never main-evented Wrestlemania. Is it possible that something was built into his contract guaranteeing him a main event at Wrestlemania 30? Or, perhaps, it simply promised to him verbally, and then retracted after the Royal Rumble? Another report suggested Punk was penciled in to win the Royal Rumble. If these things were taken away from someone, what recourse would that star have? If Punk really wanted to make a statement for change in the way WWE does business, leaving would be the only option. Its interesting to note how well this all aligns. Suppose Punks desires to main event Wrestlemania are just that and nothing more. No overwhelming desire to win the main event, rather just be in it. If the company shifted gears toward Batista instead of him in the main event, and offered him Triple H as a conciliation prize, how would he react? In a way, Punks departure may have forced the WWE to promote Bryan to the title picture earlier than anticipated, and thusly enacted change the fans wanted. People can call Punk names for leaving, but its plausible his departure has given these same people exactly what they want.