CM Punk has left the building *breaking news*

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This doesn't sound good at all.

Trouble in paradise.

Just one night after he was the Iron Man in the Royal Rumble match, lasting some 48 minutes from the number one entry spot, CM Punk wasn't booked to appear on Monday Night Raw. This was due to a number of rewrites demanded by Chairman of the Board Vince McMahon.

Now comes a report from the Wrestling Observer that says Punk told McMahon that very night that he was going home before doing just that and, as of right now, he is off all WWE shows going forward.

There isn't any information available outside of that right now. Punk hasn't tweeted anything out since praising fans following the Royal Rumble event this past Sunday night in Pittsburgh.

Well, he can come back to work and just perform lackadaisically, they wont risk him in the big events then. Probably job him out to someone awful and then let him go. Then he can go to ROH when the time comes.

Gregers wrote:

Kay Fabe wrote:"Lolz" at Kofi or Dolph getting Punks spot

Thank you for your comment which added so much to this discussion. Kofi or Dolph were examples of hard workers who haven't received the push punk did/has

Equally you could look at Ambrose or Rollins or Reigns as possibilities for that spot

What discussion? I'm sure there might be some that will enjoy talking about the merits of Dolph Ziggler or Kofi Kongston taking over the throne but its such a ridiculous notion that I dont believe it merits such discussion, my comment (you're welcome by the way) was written with the contempt I believe those choices deserve.

If you believe either of those two are capable of taking over from Punk then more power to you, However those kind of suggestions, for me at least, show a lack of understanding to what Punk brings to the table and it's so far away from reality that it'd be pretty pointless entering into any kind of discussion debating Kofi or Dolph as the new darling of the crowd.

Crimey wrote:He still has a contract though, he definitely won't be allowed to go to Ring of Honour for at least the six months remaining and WWE will definitely have a strong case to sue him for a lot of money. If Punk was smart he'd have just let his contract expire.

Sue him for what?

All he has to do is claim he is injured, claim he is feeling depressed, feels pressures by the schedule the WWE have put on him, the WWE wouldn't want another Benoit on their hands, they would be on a PR crusade to make sure everyone knew they were happy for Punk to take as much time off as possible.

I can never see them suing someone like that.

Vince isn't stupid, all sorts of secrets come out in the wash when you bring file law suits

Dirtsheets are reporting that Daniel Bryan was due to get the strap at EC but is now having to take Punk's slot v HHH at Mania.

#blamePunk

Dirtsheets are either being fed excuses or as usual making things up to cause outrage, either way thats nonsense

Probably a work tbh.

Well done Punk It is terrible news as I am a massive fan but he is too good for WWE. So is Bryan for that matter. They should both walk out and let the likes of Cena, Orton and Batista bore us to death every week.

He can take his ball and go home if he likes, but WWE remains the pinnacle of his profession

Should take note of his own promo

"The reason I'm leaving is you people. Because after I'm gone, you're still going to pour money into this company. I'm just a spoke on the wheel. The wheel is going to keep turning and I understand that"

ESPN Guy

"My info on CM Punk: I do know from sources that at #Raw in CLE there was heated exchange backstage between Punk & staff. Topic - concussion."

"Punk was heard arguing with staff saying "I passed all your damn concussion test" and "I'm not going out and telling fans that BS""

Crimey wrote:He still has a contract though, he definitely won't be allowed to go to Ring of Honour for at least the six months remaining and WWE will definitely have a strong case to sue him for a lot of money. If Punk was smart he'd have just let his contract expire.

Most likely situation would be punk sitting out the remainder of the contract and having a non compete clause for that time plus 3 months on top. Then there shouldnt be any need to sue.

Kay Fabe wrote:

NickisBHAFC wrote:Not sure how relevant this is.

But WWE have unfollowed CM Punk on twitter.

That'll teach him

Well if this isn't confirmation I don't know what more you people want

Kay Fabe wrote:

Gregers wrote:

Kay Fabe wrote:"Lolz" at Kofi or Dolph getting Punks spot

Thank you for your comment which added so much to this discussion. Kofi or Dolph were examples of hard workers who haven't received the push punk did/has

Equally you could look at Ambrose or Rollins or Reigns as possibilities for that spot

What discussion? I'm sure there might be some that  will enjoy talking about the merits of Dolph Ziggler or Kofi Kongston taking over the throne but its such a ridiculous notion that I dont believe it merits such discussion, my comment (you're welcome by the way) was written with the contempt I believe those choices deserve.

If you believe either of those two are capable of taking over from Punk then more power to you, However those kind of suggestions, for me at least, show a lack of understanding to what Punk brings to the table and it's so far away from reality that it'd be pretty pointless entering into any kind of discussion debating Kofi or Dolph as the new darling of the crowd.

Wwe is the product now, no individual matters.

You can't say they'll definitely have a strong case for suing him as none of us have any idea what clauses are or aren't in his contract.

If he has gone, I agree that he won't be wrestling anywhere until his contract expires, but anything else is just speculation.

Ent wrote:

Kay Fabe wrote:

Gregers wrote:

Kay Fabe wrote:"Lolz" at Kofi or Dolph getting Punks spot

Thank you for your comment which added so much to this discussion. Kofi or Dolph were examples of hard workers who haven't received the push punk did/has

Equally you could look at Ambrose or Rollins or Reigns as possibilities for that spot

What discussion? I'm sure there might be some that  will enjoy talking about the merits of Dolph Ziggler or Kofi Kongston taking over the throne but its such a ridiculous notion that I dont believe it merits such discussion, my comment (you're welcome by the way) was written with the contempt I believe those choices deserve.

If you believe either of those two are capable of taking over from Punk then more power to you, However those kind of suggestions, for me at least, show a lack of understanding to what Punk brings to the table and it's so far away from reality that it'd be pretty pointless entering into any kind of discussion debating Kofi or Dolph as the new darling of the crowd.

Wwe is the product now, no individual matters.

Damn Right, that dwarf Bull should take his place, he's a complete workbull you know

Although it doesn’t seem like a work I think it could be made into one. Punk’s a volatile guy who walks to the beat of his own drum but he loves the industry so much, he knows he has a hardcore cult following and when he’s sat at home in Chicago it might dawn on him that he doesn’t want it to end this way. When the dust settles I can see him smoothing things over with Vince for the short term at least. The WWE unfollowing him on Twitter just doesn’t seem right to me. Why would they do that, he’s still employed and still advertised for live events and the Elimination Chamber PPV. They wouldn’t unfollow him before making an official announcement. It can all be played into the angle of The Authority trying to wipe CM Punk’s name off the face of the earth.

Punk ‘walked’ on Monday. Today is Thursday. If the WWE simply accepted his decision there would have been an announcement by now. There’s bound to have been contact between both parties to try and work things out, I can’t imagine for one minute Vince & HHH wouldn’t try to contact Punk. If they can persuade the stubborn and volatile likes of Sammartino and Warrior to return to the company given their history I wouldn’t bet against them being able to do the same with Punk.

I’ll say this now - CM Punk will wrestle at Wrestlemania XXX.

It wont take a lot to make it a work.

"They leaked i'd quit, they tried to delete me off the earth, but they cant BLAH BLAH BLAH"

Exactly.

Gregers wrote:

Kay Fabe wrote:"Lolz" at Kofi or Dolph getting Punks spot

Thank you for your comment which added so much to this discussion. Kofi or Dolph were examples of hard workers who haven't received the push punk did/has

Equally you could look at Ambrose or Rollins or Reigns as possibilities for that spot

Looks as though it will be Shield/Wyatts but it could be really interesting for Shield dissention if one of them were chosen to go in the Chamber over the others...

Well Batista left the WWE the first time because he became disillusioned with the direction of the company and he was booked to look really pathetic against Cena on his way out. I understand Punk`s frustration with the WWE, especially around Mania season where it seems all about bringing in celebrities and former stars rather than actually making and establishing the current generation into superstars. I mean Batista in the main event for a unified title, which will presumably be the last match of the night? After leaving in 2010? It`s the same with the Rock, wins the title at the Rumble from Punk, introduces a new belt, loses to Cena at Mania and walks away from WWE. Guys like Punk have committed their careers to pro wrestling and this is how they`re treated as second place to hollywood stars. Admittedly, Batista and Rock are former world champions, but Punk is arguably more talented in the ring and even on the mic than both of them. He has also had to break through the glass ceiling of not being Vince`s archetypal main eventer (aka Cena). Something Bryan is also facing now. If Punk really is burnt out and disillusioned I think a sabatical would be a good thing for him. He doesn`t need to go to ROH or TNA until he`s ready to come back to wrestling and has found his passion for it again, or just go back to the WWE.

I'd be annoyed about Batista but the Rock is the Rock. He's an all time great and the biggest draw going. Punks carried a fairly poor era but he's not as big as the Rock was.

I'd love to see how angry Punk would get in TNA.

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:I'd love to see how angry Punk would get in TNA.

Angry enough never to return.

If this is a work then it's genius, you just have to look at the WWE Facebook to see how angry the fans are getting and how big the pop would be for him to come back.

If it is a work then wwe have just trolled the universe for no real reason.

I can see reasons.

1. It's brought media attention to a storyline.
2. It works with the whole Authority storyline and would put more emotion in any match Punk might have against HHH or an Authority backed wrestler.
3. If it is a work then it's done the impossible and made wrestling feel realistic.

It might not be a work but who knows, if it is then I think it's smart business as the attention it is getting is bigger than Batista coming back by miles!

I'm going with it's a work.

As is Bryan being deliberately held back being a work.

Punk v Bryan at WM 31.

If its a work its dull and also quite pathetic. Not sure how "Punk leaves cos he doesnt like the Authority" shows much fighting spirit for Mr Rage Against the Machine?

If it's a work then right now it's obviously not dull to the hundreds of comments on each facebook status enraged over Punk leaving, blaming the Authority for driving him out, it's a new story being reported all over the world with dirt sheets adding stuff almost every few hours...the amount of heat this has given the Authority is stupidly high.

If Punk comes back then that's when he shows his fighting spirit. If it's all a work then it's about the bigger picture not the quick pay off...it's obviously working (if it's a work) because it's got people talking.

Does he? Or has he just left like a girl in this if its a work? Quitting in the face of adversity isnt really brave is it?

They can make it a work, but if it originally was a work then it is appalling character judgement. Daniel Bryan keeps coming back, every other face ever has kept coming back. Punk gets eliminated unjustly in the Rumble then leaves? Real good storytelling.

And there are 100s of comments on facebook when Titus O'Neil throws up. Dirt sheets are also not really your "big deal" media stories. There are dirtsheet rumours about everything.

And it hasnt given "the Authority" heat. Its given WWE's creative and HHH/Vince heat. Its not kayfabe heat, its anger. They cant be annoyed about it if he returns.

What do you mean quit like a "girl" can boys not quit like this?

It's not a work, if it was a work they would have announced it, they would mention it on their wrestling shows. Works don't happen exclusively in the dirt-sheets and on wrestling forums, that would be an awful way of promoting a story.

Now, it may be turned into a work later if they negotiate a return so as to save face, but I think you've got to look at it sensibly and realise as a work it makes no sense.

Bull wrote:What do you mean quit like a "girl" can boys not quit like this?

Seriously?

That's your contribution?

  

Is that how the WWE fans see it though? Do they see it as him quitting like a girl? Most of the comments I've seen by fans on their statuses act like HHH drove Punk out of the company...the fact is that this has brought attention to the company, publicity it publicity and of course the Authority can use this for heat...all it takes is HHH talking about how he got rid of the good for nothing primadonna diva Punk and the fans will go wild, like they have been for Bryan over the past few months.

Your comparison of the O'Neil and Punk comments is a bit off, sure that probably got hundreds of comments but Punk is getting Hundreds on each and every status, stuff like we want punk trended worldwide, it has been reported on sites that don't usually bother about wrestling...look on any status right now on the WWE and the majority are for Punk.

If this is a work you might not like the storytelling behind it but it doesn't mean it hasn't worked in getting people behind Punk if he comes back, it doesn't mean that it hasn't given HHH more heat and it doesn't mean that people won't pay to see Punk and HHH at Mania if that is still the plan.

It's not a work. 100% not a work. None of the people reporting it are saying it's a work. WWE have never even attempted a storyline like this. Punk hasn't been mentioned on WWE TV or anything published by the WWE.

It has got the fans worked up, but not in a good way, they could obviously save it and pretend that was the plan, the same way they did with Bryan, but it's quite clear that this is not a work, that Punk has actually left.

If this was a work, it would be totally moronic.

It won't be a work but once Punk decides to come back they'll turn it into a work.

Did Punk quit in the face of adversity or did he quit in the face of injustice?

I hate a couple of guys I work with who clearly get the cream from the office, I'd chuck it in an instance if I could afford it, I don't think staying in the WWE to change the perceptions of those in charge is a worthwhile existence

like others have said, if its a work, its truely awful

however, it isnt a work. and if a storyline is made of it, and punk does return itll only be because of the backlash of him legit leaving.

The thing thats got me thinking is the fact WWE havent said a single thing about it. Says to me that A. It isnt a work, and B. They're doing all the can to get him back. I dont think they would remove him from the website and make an official statement about it until they're certain he wont be back.

You never know, he might be on RAW tomorrow night.

Kay Fabe wrote:It won't be a work but once Punk decides to come back they'll turn it into a work.

Did Punk quit in the face of adversity or did he quit in the face of injustice?

I hate a couple of guys I work with who clearly get the cream from the office, I'd chuck it in an instance if I could afford it, I don't think staying in the WWE to change the perceptions of those in charge is a worthwhile existence

Injustice you say...

Punk to return as a member of The Shield when Roman Reigns splits off leaving Punk, Ambrose and Rollins   

Bull wrote:What do you mean quit like a "girl" can boys not quit like this?

God I love faux indignation.

Can't non-faux's be indignant?

Breaking news:

CM Punk signs up for the second season of Total Divas.

Chris Jericho is said to be furious.

Anyone else notice punk missing from the 'then, now, forever' intro last night?

Yes I noticed that too. He has also been removed from the raw section of the WWE app.

Also heard report of people getting thrown out by security for chanting/signs taken off them too. The microphones sounded loud last night too

Seems a little harsh to give Punk the 'Benoit Treatment' for walking out!

Those changes probably indicate that they're not expecting a resolution (at least in the short term) to the issues.

Did Vince McMahon open last night's RAW with the following statement by any chance?

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Last Sunday night at the Royal Rumble, the WWE allowed CM Punk to take part in the match for over 49 minutes. However, now some 189 hours later, the facts of this horrific tragedy are now apparent. Therefore, other than my comments, there will be no mention of Mr. Punk's name tonight. On the contrary, tonight's show will be dedicated to everyone who has been affected by this terrible incident. This evening marks the first step of the healing process. Tonight, WWE performers will do what they do better than anyone else in the world: entertain you".

He's been Benoit'd.

WWE weren't expecting the CM Punk chants protest to be that loud last night, there fearing the Raw in Chicago that is coming up soon.

Probably just move it Nickis   

Loved how on Raw last night:

Spoiler:

Clearly Bryan is now getting the short end of the stick after the Punk departure; I fully expect him to be taken out of the Elimination chamber match for a feud with Kane:

Kane will beat him up on the way to the Chamber...either they go on to a Wrestlemania feud; or he picks up a win over Kane on Raw and then heads to Mania to face HHH.

That would allow Brock to enter the Chamber slot left by Bryan...win the title....giving us Brock vs Batista for Mania.

Also - I keep thinking whether anyone will end up getting the payoff against HHH. I know we all expect him to be unveiled as the evil corporate suit that held Punk/Bryan back...but what if he just keeps ploughing forward pretending he's doing what's best for business. With each passing week of contradiction (last week wasn't behind Bryan, this week was, next week probably reprimand Kane etc etc) I can't help but think he & the writers are unsure as to who they actually want his on screen persona to be!