Over the past few weeks the details surrounding CM Punk have been exciting but the truth has been elusive. Following his historic promo to end Raw 9 days ago, words like ‘shoot’ and ‘work’ have been thrown around. For the non-wrestling geeks, a shoot means a completely unscripted rant. A work means it’s been planned to a certain degree with a big blurry line between what we see on TV and reality. Punk’s words appear to be some mixture of the two but even through his ‘suspension’, his promise has remained the same: He plans on winning the WWE title in front of his hometown crowd and leaving WWE. Will he win or lose? That’s anyone’s guess. But today we ask: What if CM Punk stays?
Why It Might Happen
Mike did some investigative reporting last week and found a LiveJournal entry that’s nearly identical to Punk’s recent tweets explaining his departure. As we all know now, Punk won and stayed in Ring of Honor for 2 more months. A lot of Punk’s problems with WWE stem from the way he’s booked currently. I don’t think he really cares about being on the collector’s cups but I think he is justifiably frustrated with not being a top guy. The past few weeks he’s been a major focal point and it’s paid off. Friends who stopped watching WWE years ago have been texting me, oozing with excitement over Punk’s current angle. When rumors of CM’s contract situation began to surface 6 months ago, it was supposedly up in September. Perhaps those initial reports are accurate and we will indeed see the Summer of Punk: WWE Edition.
This storyline is far too captivating for it not to continue on to Summerslam, WWE’s second largest PPV of the year. How they’ll get there with a ‘fired’ John Cena is anyone’s guess but maybe this is an opportunity for Cena to get some time off and take a break from the spotlight (which he might need). If that’s the case, the show would be in Punk’s hands and maybe WWE can keep him happy while he proves to them that he can be their top guy. Beyond those ideas and indicators, there is one more obvious truth: Punk has no better options. TNA may be offering a better wrestling product but chances are Punk wants nothing to do with Bischoff, Hogan and Russo. A return to Ring of Honor could be beneficial to their product but it’s not exactly financially lucrative for him. Punk knows the WWE is the best of the best when it comes to pro wrestling and there is little room for improvement once you leave. He may be evil, but he’s not stupid.
Why It Won’t Happen
After two of the most memorable endings to Raw in the past 10 years, Cena and Vinnie Mac went and mucked it up. A ‘win or be fired’ stipulation does nothing for Cena other than make the crowd root against him even harder. In the end, I don’t know if they’d let Punk win and if they don’t, I’m not sure if he’ll want to stay around regardless of when his contract ends. It’d just be more of the same for him. A 4 week push just isn’t enough for a guy regarded as the best in the business by many people in the business.
Vince has a thing for the guys that he’s created himself. If you came from another promotion or could leave for another promotion, Vince will do his best to devalue you. Punk fits that mold. If a superstar’s contract is coming to an end, they are usually held off TV for a few months. That practice pours cold water on any hot streak they had at the end of their WWE career and it gives the front office a bit of control over the star before their release into the wild. If Punk is ready to leave or at least take a break, he’ll job to Cena and have to sit on the sidelines for a few months losing a lot if the momentum he just built. Unfortunately for WWE, Punk is the kind of guy to take that in stride then raise hell when his contract is up. At this point, WWE needs him more than he needs WWE.
Soooo….
I have no idea. A Punk loss at MitB could incite riots in Chi-Town. The WWE didn’t need to give Punk this unforgettable albeit short run. The leeway they’ve given him says one of two things: they’re capitalizing on the Internet buzz while they still can or they know what they have and they’re crafting a bright future in an effort to help contract negotiations. I think Punk is ready to take some time off but personally, I don’t think that time will start July 18th. This is just too good to not run with.
What do you think the plan is?
I did see that the WWE’s official wording to GLAAD after Punk’s incident on Monday was that CM Punk’s contract expires 7/18 and is not part of the story line. It went on to say that Punk’s contract would not be immediately renewed and that all WWE superstars are independent contractors.
My guess would be a Punk win and then whoever won MITB ( Alberto Del Rio? possibly since they have been planning Del Rio vs Cena SummerSlam ) cashes it in to make sure Punk does not leave the WWE with the belt.
I had the same thought man, give the Chicago crowd something to pop then have the Money in the Bank winner immediately take it away. I think Del Rio works well because even though Punk’s a “heel,” he’ll certainly be the fan favorite at the show and Alberto will get plenty of heat.
Call me crazy but I think Punk wins clean. If Cena is to be fired after the match, it’d be too much going on for a MitB cash in. I say Punk wins, Cena gets fired and if they can work out a contract extension before them, Punk invites some guys to the ring ala Colt and the Kings of Wrestling. It could be an invasion-type angle. ok so many that’s a little much. But this is too good to remotely curb my fanboy imagination.
Well technically Vince said Cena would be fired if Punk left with the belt.
Part of me wants to believe that Vince chose the wording carefully never saying “If Cena loses” and just stating “If Punk walks out of Chicago with the belt” he would be fired
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