With tonight's RAW being held in Punk's hometown of
Chicago talk has inevitably turned to a return. While I don't think it's
impossible I do think that it's unlikely Punk will appear on tonight's programme.
There's no complex reasoning for this. It simply comes
down to the reasons it's believed Punk walked out to begin with. He was
exhausted, unenthused and in need of a lengthy break. Five weeks may have been
enough time for his body to heal up to the point where Punk can get through to
either WrestleMania next month or his contract expiration in July (although the
latter seems unlikely) but he can't have had all the rest and relaxation he
clearly wants and needs.
I can't imagine Punk's views on the business have changed
in a month and a half either. The man had been treading water since last summer
before he left. He'd seen himself slip down the card from being the longest
reigning WWE champion in a quarter of a century to facing impressive but
decidedly upper mid-card names like Luke Harper, Erick Rowan and The Shield,
and likely finding himself opposite the ring from Kane at Elimination Chamber. He
was still a valuable asset to WWE but he was experiencing a down period that he
may have misconstrued as something more.
There were rumours that Punk had been pencilled in as the
WrestleMania opponent of Triple H before he walked. Perhaps the prospect of
losing to 'The Game' again didn't appeal. Or perhaps it's more simply a case
that Punk was irked when he realised he wouldn't be going on last at 'The
Granddaddy of Them All', said to be his last remaining goal in the company. He’d
said before he left that he was tired of the cycle of part-timers being called
into service for WrestleMania, leaving regulars on the sidelines when they
deserved more. That indicates that the denial of the main event slot may have gotten
to him.
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| If he does return he'll probably be talking |
As unlikely as it is a return isn't something that can be
completely ruled out. If we take the going on last thing as true WWE has
something with which they could tempt Punk back. It would be in their best
interests: they'd have one of their few remaining big name regulars to help
prop up the 'Mania card and encourage people to purchase it (either as a
pay-per-view or as part of the WWE Network). It would also allow them to work out
a better way of writing one of the more prominent and important figures of
recent times out of storylines, either at WrestleMania, the following evening's
RAW, or some time before his contract expires. They could use that to as a
chance to enhance the status of and get heat on someone fresh. Bray Wyatt or
Dean Ambrose for example.
If Punk does return there are a few things WWE could do
with him at WrestleMania. The first is have him resume his dispute with 'The
Big Red Machine'. This is a stretch though. I can't imagine the Punk ego
settling for a low card tussle with Kane at 'Mania. The Triple H match is a possibility,
but that was on the table when he left so probably isn't a winning offer
either. A combination of the two, Punk teaming with Daniel Bryan against Kane
and 'The Cerebral Assassin', is feasible but also pretty farfetched.
It's the main event Punk wants and the main event where
he'd be of most benefit. Adding Punk to the Batista and Orton clash would allow
'The Animal' to play the full on bad guy everyone seems to want him to be and
save the match from playing to boos, calls for Daniel Bryan and irreverent
chants for the likes of JBL and Michael Cole. That’s not the sort of atmosphere
WWE wants for its biggest pay-per-view main event of 2014. It would also get
Punk on side for his contract negotiations. He needs time off but I think he'd
agree to stick around if granted extended time off and a light schedule upon
his return. 2011 showed us that Punk is willing to stick with WWE if they grant
him concessions.
Having Punk fail to capture the title might help with the
negotiation process. Going on last at WrestleMania might be his sole remaining
goal now, but I think once he’d been through the process Punk would want to
repeat it and win the match. That’s something WWE could hold off as a
precaution, in case it can be used to tempt Punk back for WrestleMania 31 or a
later instalment.
Punk's involvement in the match would also present some
interesting possibilities for Extreme Rules. I think Daniel Bryan's going to be
involved in the title match on that show whatever happens, because it's coming
from his home state. If Punk were to win that would set up a satisfying title
match between the two former ROH stalwarts. It may have been seen before in
WWE, both on PPV and TV, but it’s not been done for a while and never since his
popularity boomed or in front of a crowd that would definitely favour Bryan. It
would be an interesting sight to see. What’s more it would help to break the
monotony of recent headline matches.
Another option would be to have Batista win and go on to
defend the gold against Bryan at extreme Rules. That match would also have an
electric atmosphere and would allow Bryan a nice Career Moment™ defeating
someone utterly reviled by the majority of fans.
That situation would leave Punk free to tangle with Randy
Orton or Triple H, especially if he was cost the ‘Mania main event due to
interference from a scheming ‘King of Kings’. Neither match is that interesting
or original, but we’ve not seen either for a while and with a gimmick attached
and some effort going into the writing either opponent could be made to work.
For the sake of completion I’ll also mention that if Punk were to face H3 at
Extreme Rules (which would be my preferred of the two scenarios) Orton would be
left free to be entered into the main event with Batista and Bryan, giving us
the other current option for the WrestleMania main event.
As much as I'd gone off him in the second half of 2013
I'd enjoy a Punk return now. His recent absence has helped to make him seem interesting
again, and if he were to return he’d be doing so to be involved in a major
match as opposed to treading water. It would signify that WWE are actually
listening to what their fans want and that they’re willing to admit (albeit
indirectly) that the Batista experiment hasn’t worked out as planned.
But, as I say, I’m not expecting to see him. So get ready
for a night of boos.
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