CM Punk allegedly leaves WWE

Rumors are going around the internet that CM Punk has allegedly left the WWE. As reported by nearly every major wrestling news site (Wrestling Observer, PWInsider, Bleacher Report and more), Punk apparently told Vince McMahon himself on Monday night that he was “going home,” and got on a plane headed for Chicago. Punk has since been removed from all upcoming live event and house show listings.

Other than the above info, not much about the situation is known besides speculation – and it’s possible a good deal of the known info is speculation as well. Being that this is professional wrestling, everything that happens in and around it should be taken with a big grain of salt. CM Punk hasn’t commented on the rumors on Twitter and the WWE hasn’t made a statement either. But the internet certainly seems to think that we won’t see CM Punk in WWE for some time – or if we ever will again.

It has been said that CM Punk has been working injured for months but soldiering on because having Punk on TV is what’s best for business. But with his contract expiring (legitimately) this July, it seems like Punk may be leaving – and much more suddenly than anyone would’ve suspected. Punk himself has mentioned in the past that he is planning on retiring much sooner than most people realize.

But more than just working hurt, some have speculated that Punk’s departure may have more to do with the WWE’s politics of pushing part-time wrestlers further than the guys who work for the company night after night. Punk was a victim of this last year when his title reign, the longest of the modern era, was ended at 434 days at the Royal Rumble so that The Rock could carry the belt into Wrestlemania 29 to face golden boy, John Cena. Anyone who watched the Royal Rumble this year knows how displeased the crowd was with Batista’s victory. And despite being eliminated by Kane in the Rumble, after entering #1 and making it to the final four, Punk was nowhere to be seen on Raw this past Monday. But it's hard to say if Batista winning the Royal Rumble was what sent Punk over the edge or if it even had any influence over his decision.

Losing CM Punk would be terrible for WWE. Having worked his way up from the independent circuit to the biggest stage in the world, Punk has a huge fanbase that may react pretty negatively to the Straight Edge Superstar’s sudden exit from the WWE. He’s as exciting on the mic as he is in the ring and it’s not a stretch to say that many people attend live shows hoping to see CM Punk. Especially now that the Road to Wrestlemania is in full swing, losing CM Punk for whatever reason is going to be a huge detriment to the WWE.

I’m going to end this post with CM Punk’s “Pipebomb” promo from June, 2011. You can draw a lot of parallels between that angle, which led to his historic title run, and the current situation. But you can also say that this promo lays out a lot of the speculated reasons why Punk has left WWE. 

(Photo from WWE.com)

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UPDATE

Remember when I said before to take this CM Punk news with a big grain of salt? Well take a look at what the official WWE Shop Twitter feed posted just this morning:

 Hmm...brand new CM Punk merch shilled on the official WWE Shop Twitter feed appears coincidentally on the same day that the internet blows up over CM Punk leaving WWE? Draw your own conclusions but like I said - big grains of salt.