WWE News: Potential Time Frame for CM Punk's Return

As we all know, CM Punk has been working with an injury for a few weeks now.

Ultimately, the WWE decided to write him off by having Ryback throw him through a table "causing" the injury. Now, the company and fans alike are eagerly awaiting news on how long Punk will be out of commission.

According to Dave Meltzer in the newest subscribers-only Wrestling Observer Newsletter at F4WOnline.com (via WrestlingInc.com):

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The unofficial estimate from a few people close to CM Punk is that he will be out of action for around three weeks but a more solid time frame is expected to be released within a few days. Punk's recuperation time will depend on how well he progresses while rehabbing the knee that was operated on. As noted, Punk's WWE Title match against The Rock at the Royal Rumble is not in jeopardy.

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Overall, we won't know a true time frame for Punk's return until either he or the WWE officially announces it. Hopefully, we won't see conflicting reports about the injury, especially after the John Cena debacle. One has to wonder what the WWE has planned if this injury takes longer to heal than expected.

On Tuesday, Vince McMahon released a statement on the subject. The statement basically noted that the WWE currently has no plans to strip the WWE title from Punk. To me, I feel the company could have figured out a way to strip the title from Punk, crown another champ, and have Punk re-gain the strap upon his return.

Not only would this keep the title relevant, but it would ensure a WWE title match at TLC. Let's face it—if the title isn't defended at least at pay-per-views, it could be devalued in the eye's of fans. Ultimately, no one wants that to happen, so the WWE needs to come up with a backup plan for the gold.

Essentially, I am certain the WWE will figure out what to do if this injury lasts longer than expected. Chances are, Punk will make some sort of appearance on upcoming Raw shows, but I wouldn't expect more than that.

In the end, this is just a rough time frame and we will have to wait and see if the WWE or Punk can give a firm date for his return.