WWE News: CM Punk Leaving WWE, and 5 Reasons a Chicago Screw Job Won't Happen

CM Punk's departure from WWE was made officially inevitable following a promo Monday where Punk declared that he would be leaving the WWE when his "contract expires" on July 17th at Money in the Bank. 

What looks to be Punk's final match will take place in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois.  The circumstances surrounding Punk's final match spark memories of the Montreal Screwjob, where WWE Hall of Famer Bret "The Hitman" Hart was booked to drop the WWE Championship to Shawn Michaels in his home country of Canada unbeknown to him.

WWE has emulated and re-emulated the infamous moment multiple times since it first happened in 1997, with one of those incarnations ironically involving CM Punk himself.  I find it hard to believe that WWE would once again rehash the now commonplace angle, as it pertains to CM Punk, given the circumstances of Punk's program with John Cena. 

A "Screwjob" angle with Punk would cause unnecessary confusion and booking woes leading up to a SummerSlam pay-per-view with a main event (possibly not involving Punk) that has reportedly been on the book for months now.  

Reasons against a screwjob angle far outweigh reasons for it, which at the moment I can think of none. 

Follow Big Nasty on Twitter @ThisIsNasty or become a victim of a Twitter screw job.  Kurt Angle style. 

1. CM Punk Is Heel, John Cena Is Babyface

In order for a screw job angle to commence, many elements would have to be moved around.  These elements would have very little time to be built up and embedded in the minds of wrestling fans with SummerSlam set to take place the following month, and would likely end up in a big mess.

If Punk (the heel) were to be screwed over in his hometown, he would immediately garner babyface sympathy, with Cena coming off as a heel even if he is portrayed as an innocent bystander. 

Besides, by implicating Cena in a CM Punk screw job, it would just give the audible, partisan, Cena hating Chicago crowd (and live WWE crowds around the world) more reason to boo Cena—innocent or not.  

Although Punk will be embraced as the babyface by the Chicago crowd, creative need not get carried away with their booking at the expense of their long term plans. 

2. John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio Is Likely Still on the Books

With the Miz, R-Truth, and eventually CM Punk out of the way, the dust is slowly settling for a showdown between John Cena and Alberto Del Rio. 

While Del Rio has had a WWE/World Championship reign delayed for months, SummerSlam seems to be the event where Del Rio finally realizes his "destiny" of becoming a world champion for the first time. 

Should CM Punk be subject to a screw job, a money main event between Cena and Del Rio would get tricky to sell due to what would become Cena's ambiguity as a "good guy." 

A black cloud of controversy will follow Cena to the SummerSlam main event should he find himself anywhere near a screw job angle, making it difficult for most fans to buy into a battle of good vs. evil between Cena and the aristocrat Del Rio. 

3. A Money in the Bank Winner Will Likely Cash in Their Briefcase That Night

With WWE in the two-briefcase era of Money in the Bank, it is more effective to follow the pattern of having one of the winners cash the briefcase in that night, leaving one briefcase holder to more effectively build heat on said briefcase over a longer period of time. 

I could easily see a situation where the MITB winner (possibly Del Rio) cashes in the briefcase following a win by either John Cena or CM Punk. 

Perhaps it could even be an alternate way for WWE to send the Chicago crowd home happy if Cena beats their hometown hero only to drop the title seconds later. 

4. CM Punk's Contract May Not Actually Expire on July 17th

Not that a screwjob angle would be real, but word on the street is that there may still be plans to use Punk past his (kayfabe) expiration date. 

With Punk's contract reportedly expiring in September, the temptation is there to continue to use Punk up to SummerSlam, possibly as champion. 

Because Del Rio's name booked in a main event is becoming the equivalent to a Jeff Hardy court hearing, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for creative to "call an audible" and book a Punk-Cena rematch at SummerSlam. 

5. If Cena Wins, They Riot

Not that Cena shouldn't be considered as a favorite in this match, but it wouldn't be in WWE's best interest to try their hand at screwing with a Chicago crowd too much. 

This aint Canada, a riotous bunch in their own right, and a clean Cena win alone is liable to incense the passionate fanbase. 

However if WWE shoots an angle where the hometown hero is perceived to have been wronged, ambulance trucks could tip if familiar threats of a riot following a road (and rogue) John Cena victory finally come to fruition.