CM Punk Doesn't Owe WWE or Its Fans a Return to Pro Wrestling

For the last few weeks, there had been a mantra repeated over and over in wrestling: If CM Punk is coming back, it would be at Raw in Chicago.  There weren't any real indications he'd be back, but it just made sense that if he'd agree to come back, his return would be on the Raw in his hometown five weeks before WrestleMania.

Well, he didn't come back.

Now, a report from Mike Johnson at PWInsiderElite.com (h/t WrestlingInc.com) suggests that Punk is not only done with WWE, but pretty much mentally done with pro wrestling.  Now, that's not exactly a surprise since it's not like he's showing up anywhere else, both due to his contract and his being burnt out, but seeing it put that way makes you realize just how serious he is about this.

Punk was all set to leave WWE in 2011.  While there's definitely a lot of mythologizing that goes on with the last few weeks of his previous contract with WWE, the gist is true: Punk's contract was expiring and he had planned on not renewing it for a long time due to a combination of frustration and burnout.  He had no desire to go anywhere else; he just wanted to rest.  

Thanks to a combination of luck and good work on both his (the "pipe-bomb" interview) and WWE's (giving him the opportunity as well as capitalizing on Money in the Bank being scheduled for Chicago) parts, he became the hottest wrestler in the business.  With a huge offer on the table, he signed for three more years.

With that in mind, it's no surprise that Punk eventually cracked.  Sure, he used his new contract to pay for a tour bus to make life on the road less likely to drive him insane.  Yes, he left in a much better position than he started in.  That's not the whole picture, though.

While some of this goes back before his current contract, Punk rarely got enough time off to heal injuries.  Remember that great run he had on commentary in late 2010?  That was coming off an injury, but with travel days, he was still spending half the week on the road when he was supposed to be at home resting.  

It's not like that was the only time, either, as there were other times like when he was running around with his arm in a sling after elbow surgery during a throwaway, somewhat comedic feud with Big Show.

Last year, even though he didn't have a major injury, Punk did get to take time off after WrestleMania, and rightfully so.  Not only was he burnt out, but he needed a lot of time away to freshen up, having not been protected well in his consecutive pay-per-view losses to The Rock (twice) and Undertaker from Royal Rumble through WrestleMania.  

He came back after nine weeks off for the Payback PPV, which was in Chicago.  It was clearly too soon, as somehow, he looked considerably more sluggish and rusty than when he returned several months early from a fractured skull in 2002.

On top of all this, Punk's a guy who, admittedly, is not the best at coping with celebrity.  He's not able to put on a mask when he's being pestered for autographs by the type of fans who wake up early to spend all day at the airport to try to meet wrestlers, yank his headphones off and so on.  

One of his pet-peeve stories tells of a woman who saw him sign an autograph for a fan, so she asked "Who are you?" and then requested her own autograph.  To have a thick enough skin for that to not get to you is commendable, but to let it get to him just makes him human.

Throw all this together and you could see how one day he would just decide to walk out, whether it's due to legitimate complaints with the WWE or just deciding "that's it, I'm done."  He's given plenty to WWE, and if he doesn't care about forgoing future royalty payments and doesn't want to go anywhere else, he can just decide not to work anymore.  

He's sacrificed his body to be able to give us, the fans, plenty of great matches for years. While he's gracious to fans who are well-behaved, unfortunately a lot of them aren't.

If you've met Punk and been respectful, I'm sure he was glad to meet you—look at how much fun he has at his question-and-answer sessions at the Wizard World comic-book conventions.  However, if you woke up at 5 a.m. to harass him while he was half asleep wandering through an airport or yanked his headphones off or called him "Phil" or all of the above, then, well, this is partially your fault.  

You're in the minority, I'm sure, but for years, you and fans like you have made his life just that much harder, and while I'm sure it's not close to his primary reason for leaving, if he's burnt out, it couldn't have helped.

If CM Punk has decided to retire, I hope he comes back at some point to do a retirement match, but that's me being selfish.  To be honest, I'm glad he went home.  He needs the rest.

David Bixenspan is also lead writer of Figure Four Weekly. Some of his work can be seen in Fighting Spirit Magazine.

Follow @davidbix