Time Is Almost Up for CM Punk to Launch Unlikely WrestleMania Return

Four weeks to go. The clock is ticking until WrestleMania XXX—but whilst there is still plenty of time left until the actual show, time is almost up for CM Punk fans.

They have been clinging to the desperate hope that his departure from the company is all a work—and he will return, just like he did in 2011—tricking us all.

Whilst it seemed incredibly plausible that it was a work when it initially broke—it would be hard not to suspect that, knowing Punk's history—so much time has passed you almost have to believe it is all legitimate.

With that in mind, negotiations for a return to the company will have to be thrashed out incredibly quickly for CM Punk to launch a successful return in time for WrestleMania.

We shouldn't forget that Punk is a huge star in the eyes of WWE fans and of the company, up there with the likes of Daniel Bryan and John Cena. A WrestleMania without him would be a bit of a shame, as he is one of the major draws the company occupies.

However, with just four weeks left until the biggest WrestleMania ever, you have to begin to wonder two things. Will CM Punk be lured back in time for the show, and even if he is—is there time for him to set up a worthwhile program at WrestleMania XXX?

Rivalries take time to build up, after all. At least the ones that matter do. There are things that need to happen for a successful feud to be carried off—including plenty of back and forth between both competitors. If Punk returned in the next couple of weeks—how on Earth could the company manage to pull of a rivalry of any sort?

Of course, there is the possibility he could actually return at Mania. That would be a pretty huge moment indeed—but it is hard to see where a Punk return would fit into a card that is rapidly developing.

Time is certainly running out for Chicago's finest. It looks like everyone who assumed Punk's latest departure from the company was a work have been tricked. Let's be brutally honest—if it was a work, why would they have kept Punk off the Raw that was hosted in Chicago? In some ways, that was essentially the last chance for CM Punk to make his grand return in time for WrestleMania.

There may well be a few weeks left until WrestleMania. That seems like a long time in reality. But in the world of professional wrestling, that is just not enough time for CM Punk to show up at WrestleMania.