CM Punk: Latest News and Buzz Surrounding Former WWE Star for Week of January 19

With burned bridges behind him and a hostile new home ahead of him, CM Punk treks on.

Traces of Punk continue to fade from WWE. The company continues the process of wiping away his name and likeness. 

Meanwhile, the UFC hopes that the fame Punk gained as a pro wrestler nets the organization increased viewership and added pay-pay-views. Even with more money likely to flow into the sport, though, the list of fighters snarling at the sound of his name keeps growing.

The trash-talking directed at him grows louder, but Punk is set to go into a hibernation of sorts.

After his departure from WWE, Punk said nothing for a long time. That silence bred speculation and anticipation. Following his now-famous interview with Colt Cabana and signing with UFC, Punk was seemingly everywhere talking about his new venture and reflecting on his past in the ring.

Now that his UFC media blitz is over, expect Punk to go radio silent again. He has training to do as he tries to morph from a showman to a striker.

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The WWE will be equally quiet when it comes to the former world champ, even to the point of tearing him out of pre-existing products.

A Punk-Less WWE

Fans expect not to see Punk in a WWE ring as he and that company now feel like two divorced parents living separate lives.

That split apparently also includes WWE removing Punk from past publications. According to PWInsider Elite (subscription required, h/t WrestlingInc.com) WWE instructed the comic company Paper Cutz to remove Punk from future reprints of WWE graphic novels.

Royalties are likely to blame for this. Why else would WWE go to all the trouble of redoing old comics?

The same goes for WWE clearing Punk out of its online catalog.  

As Raj Giri notes on WrestlingInc.com, Punk merchandise is no longer available on WWEShop.com. Searches for the former WWE champ come up empty.

With Punk gone, WWE has also felt the need to take thinly veiled shots at him. The most recent of these came on SmackDown on Jan. 22. Dolph Ziggler certainly seemed to be referencing Punk when he talked about not wanting to whine on a podcast.

The WWE Universe Twitter account provides the exact quote:

Ziggler looked uncomfortable delivering the line. One has to imagine that the writers provided it to him. Count that as just the latest reason to not expect Punk and WWE to reconcile. 

Punk, for one, doesn't foresee positive exchanges between him and the company. About WWE, he told Dan Geltson of The Associated Press (h/t Salon), "They didn't like me long before I left and there's no reason to pretend there needs to be any kind of working relationship."

UFC, Unwelcoming So Far

As Punk ventures into his WWE career, he has already found people who want the furthest thing from a working relationship with him. Resentment and animosity act as his entrance song to this new world.

Fighters continue to throw verbal jabs at him.

In a radio interview with Chad Dukes (h/t Yahoo Sports), UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones expressed distaste about Punk's signing. He said, "I just think it's unfair for the people who have been working their tails off to earn this opportunity. That's why I really hope UFC gives him a real opponent, so we can watch him get knocked out."

Cathal Pendred went much further, dissing Punk directly on Twitter:

If Punk doesn't want to fight Pendred, a bevy of men await a chance to give him a violent welcome to MMA. John "Doomsday" Howard is one of them.

During a media day in Boston, Howard said (via The MMA Word) the following about Punk:

"

I think signing with the UFC for the exposure is awesome. I think with his skill set, I don't see who he could fight. We are the best of the best of MMA, okay? As a matter of fact, if he went to a lower-tier organization, I don't see him surviving. But who's he going to fight? I'll put it out there right now, I'll fight him.

"

Later, he added that he would "love to crack his nose."

Not everyone is so inhospitable. Anthony Pettis, the latest fighter to have Punk's name come up in an interview, sees things more positively.

To The Dallas Morning News, Pettis said, "I like CM Punk's attitude, because he came over with the right mindset, he wants it. But it's too early to see how good he can be."

Training Progress

Punk is presumably too busy preparing for his first fight to be scouring the airwaves for what his fellow UFC pugilists have to say about him. PWInsider's Mike Johnson reported on Jan. 6 that "Punk began training yesterday for his UFC debut in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with the Duke Roufus coached Roufusport Team."

Roufus shared a shot of Punk after his first grappling session:

Not long after that, Roufus had ample praise to hand to Punk. In an interview with Jason Ellis, Roufus said (contains NSFW language), "I know a lot of people are dragging the guy down, but I gotta tell you, he's pretty serious about this thing. I'm not saying he's the best now, but the guy is committed to do it." 

Roufus said that video of Punk in action isn't available yet. It's early in the process, but Punk is headed in the right direction.

The striking coach and former kickboxer later added, "The guy is a sponge. Each day, you see an evident [improvement] in every aspect of what he's training."

Punk is going to need that kind of learning aptitude. He is miles behind any potential opponents. His heart has to balance out his inexperience, and his ground game has to compensate for his striking.

There is no word yet on who Punk will face.

He has no shortage of options, though. Doomsday has volunteered and so has the Green Ranger. Add Al Bundy to that list.

Ed O'Neil, who played the famous father from Married with Children and now stars in Modern Family, made it clear that he's interested as well:

"

Word is @CMPunk still has no opponent for @ufc debut. Making my last attempt here pic.twitter.com/EijkOtwpqd

— Ed O'Neill (@RealEdOneill) January 3, 2015"

That would certainly boost pay-per-view buys. More realistically, his opponent will likely be a young, cocky fighter looking to prove that Punk doesn't belong and to send him back to WWE, a place that's no longer his home.