WWE News: Punk Out, First Entry - Diary of Departure?

Big Nasty will be keeping a running diary of what appear to be CM Punk's final days in WWE (for now).  Reports of Punk's reticence to sign a contract extension seem to point to the fact that he is gearing up to leave the company.

CM Punk's uncertain future with the WWE has given way to growing speculation that he will in fact be leaving the company by the end of the summer. 

WWE contracts are extremely elusive in terms of public access, thereby making backstage rumor monger's the authority by default when it comes to speculative talk of contract expiration. 

Word on the street is top WWE star CM Punk has yet to sign an extension and plans on parting ways from the company, possibly temporarily, citing burnout.  

CM Punk's impending departure is yet another familiar instance of a top star exiting WWE despite the company's best efforts to placate them.  

The same exact scenario has played out with Batista, Chris Jericho, RVD, and Jeff Hardy featured in the very role Punk finds himself in now.  

WWE has garnered an infamous reputation for chewing up its independent contractors and spitting them out, however once in a blue moon a jaded top star gets the gumption to walk away on their own two feet while the unipolar wrestling power all but grovels at those two feet to get them to stay.  

CM Punk was not made in the WWE.  Gaining notoriety through the independent wrestling scene and developing a cult Internet following by virtue of his career in wrestling-purist safe haven Ring of Honor, Punk was one of those rare talents who was basically a ready-made star by the time he got to the Fed.  

Always one to walk to the beat of his own drum, Punk's rebel-like attitude has been known to land him in hot water with higher ups in WWE, yet his immense talent has seen him persist through otherwise damning trips to the WWE's vaunted doghouse. 

Punk's well-traveled journey through professional wrestling provides a formidable explanation as to how and why he could step away from the bright lights of WWE so easily (compared to some of his peers).  WWE was more responsible for amplifying the wattage of his star power rather than begetting it. 

Punk's gratitude towards WWE, while ostensibly significant, is similar to the rather muted gratitude an A-student would have towards his godfather who paid his way through college.

According to some sources, Punk's distorted sense of belonging actually plays into his own possible decision to depart from WWE. 

In a report by PWInsider, Punk was said to have been unhappy with his current position in WWE as stars such as the Miz and Alberto Del Rio were pushed in favor of him. 

All the while, Punk remained mired just a few notches above WWE purgatory.

In a move that directly coincided with reports of Punk's expiring contract, WWE curiously drafted, WWE Diva and Punk's real-life girlfriend, Beth Phoenix to RAW.

This was an apparent (and groveling) effort to keep their talented alleged malcontent happy, yet very little progress seems to have been made as Punk still has yet to re-sign with WWE according to some reports. 

As WWE prepares to part ways with one of its biggest acts, there seem to be tentative plans in place to write Punk off TV through a feud with John Cena prior to his contract expiring. 

Punk took a pinfall loss from Rey Mysterio Jr. last week on RAW, in a tag team match against Mysterio and Cena, with help from WWE Hall of Famer Bret "the Hitman" Hart.  Punk is scheduled to face Mysterio Jr. on the Memorial Day edition of RAW. 

The outcome of Punk's singles match with his longtime rival could go a long way in illustrating just how WWE plans to book CM Punk in what look to be his final months with the company. 

OMAHA, Nebraska - May 30.  On a show marred by technical difficulties, the RAW broadcast built towards a matchup between two men who have no difficulties working with one another in the ring. 

Punk and Rey Mysterio Jr. have had a series of great matches in the past, and tonight's marquee match up would see the two go toe-to-toe once again as Punk looked to avenge a loss he suffered at the hands of Mysterio in last week's tag team main event. 

The match received noticeable fanfare, and did not disappoint as the two worked a match near the high standards they had already set through several strong performances in the past. 

It was a back and forth match that told a story of both men being familiar with each others' moves.  Mysterio excellently countered CM Punk's Go To Sleep finisher on multiple occasions, with Punk returning the favor by thwarting head scissors attempts and would-be hurricanranas. 

The finish saw CM Punk win the match by drilling Mysterio with a roundhouse kick shortly after Mysterio slipped out of Punk's GTS for a second time.  WWE really seems to be getting behind that big kick of Punk's. 

He used a similar boot to help knock out the Big Show on last week's RAW. As a result, his usually deflated Nexus band mates, Michael McGillicutty and David Otunga, captured the WWE tag team championships. 

CM Punk's hard-fought victory after a strong match is a promising sign that he will not be buried on his way out but rather refurbished only to be knocked down by a more than worthy foe...who will in all likelihood may be John Cena at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view in July. 

Big Nasty is a contributor to FightLife Magazine. Follow him on Twitter  @ThisIsNasty.