WWE: CM Punk, a Proven Commodity the Company Needs

For those who adamantly insisted that CM Punk was indeed staying with WWE despite all the Internet chatter that has been going on for months, Tuesday morning was a wake-up call.

Why Tuesday morning? Because on Monday Night RAW, Punk announced that on July 17th he would beat John Cena at the WWE’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view and leave with the WWE Championship.

The announcement came after Punk was crowned the new No. 1 contender and was also followed by another bit of information: Supposedly his contract is up on the same day as the pay-per-view.

Monday night came and went, and curious fans no doubt began checking the websites early in the a.m. on Tuesday to see if it was true or if the whole thing was a work.

One look at Punk’s Twitter account was all any of his fans needed to confirm their worst fears:

“I knew I was gone at the beginning of the year. I just woke up one day and I knew. That’s the way I work a lot of the time.

"I think it’s creepy too, but it’s really helpful. I knew I’d be history by July.

"Come say goodbye on July 17th. I promise to go out with a bang. Trust me.”

Now, this may or may not be the end of CM Punk in WWE. After all, there is still plenty of time to get a new deal in place, and there is also the likelihood that he may sign a contract extension right before or after Money in the Bank.

Plus, there is also the possibility that he’s just having fun with fans right now and his online activity is being done in support of the storyline.

Back in 2005, when Punk was still working for Ring of Honor, he said virtually the same thing, word for word, on Twitter. He was teasing leaving with the ROH Title and taking it to WWE with him. So are his words on Tuesday from the heart or just a work?

Another real question is how successful will this latest program between Punk and Cena be? If it were to go over with fans and make some real money for the company, then chances are Punk’s contract extension may happen sooner rather than later.

If the fans do not respond very well to this new program, then CM Punk’s days in WWE may indeed be numbered.

I, for one, have to say that if he does go, it will be a significant loss for WWE.

CM Punk represents everything that is good about the business of professional wrestling.

He is very talented in the ring and can tell a story with his matches. This used to be the norm for pro wrestlers, but these days it is rare to find a guy who is so good, so consistently, as CM Punk.

Punk is also very good on the mic. It seems to be so easy for him, and everything he says seems to just come from nowhere, as if he is giving it very little thought.

CM Punk also has respect for the business and those who came before him.

Who can forget the first RAW after Randy Savage was killed? CM Punk wore the familiar pink trunks with yellow knee pads and yellow boots. That simple gesture surely scored a lot of points with fans and spoke volumes about where Punk’s head is in regards to the business he loves.

Punk is the type of worker who can sell anything that is given to him, whether he is a heel or baby face. His character can be easily steered in one direction and then pulled back, tweaked and sent in another direction, with total believability.

You can look at CM Punk and believe that he is a good guy, a straight edge Superstar who gets what he wants through hard work and perseverance.

But one flash of his self-righteous smirk of a smile, and suddenly you see that he is devious and manipulates others to get what he wants.

Simply put, CM Punk can do anything at any time.

However, for the past few months, it seems as though WWE no longer recognized his worth. When speculation began flying about Punk’s assertion that he was going to allow his contract to expire and leave the company, he began losing nearly every match he was booked in.

Apparently Vince McMahon’s idea of loyalty to one of his best overall performers entails running him into the ground. This destroys any value he may have to any other promoter who wished to hire him once he left WWE. It’s been done quite a bit in the business before; it’s nothing new.

The fact is CM Punk deserves better. He is an asset to WWE, and if this is indeed his last run, he will be missed.

Professional wrestling is a demanding business, both physically and mentally. Even the best need a break to reflect and refuel. Perhaps this is all CM Punk wants. If that is the case, then hopefully he will not be gone from WWE for long.

The company already is very thin on the main event level, and losing Punk will not help matters at all. Hopefully the company will see that and make the proverbial offer that Punk can’t refuse.

CM Punk is a big-time talent who needs the big-time stage of WWE on which to ply his craft. He’s not just another WWE Superstar. He is an independent star who took his hard-nosed work ethic and combined it with the showtime of WWE to create something new and unique. Here’s hoping he can continue to do what he does best, and that WWE sees that as well.