Thursday, May 29, 2014

CM Punk: Best In The World Of Retirement?

The Best in the World is now officially claiming to be retired. This comes from his own mouth to a reporter which I learned of through my friends at Between the Ropes.

So is it all over and Punk marries A.J Lee and rides off into retirement watching MMA, Blackhawks and Cubs for the rest of his days? I find that hard to believe personally that we have seen the last of CM Punk. He did say and I remember it clearly at one of the many comic-con appearances he has done over the years that he would be gone a lot sooner than people think.

Still for someone like Punk who definitely has an ego I can’t see this being his last moment in wrestling just being part of a Royal Rumble that he ultimately didn’t win. Wrestling retirements are often more attempts at getting another big pay day at some point down the line or part of a storyline. This is obviously not a storyline of any kind so one can assume the first to be most likely.

Contract wise Punk is set to have his deal end in July right around the time of Money in the Bank. After that he would be at least in his mind free and clear from any obligation to the WWE. That might not be true if the WWE were to challenge him on it. What the big point in a battle over if he truly lived up to his contract would be his health status. If he could successfully prove he was unable to perform than in all likelihood the WWE would have a hard time holding him back legally.

What seems likely is this is a play by Punk to have some leverage in striking a new deal with WWE. Punk often made comments of being jealous of returning former superstars having these great short term deals and only having to work limited amounts of dates. The best of those deals is currently held by one Brock Lesnar. If Punk could get a deal like that and figure out a way to get some money based on WWE Network instead of PPV which the WWE is phasing out that would be something appealing to him.

A.J Lee has also been away from the company as the real life couple plan to get married some time within the next month. Her status is a bit of a mystery too. Some making claims that she is an expecting mother as well as a soon to be bride.

I highly doubt we have seen the last of Punk in a wrestling ring. It is not that I am being a fan and thinking only of myself. If Punk truly has called it a day than I am truly happy for him. I just have a hard time buying that a guy who has been so driven to be considered the best ever in professional wrestling is content with the ending his wrestling story at this point. I am not saying Punk wants a parade or some ceremony to honor his career. He isn’t that type of guy. He is more the type of guy that wants to go out on a high wrestling a match that shows his true greatness and makes you understand that if he wanted to he could keep going.

If it truly was or is injuries that have caused this I have a hard time believing that someone wouldn’t have made that knowledge public by now.

He has returned to twitter so we do have that. Back only to tweet about his beloved Blackhawks and make a bet with a mascot lion for the Kings but it is something. He is starting to be a little more public and not hiding in the shadows so to speak.

If his career was and is over he has had one of the best careers and most meteoric rises in professional wrestling history. His exit from WWE may not leave him to be celebrated like many past superstars have been and are currently. Still it is hard to erase a man that held your title for 434 days as the longest reign in modern history.

Whatever the future hold I hope it provides the happiness and respect that Punk has earned from his time in the wrestling business. I hesitate to say my good-byes to his wrestling career because I am not convinced it is over.

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