As we get closer to WWE Payback which is this Sunday, the anticipation builds about one superstar returning, who hasnt been seen in the WWE for quite a while. Its not Chris Jericho, and its not Brock Lesnar. In fact, while the entire WWE Universe wants him to return, the reality is that he wont be seen anywhere near the All State Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. In the past, WWE has always moved on, no matter who got injured or left the business. When the cameras start rolling and WWE goes live with the Payback PPV from Chicago, the one name that will be on everyones tongue is CM Punk.Its been five long months since CM Punk walked out of the WWE, and since then, WWE has pretended that CM Punk never existed. While Daniel Bryan was scripting his own fairytale and Brock Lesnar was doing the improbable, CM Punk took some much needed time off, and has been away from the public eye. Although few fans have spotted him at the occasional UFC PPV or a hockey game, Punk has made it very clear that he isnt interested in the spotlight, or going back to the WWE. With Punk now getting engaged to the WWE diva AJ Lee, he will only be more hesitant to return to the WWE on a full time basis, constantly traveling on the road.In hindsight however, Punk doesnt need the WWE. It has been reported numerous times that Punk has been very careful with his finances, and had always avoided over spending with the idea of wrapping up his wrestling career soon. WWE however direly needs CM Punk, even more than Punk needing WWE or professional wrestling. In this article, I give you those five reasons, and why CM Punk might never return to the WWE, while WWE needs CM Punk.
#5 WWEs financial woes
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Recently, it was reported that Vince McMahon lost over 400 million dollars, thanks to some miscalculations regarding the WWE Network. While it is reported that Vince is set to lose even more in the coming months, Vince is set to make some major changes in the organization, and one of the main things on his agenda would be to bring back the one person who shook up the industry during the summer of 2011, with his now infamous pipe bomb promo.
Vince McMahon is a smart businessman, who knows the difference between professional and personal lives. With Vince bringing back the likes of Hulk Hogan, who had publicly turned on Vince McMahon in the past, we needn’t be surprised if Vince launches a full – scale effort in bringing Punk back to the company. With Punk making it clear that he’s not even remotely interested in wrestling for WWE, Vince McMahon has to take the initiative, and knowing Vince, that is exactly what he will do to bring Punk back to the WWE.
#4 WWE needs big names
With The Undertaker’s future up in the air, Lesnar unlikely to return till SummerSlam and with Daniel Bryan out of the picture for the moment, WWE direly needs someone to return and bring back the interest, along with their star power. The interest in WWE’s product is at an all time low, and the low ratings haven’t surprised anyone who sat through this week’s episode of RAW. With Batista taking time off after WWE Payback, the void of a big name gets bigger, and WWE needs to do something about it as soon as possible.
This further backs my claim that WWE needs CM Punk more than the Straight Edge superstar needing the global sports entertainment organization. Lackluster storylines have also played a major part for CM Punk walking away from the WWE, and a lot hasn’t changed since.
#3 The fans are losing interest in the product
The major complaint the WWE fans have had in recent weeks is the fact that they are losing interest in the product. With the ratings on a constant decline, much has been made about WWE’s booking of talents. Although major improvements have to be made to the product, CM Punk’s absence has left a huge void, both star power wise as well as story line wise. WWE hasn’t initiated anything interesting after WrestleMania, and that is bound to come back to haunt them come Sunday in Chicago, where the fans can’t stand anything mediocre.
WWE’s best attempt at doing anything remotely interesting other than feuds involving Daniel Bryan and The Shield was the debut of Adam Rose, which was a catastrophe. WWE could’ve waited for a week for him to debut on a PPV, rather than pushing him into a nonsensical squash match that the fans won’t even remember come Sunday. This week’s go – home episode of RAW was one of the most boring episodes in the past few months, and that won’t do them any favors come Sunday, and even after the PPV.
#2 Daniel Bryan is out with an injury
The biggest blow that WWE has recently suffered is the fact that the current WWE World Heavyweight champion, Daniel Bryan had to undergo a neck surgery, and is out of action indefinitely. Although he is rumored to return to action sooner than expected, he won’t be working the Payback PPV this Sunday, which means that the WWE will be without their major superstar, and the company’s world champion. Although Bryan is still scheduled to appear on the PPV, the fact that he won’t be performing is a huge blow to the company.
Daniel Bryan was successful in replacing CM Punk as the number two guy in the company, and has utilized the opportunity he has received to the maximum extent. It can also be argued that the void left by Punk wasn’t as great as it was earlier expected, due to the fact that Daniel Bryan has been able to ride on his superstardom and his recent success, cementing himself as the new face of the company – a spot which was previously filled by CM Punk.
However, come Sunday Daniel Bryan won’t be able to make a huge difference, giving the fans even more excuse to chant for the Second City Saint. The more time Bryan takes to recuperate, the more WWE would miss someone like Punk.
#1 Payback is in Chicago
The first reason why WWE needs CM Punk more than Punk needs WWE is quite obvious. WWE Payback will roll out of Chicago, Punk’s backyard. The Chicago fans are known to be a ruckus and rowdy bunch, which would disrupt the entire PPV. Unlike the recent incident in the United Kingdom, where WWE successfully edited the crowd chants, the PPV will be live, and the fans will be vocal about the current product and their hero missing from the card.
The last time that happened, WWE sent out Paul Heyman to negate the hostility of the crowd. Although there is every possibility of that happening again, this isn’t just an episode of RAW. The entire PPV will suffer if the fans start booing the likes of Orton, Batista and Triple H, who’re set to main event the PPV with The Shield. With Daniel Bryan not wrestling on the show, there is more bad news for the WWE, as he is the one person other than Cesaro and The Shield who can keep the fans under control.
Although fans would want Punk to return at Payback, that will not happen. CM Punk has been upset with the WWE management for a while, and the fact that they’ve brought back part time performers to main event WrestleManias has only made it worse. It would make more sense for Punk to work very few dates and make millions like the other part timers, rather than wrestle full time and get burnt out once again.
