Photo Credit: www.fanpop.comBy: Thomas Skidmore — Photo Credit: www.fanpop.com
By: Thomas Skidmore

Ok, first off, let me start this off by saying this... If you came here looking for something relating to punk rock bands like The Sex Pistols, The Clash, or The Ramones, you tuned into the wrong show. That said, if you're of a younger punk rock generation and you came looking for the likes of Green Day, The Offspring, or even Blink-182, sorry again. No, this is about punk of a different breed. The breed that was brought to you by the likes of Mr. Phillip Jack Brooks. Who you ask? Well, that would be the one and only CM Punk.

Fans of World Wrestling Entertainment have sat back for the last few weeks wondering where CM Punk is and wondering when he will return. The hole that has been left on WWE programming can not be overlooked or unnoticed for that matter. The product is stale. The crowd is restless. If not for the likes of Daniel Bryan, the WWE fanbase might have already turned their televisions off or (*gasp*) tuned into TNA Impact to fill the empty sports entertainment hole that sits in their stomachs.

Now, every internet wrestling fan has read up on the "when's" and "why's" as to Punk walking away. Those same fans have their opinions on the matter. The voices of those fans have been clearly heard on Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown. The programming itself has been modified. Please, don't find it as a shock that Daniel Bryan came out twice this past Monday night (Feb 10) prior to the Randy Orton-John Cena match. Oh no... The powers that be in the booking/programming department remembered full well the response Orton and Cena recieved at the Royal Rumble PPV. Why not send out their hero two times to appease the crowd's hunger before you throw out, yet again, another Orton-Cena snoozer. That was smart. Good move. However, tell me this... How many times is it going to take Daniel Bryan coming to the ring when Raw is live from Chicago in March to satisfy that crowd's thirst for their favorite?

I want to set the record straight here... I have been a wrestling (yes, wrestling... sports entertainment is what they call it... I'm old school) fan since i can remember. My wife clowns me to this day, wondering why I haven't grown out of it. Grow out of it? Really? Anyway... I have had my favorites and I do rank CM Punk up there. In my opinion it takes ring savvy, a certain swagger about you, and mic skills to be in this business. Some have one or the other, but very few have had both. Names like Ric Flair, Randy Savage, Rick Rude, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, Chris Jericho, The Rock... Those are some of the greats. I put CM Punk right up there with those names. As it stands right here, right now, I'm putting him above those legends though. Why? Because he walked away. Yeah, scroll back up. Read it all again. I said it. Punk leaving sucks. It really does. From every fan's perspective. However, I have more respect for a man like Punk that will walk away from a smelly situation, than to let himself be washed in it.

Here's the facts... CM Punk is the 19th superstar to achieve WWE Triple Crown Champion status. He did so in 203 days. Triple Crown has been achieved before, but no one has done it faster. CM Punk is the only superstar to win the Money In The Bank match two times in a row. Cashed in both times to become WWE/World Champion. CM Punk held the WWE Title for 434 days. The longest of the so-called modern era. That's 13 PPV matches and several title defenses on television. Dare I say, the hardest working champion. He wrecked his knee, but still hobbled down to the ring and cut his promos. He didn't stay home. He didn't disappear. Wait... If you missed that, I'll repeat it. He didn't disappear.

When Vince McMahon brought The Rock back, I was one of the happiest guys around. Rock is a gamer. Good in the ring, great on the mic. Then he goes right after John Cena? Oh, you couldn't wash the smile from my face. Then... Well then, Vince wanted to give Rock the World Title. Why? No, I ask that for real this time. Why? I have no answer. Had it been Rock taking the World Title from Cena, I wouldn't have had a problem with it. The fact that Vince, in all his infinite wisdom, decided to let Rock take the title from CM Punk, that was writing on the wall for me in regards to Punk's treatment in WWE. Vince and Rock, collectively, killed 434 days of glory for Punk and Punk's fans. That was not good for business.

Now, Punk is out of the World Title picture. He has a great match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania. All the while, another blast from the past has returned to WWE in the form of Brock Lesnar. This leads to a feud with Lesnar. Then, a feud with Paul Heyman, Curtis Axel, and Ryback. To me, this was when I could see the light in Punk's eyes going out. You could see it on his face. You could see it in his body language. Then, he was paired with Daniel Bryan against The Wyatt Family. I thought this was good stuff, but the bookers quickly found a way to screw it up. They had The Shield attack Punk. To me, another good move. I thought the Punk-Rollins matches were some of the best matches on television. Punk getting over young talent, but still managing to stay a top figure. Good stuff. This leads us to Royal Rumble...

Going into Royal Rumble, Vince decided to reach out and bring back another old face to the company in the form of Batista. Even before he returns, it's announced that he'll be in the Rumble match. I've seen a lot of returns occur on Raw and I have to say, Batista's return was met with the least amount of fanfare. It seemed like the crowd was in my head when I watched it. I was thinking "why are they bringing this guy back" and I like to think that the crowd was thinking the same thing. The crowd response was dead when Big Dave walked to the ring in his skinny jeans. Ok, quick show of hands here... Was anyone suprised when Batista won the Rumble match? No? I didn't think so...

So, the Raw after Royal Rumble, Punk walks out. Reports say that he was upset over creative plans for him. Can you blame the guy for walking out? He had held the WWE Title for 434 days and had it taken from him by a returning superstar in the form of The Rock. He had been beaten by another returning superstar in the form of Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. Now, Batista returns to win the Royal Rumble and get a World Title shot at WrestleMania...

Vince McMahon and Triple H have a lot of soul searching to do when it comes to the company that they run. Are they trying to put on a show that they want to see or are they putting on a show that the fans want to see? The crowd's reaction during televised events goes to show that they want Punk back. Vince and Trips can try and sit back, thinking it will die off, but it won't. The fans in the arenas and at home are waiting for Punk to show back up. My advice is this... Bring Punk back. Give him the push he has already earned. Stop bringing back the old superstars and pushing them over the already established ones. Either that, or you're going to have to keep throwing in garbage dance offs or crappy Divas matches as what a friend of mine aptly labeled "No Punk filler time". You're supposed to be on "The Road to WrestleMania" and one of the guys that people will pay to see is sitting at home. Sure, WrestleMania might come off good, but without Punk, it will leave some fans with an empty stomach. Well, and there's always Raw in Chicago... With no Punk, you have to wonder how that's going to go...

{{This article isn't meant as a fan love letter for CM Punk. It's just pointing out the results of bad management in regards to one of the most liked characters.}}

A World Without Punk