CM Punk: WWE Return Growing Less And Less Likely, Insiders Say
CM Punk is not likely to make a WWE return ever again, sources close to the wrestler are saying.
A new report dashes the hopes of many fans who thought the WWE star could make his way back to the ring eventually, after leaving early this year.
CM Punk left the WWE abruptly in January. There were rumors he would return for Wrestlemania 30, but after the event came and went with no sign of CM Punk, fans began to lose hope.
In the past few weeks, there have been steady reports that his departure wasn’t just part of a spat with WWE management, but instead a careful decision to preserve his body after years of wear and tear.
A new report claims that CM Punk will likely never return to the WWE and is quite content in his retirement.
From Wrestling Zone:
“A source close to CM Punk told The Wrestling Observer that CM Punk has had no contact with WWE in quite some time and the former WWE Champion is happy now being home.”
“It was added that Punk was frustrated with booking, payoffs and being on the road.”
This confirms a report last month from former WWE superstar Kevin Nash, who said he had seen CM Punk in deteriorating condition when the two wrestled together.
“The thing is, you know, Phil’s not a small guy but he’s not a big guy either. And he’s one of the guys, he takes a lot of punishment on a nightly basis,” Nash said, telling about a time when he saw the wrestler backstage with a heating pad on his back.
“We were in the trainer’s room and we were talking. I just asked him what his condition was. He really hadn’t even had an MRI at that point. I think he’s gotten an MRI since then and I think he’s got some degeneration in his lower back.”
The WWE doesn’t seem to be waiting for a CM Punk comeback, either. The league has elevated the status of Daniel Bryan, who brings the same fan appeal that Punk had during his tenure in the ring.
Bryan addressed this shift while appearing on a podcast interview with Chris Jericho, saying he took over almost by default.
“It wasn’t necessarily that I felt a shift,” Bryan said. “It was essentially after Punk quit. It was like, ‘Well, we’ve got John and we’ve got eeeeeeeh.’ ”
It seems as if Daniel Bryan will continue to hold his place of prominence as CM Punk won’t ever be returning to the WWE to push him out.
[Image via WWE]
