How CM Punk’s Walkout Affects The WWE And His Legacy

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CM Punk’s walk out is real, its damn real.



CM Punk has been one of the most technically and over wrestling stars of the past decade. However, the harsh reality is starting to sink in to most people holding out hope; Punk is not coming back anytime soon.



He last preformed at the Royal Rumble in January, where he entered Number One, and lasted all the way to the Final Four until he was dragged out of the ring and was – hellaciously – chokeslammed by the Big Red Monster Kane, whom CM Punk had eliminated earlier in the match. The last time he has been active on social media was the day following the Rumble match in the form of a tweet, and he hasn’t been sen nor heard from, apart from his recent appearance on AMC’s The Talking Dead.

Thanks for all the support. Keep being you guys, it's pretty cool. — Coach (@CMPunk) January 27, 2014



Now, before I go any further, I need to address the white elephant in the room; this scenario will sound eerily similar to the events that transpired during the Summer months of 2011. For those unaware, CM Punk has previously walked out of the WWE before, shortly after dropping one of the most recognizable promos in history, and winning the WWE Championship in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. In this instance, however, it was more of a way for Punk to reinvent his character, returning two weeks later with a new titantron, and new song in Cult of Personality, and even more fan support then when he left.



This time, conversely, is a completely different story. He didn’t leave as a champion. He didn’t leave with the same bang he had done previously. This time, he has legitimately walked out on the WWE, after a career of angst, frustration, and overall enmity toward the company.



He didn’t appear on the Raw the night after the Royal Rumble, which was strange to begin with. Then he failed to make a scheduled appearance on the Tuesday night tapings of Smackdown. Twenty-four hours later, he is removed from all live events. Cage Side Seats reported shortly after that sources backstage had witnessed a “very heated” discussion between CM Punk and WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, ending with Punk saying he was “going home”.



As it stands in the current, Phillip Brooks – Punks given name – has been removed from the WWE Flintstones crossover movie, as well as the WWE Camp Series.



So, where does this leave the WWE? The likable answer is that they are a strong organization that have made it through worse things and blah blah blah. The harsh reality is that Brooks is gone for the foreseeable future. With Wrestlemania XXX fast

approaching, and as broken and as fragile as the card is for the Biggest Show of the Year, Punks walk out couldn’t have come at a worst time for the WWE.







With the Pay-Per-View now only just over two weeks away, the only matches that have been set in stone are Brock Lesnar V Undertaker, Cena V Bray Wyatt, Bryan V HHH, and Orton V Batista V _____ (Presumably Daniel Bryan). No, your computer is working just fine. Thats all thats been confirmed. I’d like to take this time to remind you that this is a four hour time-block we’re talking here, and this is all they have solidified as guaranteed matched.



With CM Punk gone, there has been an enormous wrench thrown into the works; an already sloppy card and losing somebody who can put out a good match with damn near anybody.



On the contrary, the stock of CM Punk has absolutely skyrocketed. With all that WWE has done to make CM Punk seemingly nonexistent – like what was done after the Chris Benoit debacle – they’re simply making him more likable then ever. CM Punk has always represented rebellion, and a very punk rock lifestyle, but smothering everything is the simple fact that Phillip Brooks and the ‘character’ he portrayed fought for what he felt was right and what he believed in. The fans always perceived the two people to be one being; the two are simply identical.



For these reasons, you can’t help but want to gravitate to a guy who is willing to leave his millions of dollars and stop doing what he loves, if it means that he gets to be happy, and not go against his morals and beliefs to ‘fit the mold’. When the pipe bomb was dropped in the summer of 2011, it changed the whole industry of professional wrestling. People began to think differently; there was no longer a mold of what a superstar would be like. On the current roster, there is a chanting beard in Daniel Bryan. There is the first openly gay professional wrestler in the history of the industry in Darren Young. Hell, why not even have a psycho-maniacle cult leader in Bray Wyatt.







Many pro-authority advocates say that Brooks packing up shop and leaving in the middle of the night is the move of a coward, but it was simply about a man standing up for what he believes and putting his money where his mouth is.



Try as the WWE will, CM Punk will always be remembered as a dominant force in – and out – of the squared circle.