Photo Courtesy Of WWE-CM Punk Official Facebook Page
It has been just over a month since CM Punk walked out on WWE and the WWE Universe. During that time, Punk has been invisible, minus his one public appearance at an UFC event. During his absence, many have wondered if his walkout was a stunt, or if Punk was really gone for good. It now seems that whether it was a stunt or not, Punk will be returning to WWE in a few days.
According to Dave Meltzer via Wrestling Observer Radio, Punk is going to appear live in Chicago on Monday Night RAW. During the show, Meltzer wouldn’t reveal the source behind this information. However, he did say that his source “is one of the biggest stars in the industry” and that source says it’s 100 percent certain.
Punk returning to RAW is huge for WWE, because is should quell the nightmare that would have been the Chicago crowd. All this week, Twitter accounts have been popping up with the goal of hijacking RAW from now until WrestleMania. With Chicago being Punk’s hometown and one of the more hostile live crowds in history, RAW without Punk on Monday could have been ugly.
Aside from the raucous response Punk is sure to receive in Chicago, one has to wonder what WWE is going to do with him heading into WrestleMania XXX. When Punk left a month ago, it was rumored that he was going to be facing Triple H at WrestleMania. Since that time, Daniel Bryan seems to have shifted to fill that hole on the card. It will be interesting to see if WWE goes back to that plan or if Punk finds his way into the World Heavyweight Championship match. Randy Orton and Batista are currently worthless in the eyes of fans, so injecting Punk into that match could possibly save it at WrestleMania.
The returning Punk could also potentially squash some hope for Bryan fans. Some have been holding out hope that Bryan gets placed into the main event at WrestleMania, but a Punk return all but destroys any chances of that.
Lastly, there is always the possibility that Punk doesn’t come back on RAW. All this week reports have said that WWE is “planning accordingly” in regards to handling the Chicago crowd. What if “planning accordingly” meant leaking the news of a Punk return in an effort to calm the live crowd? Although this is unlikely, you never can say never when it comes to Vince McMahon and the WWE.
The eyes of the WWE Universe will be glued to their TV’s come Monday night to see what happens with Punk. If he does indeed make his return as expected, the road to WrestleMania just got a whole lot crazier.
Christopher Olmstead is a WWE writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @WhooYouKnowIt “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
