WWE News: Paul Heyman addresses the reasons why CM Punk left the WWE
What's the story?
CM Punk's abrupt departure left a wound that many hardcore fans still feel to this day. The Cult of Personality made an effort to change a lot within the WWE, especially its treatment of the smaller guys.
The WWE Universe took it poorly upon learning of Punk's leaving, and to this day you can hear his name chanted throughout every arena. In fact, some fans are still asking what went wrong, and Punk's former advocate, Paul Heyman, was happy to oblige.
In case you didn't know...
CM Punk's years in the WWE were full of controversy. Starting as early as his run as the leader of the Straight Edge Society, Punk was never afraid to go the extra mile in blurring the lines between reality and fiction.
He was someone who told the fans the truth night in and night out, and they ate it up. However, he never got the full backing of the WWE Universe until his career-defining moment, the pipe bomb.
Punk would leave the WWE, sighting multiple reasons for his departure. On the Colt Cabana's "Art of Wrestling" Podcast, he let the world know just how angry he was with the WWE, and it seemed his pipe bomb promo three years prior had a lot of truth to it.
The Heart of the Matter
Paul Heyman and Jim Ross held a show at the Gotham Comedy Club in New York on August 18th, taking questions from fans and telling stories about their time in the company back during the attitude era.
Heyman and JR were asked a multitude of questions. What was the weirdest thing Vince McMahon ever said to you? What do you think of Joey Ryan? They held nothing back.
One fan, however, took the opportunity to ask the advocate about CM Punk, and Heyman laid it out on the table.
What do I think of him walking out? He wasn't happy anymore and if you know what drives Phil Brooks more than anything is that he's an overachiever. So there came a time where he didn't have that passion anymore for WWE and when you get to that point you have two options. You can stay and be miserable or you get out and you chase something else that really entices your passion, so he got out.
Heyman would go on to say that all he wishes for his friend is to find happiness, wherever it may be. If that's the world of MMA, so be it.
"Now he's pursuing something that makes him happy. Whether it makes me happy or you happy or the rest of the world happy , it doesn't really matter. It makes him happy. At the end of the day it's a decision that he made on his own behalf and if that's what he wants then god-bless him, I hope he finds happiness in it.
You can check out the video of the show below, per Inside the Ropes.
What's next?
Paul Heyman's beast, Brock Lesnar, is set to take on three men at Summerslam, all vying for his Universal title.
The Fatal-4-Way is highly anticipated and could be considered the biggest main event in years. Heyman, while asked about many things, did what he could to promote Lesnar during his show with JR on Friday.
As for Punk, he's still trying to follow his MMA career. After his defeat last year in the UFC, fans wondered if he had it in him to continue, but the Straight Edge Superstar remains determined to make MMA his next home.
While he's working on that, Punk has been working with Marvel Comics. Most recently, he began working on a one-shot comic called "Shang-Chi's Day Off," bringing back a Marvel character that hasn't had his own story in quite some time.
Author's take
Paul handled this question as well as anyone could. Punk was miserable his last few years with the WWE, between medical issues and problems with creative. He needed to leave and clear his head, to find what would make him happy like Heyman said, and it's likely we'll never see him in a wrestling ring again.
I think it's fine if we don't because I don't want to see him force himself to wrestle to make the fans happy. Just like Heyman said, if it makes him happy, if it's something he truly enjoys, God bless him.