Report: CM Punk Possibly Leaving WWE
CM Punk has been offered a new long-term WWE contract, but at this time he has not signed and could be leaving the company when his current contract expires in a few months. There has been talk about the possibility for some time, but during the European tour, discussion of Punk's exit heated up. As mentioned, Punk has not signed the new offer, citing "burnout with being on the road for years and unhappiness with his position in the company over the last year." A WWE office source had the following to say on the situation to PWInsider.com:
"When you look at how the company brands it's characters, Punk is never among the top 5-8 names that are promoted or pushed. It's Cena, Orton, Miz, Undertaker, Rey, now Alberto, etc. these days and Punk is sort of floating right under there. He didn't fit into the youth drive a few months back but he's not treated like a top veteran either. He's just there, doing his job and while everyone knows he delivers, he's never really treated like someone who does. He's never dropped the ball but we don't give it to him really, either. He's treated like a guy, but not THE guy. For a driven guy like him who's made wrestling his entire world, it's got to drive him crazy. Now, the excuse will be don't push Punk because he might be leaving, but the reality is the environment and situation is what is probably making him want to leave to begin with. Either it gets fixed or it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, just like it did when Batista walked out."