With CM Punk sitting out the Chicago Monday Night RAW on March 3 and not appearing on WWE television since Jan. 26 at the Royal Rumble, the WWE has begun to distance itself from Punk and has started to replace him in future plans.
Backstage reaction to CM Punk on AMC's Talking Dead
WWE has been slowly distancing themselves from Punk as the hope that he'd return to the WWE and "get his head on straight" is starting to dwindle. The WWE is looking to not use any Punk material by removing him from WrestleMania recaps, video packages and other media and the company also plans on re-making the Camp WWE cartoon set to hit the WWE Network by omitting Punk from it.
According to Wrestlingheadlines.com, the WWE is trying to cut all ties with any future projects that Punk was linked to, and they've replaced him in the upcoming WWE Films movie The Flintstones with Rey Mysterio, who was expected to leave the company but recently said he expects to re-sign a deal with them and retire as a member of the WWE and not any other company.
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The movie is set to come out in 2015, and the WWE is re-working the script to have Mysterio take Punk's place in the film. Punk has not appeared in the company since storming out on the WWE prior to the Jan. 27 live Monday Night RAW telecast due to his frustration over the way the company has used him, especially over the fact that he wasn't able to headline a WrestleMania.
With Punk's dream of headlining the biggest show of the year likely not happening before his contract expired this July, he chose to walk out. The WWE has inserted Daniel Bryan into Punk's rumored match with Triple H in New Orleans, and will likely have Bryan go into the main event against Batista and Randy Orton for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, reportedly as a "middle finger" to Punk.
While the Punk signs and chants have slowed down recently within crowds on WWE television, Wrestlingheadlines.com reports that the WWE was confiscating Punk signs at the SmackDown tapings (Spoilers click HERE) on Tuesday and while they still sell Punk's merchandise, it is tucked away in a corner.
A lot of people backstage at RAW, were talking about Punk's appearance on Talking Dead Sunday night, saying he looked healthier and well rested on the show. Wrestlingheadlines.com reports that some also said that Punk looked 10 years younger on the program, which followed AMC's ratings hit drama The Walking Dead.
The "Best in the World" may not appear in the WWE ever again, and after months of hoping that he would come back, the company is apparently starting to finally move on.
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