By Shawn Valentino, PWTorch specialist
C.M. Punk was one of the most talented wrestlers of the past decade. He was not a total package, but he combined incredible promo work with great ring work and an array of intangibles to create a compelling character with a rabid fan following. When he was the manipulative, condescending leader of the Straight Edge Society, I thought he was the best act in wrestling. His heel work with Paul Heyman as the longest running champion in recent memory was also extraordinary.

When Punk suddenly disappeared from WWE, I was not surprised, and I had a feeling when details would eventually come out, they would mirror the thoughts Punk expressed in his interview with Colt Cabana. Listening to his candid views on the way he felt the company mismanaged him, my conclusion is that he deserved to be fired. Let me make this clear...

The fact that Punk was fired was a mere technicality that resulted from him wanting to leave the company. That being said, I feel that from a corporate perspective, the negative attitude he brought to the locker room and his lack of appreciation for the positions his character was placed in outweigh his formidable talent.

(1) C.M. Punk was given special treatment over the past few years that allowed him to stand out as a unique Superstar.

First, he was allowed to break the fourth wall on his “Pipe Bomb Promo,” which I never liked because it completely took you out of the narrative of the show. There is a reason wrestlers are normally not allowed to break character like that, and it is because it kills the internal logic of the show, which is loose to begin with. It undoubtedly helped him to get over by breaking rules that others were not able to.

On top of it, despite widespread misconception, it was not even very successful. Ratings remained stagnant, and the angle went nowhere because he came back to TV after only a couple weeks off. Punk should be thankful that he was allowed to speak out in a manner that made everything around him look “fake” in comparison.

(2) Punk was put in extraordinary positions by WWE's writing staff.

Punk was given the longest championship reign of the past 20 years, and he was placed in showcase matches against special attractions on numerous shows. The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, and The Rock rarely wrestle, and Punk was allowed to face all of them in headline matches. From a company perspective, what more can you possibly do to please a talent? Sure, he lost all those matches, but the losses all made sense in the context of the programs.

Punk’s view that the matches did not benefit him is extremely narrow and selfish because he was facing Superstars that were in a completely different league in terms of starpower and had years of proven experience as big-money draws. Merely being placed in position to fight such legends shows how highly WWE thought of him.

(3) C.M. Punk did not deserve a WrestleMania main event.

I am not saying that on a given year and with the right program that Punk could not be in an excellent WrestleMania main-eventer, but he was given plenty of spotlight moments on the grand stage. He is the only wrestler to win two Money in the Banks, and he had what could have been the last Undertaker Streak match at the time. I have been to every WrestleMania for the last decade plus, and the real main event of the show is not always the final match, and usually it has been Undertaker's match.

If Punk is not grateful after being put in such an honored position, why would management want to put him in the final match at Mania? He is, by most accounts, a moody, unlikeable person to be around so they most likely feel it would not even satisfy him. Additionally, there is no way he should have beaten Rock to keep the championship because it is a rare opportunity for one of the biggest movie stars in the world to hold your top belt.

There is also no real argument that he should have been placed above Cena versus Rock or even with them in a three-way when it made more sense for him to face Undertaker. Facing Triple H, who was the centerpiece of the major angle of the year leading into WrestleMania 30 was also a big-time position on the card. If Punk feels that is beneath him, he should not even be a part of the event.

(4) Punk’s personality does not fit the WWE corporate environment.

This is not a slam on Punk. There are some extremely talented people in all walks of life whose personalities do not belong in a corporate environment. I am not saying it should not be commended that he spoke truth to power off-camera, but if he is so unhappy with his environment, why would WWE want to have him around? On top of it, Punk has an over-inflated opinion of his own value to the company. While it has served him well in terms of making him a dynamic screen presence, it also comes across as delusional when you read some of his comments behind the scenes.

It is widely rumored that Punk was not happy about Rock and other part-timers coming in to “steal” a main event slot, and that is just ridiculous on all sorts of levels. Punk is nowhere near the Superstar that Rock is, and it is disrespectful to the years Dwayne Johnson spent on the road to earn the eyes of Hollywood. Additionally, it is completely hypocritical that a guy who is worn out and disgruntled because of the grinding WWE schedule is criticizing a guy who is able to pick his spots and earn great money in wrestling without destroying his body and mind.

On a side not, obviously I do not know Punk as a person, but having gone to WrestleMania and stayed at the wrestlers’s hotel for the past decade, I can testify that his reputation as far as how he treats his fans is awful. He is known for being smarmy, sarcastic, and generally a prickly person to approach. Now I think that is completely fine, and he owes nothing to the fans beyond what he does in the ring, but as Wade Keller has stated numerous times, Punk marketed himself as a man of the people. On television, he does come across as a cool anti-hero that fans can get behind, but it also adds to the complex portrait of him as a man that he comes across as so unlikeable in real life.

(5) C.M. Punk was not a huge draw or a guy that moved numbers enough to justify the headaches and baggage he brings to the company.

This is really the bottom line, and it is that the numbers do not back up Punk’s lofty opinion of himself. I remember watching the ratings after the “Pipe Bomb,” when he was supposedly “white hot,” and ratings did not go up at all. He definitely had some big merchandise numbers, but there is a reason he was not the perennial main-eventer he feels he deserved to be. I believe WWE gave him plenty of chances to prove himself as a top-flight guy, but he was several notches below John Cena and other top stars before him.

That being said, an argument can be made that if it were not for Punk and the fact that he was one of the few stars that added some cool factor to WWE television, ratings would be lower. He definitely did not hurt the product, and he was part of some very successful programs, but I do not think that he is so valuable that they cannot afford to lose him. Just look at ratings since he left in January. His absence has barely made a mark. Why keep an angry, disgruntled employee around if he is not generating enormous amounts of cash flow and responsible for soaring ratings?

Overall: The tone of this article may seem like I do not like C.M. Punk and am taking WWE’s side, but that is not true. I am merely looking at it from a cold, logical corporate perspective. Punk voiced numerous valid concerns that needed to be stated by a Superstar with a major fan following. He should be celebrated for leaving at the top of his game, before his body and mind deteriorated even further. I think the best thing WWE and Punk is to part ways for the same reason Kurt Angle should have been let go almost a decade ago. It is not just because it was best for business, but because it was best for Punk and his long-term mental and physical health. If he does not come back, people will remember him as a rebel that left at the height of his career.

I really hope Punk decides to write a book because he seems like a very fascinating man with a unique story, and it would not be through the WWE filter. Ironically, if he decides to put his money where his mouth is, he can be potentially the best spokesman for the type of change post-career that he wanted to generate during his days as a wrestler. Unfortunately, some of his credibility is tarnished because of what seems like a sense of instability and insecurity, but he has raised some major issues that do need to be reevaluated. The schedule, injuries, and pay-offs are all hot topics that need to addressed from a corporate perspective.

Interestingly, he has simultaneously become a poster child for mandatory time off and why WWE does not give wrestlers that freedom. They simply do not want wrestlers to realize how good it is to enjoy the freedom off the road. Unfortunately, I do not see anything changing because if all the deaths and scandals did not invoke those necessary changes then I doubt an angry ex-employee will make a difference. I think WWE’s best way to handle this is to say absolutely nothing, but to start subtly evolving the way they handle wrestler schedules and injuries.

My favorite part of the interview was hearing about how happy Phil Brooks the person is getting away from the wrestling bubble and enjoying the fruits of his tremendously hard work and sacrifice. I am quite certain that he has earned enough money to enjoy the rest of his life without having to work, and he can focus on doing projects he loves without needing wrestling for survival. From a corporate perspective, I feel that WWE had grounds to fire him, but from a personal perspective, I am rooting for Brooks to stay away from wrestling and live a fun life without being defined by what he does as he so magnificently stated.

Please send questions, comments and feedback to shawnvalentino@gmail.com and check out my book, "The Showstopper Lifestyle," on Amazon. Feel free to add Shawn Valentino on Facebook.

[Torch art credit Travis Beaven (c) PWTorch.com]

We suggest these recent related articles...

VALENTINO'S MAGIC, MEMORIES & MANIA: Live at WrestleMania 31 - A Mania With No Great Matches But Many Great Moments

VALENTINO'S MAGIC, MEMORIES & MANIA: WrestleMania Weekend Log - The Afterparty

VALENTINO'S MAGIC, MEMORIES & MANIA: Why C.M. Punk Should Have Been Fired

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE PW.NET HEADLINES

CLICK TO EMAIL THIS ARTICLE
CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO MAIN LISTING