Rumors swirled over the weekend that CM Punk would be at the WWE's episode of RAW Monday Night that aired live from his hometown of Chicago, and while it seemed like Punk would make his first appearance on WWE television since the Royal Rumble on Jan. 26, he didn't show up Monday and was never scripted to be at RAW.
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Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer reported that one of his sources, who he revealed was a top WWE star but didn't mention by name, said that they were 100 percent certain that Punk would be there on Monday night, but Meltzer himself wouldn't say that he was sure it would happen.
When Punk didn't show up on Monday's RAW from Chicago, Meltzer said he spoke with his source after the telecast and the person told him, "I was lied to." This would mean that someone within the WWE was passing around bad information as it appears Punk was never scheduled to be on the show.
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The WWE realized that the partisan Chicago crowd would be chanting for Punk all night long, and decided to finally address his absence on television. The show opened with Punk's theme, to which the crowd exploded, only to find Paul Heyman come out and address Punk's absence while bridging it to the Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker WrestleMania XXX match as 'Taker defeated Punk at WrestleMania XXIX.
According to Wrestlingheadlines.com, Punk was not expected to be at last night's RAW and was not in the script that the company went to air with. Punk reportedly wasn't discussed by WWE creative on Friday but no one ruled out a surprise return. The report indicates that most people within the WWE weren't sure if Punk would or wouldn't be at the All-State Arena until the afternoon of the show.
Wrestlingheadlines.com reports that there was never a script that included Punk in any way aside from the few mentions that were made of him throughout the episode. According to the site, there were set to be other mentions of Punk on the show but it's unknown who was supposed to mention him, and those plans were nixed.
The WWE opted to open with Heyman coming out and addressing Punk because WWE officials felt that if they ignored the situation, the chants would just get louder and louder throughout the night. While the chants continued throughout the program, the WWE opted to run Heyman out there and address Punk in order to combat them early.
Punk walked out on the WWE prior to a live RAW show on Jan. 27 and hasn't been seen since. He hasn't tweeted from his official Twitter account since walking out on the company either. Vince McMahon, who mentioned Punk was "taking a sabbatical" in a conference call but otherwise has been silent, has been said as wanting to land Punk, but it seems as though he isn't coming back.
Punk's frustration may have finally gotten the better of him as it seems that if Punk were ever to return, last night's RAW from Chicago was the perfect time. The WWE likely will have to continue to navigate towards WrestleMania XXX without "The Best in the World."
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