The WWE publicly acknowledged CM Punk's departure in an article on their website over the weekend and the "Best in the World" also surfaced at Riot Fest in Chicago.
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WWE.com posted a top-10 list of John Cena's biggest rivals in his career, and Punk came in at No. 6. The WWE wrote the following about Punk's rivalry with Cena, before confirming that he walked away from wrestling:
"It takes a bold, bold man to call himself The Best in the World without any hint of showmanship to it," the company wrote. "CM Punk was nothing if not bold. The self-appointed heir apparent to Cena as the face of professional wrestling, Punk's agitation over being passed over festered into an earth-shattering "pipe bomb" that took Cena, the McMahons, and the institution of sports-entertainment itself to task. He then promptly won Cena's WWE Title and gallivanted off into retirement, but you probably don't need Wikipedia to know The Straight Edge Superstar couldn't stay away for long. He eventually came back to further challenge Cena's dominance and beat him more often than not. These two were having classic matches for years after that initial clash. Perhaps the greatest disappointment in Punk's untimely departure is knowing they definitely had a few more in them."
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Here is the complete top-10 list:
10. Kurt Angle
9. Triple H
8. JBL
7. The WWE Universe
6. CM Punk
5. The Rock
4. Batista
3. Brock Lesnar
2. Edge
1. Randy Orton
Punk walked out on the company back in January and has recently said he is "never ever' returning to the squared circle. Punk left due to frustrations and being burned out from the company's rigorous travel schedule.
Punk has made sporadic appearances outside the wrestling realm recently, including surfacing at his hometown Chicago Cubs and Blackhawks games, appearing at San Diego Comic Con on behalf of Nerdist and being a special part of the AP Music Awards.
Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks, married WWE Diva AJ Lee in June, but it appears as though he isn't coming back to the company because things were described as "worse than ever" between the two sides when his contract officially expired in July.
Punk's most recent appearance occurred this weekend in Chicago when he appeared at Riot Fest:
Looks like @CMPunk managed to sneak into #RiotFest. Not cool. pic.twitter.com/TM79rFtsWA
— Riot Fest (@RiotFest) September 14, 2014
Punk also performed alongside The Bouncing Souls:
While Punk is one of Cena's biggest adversaries, it doesn't seem as though the two will be rekindling their rivalry in the squared circle anytime soon.
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