10 Ups And Downs For WWE In 2014 1

1. CM Punk

Of all the negatives WWE has endured this year, the departure and ongoing saga of CM Punk has to be the most taxing for the company and its fans. Punk, arguably one of the three most popular regular performers, walked out of WWE in January and never looked back – despite countless rumors to the contrary. By year’s end, Punk gave a podcast interview that blasted WWE and then signed with UFC as a final dagger.

Granted, Punk’s departure and the soap opera that accompanied it was a big deal. Fans chanted for Punk loudly for several months at live shows, and his wife AJ Lee still hears the chants. WWE was forced to directly address the Punk situation at the Chicago Raw in March by sending Paul Heyman out to cut a surreal promo. And the interview on Colt Cabana’s podcast blew up the internet wrestling community during Thanksgiving weekend. His signing with UFC seemingly closed this chapter of his life, but it also catapulted him back into the limelight.

But probably one of the more understated negatives of Punk’s departure is the impact it had on the overall WWE product this year. CM Punk was one of WWE’s most bankable performers, capable of being a main eventer as either a heel or a face. Given the many negatives listed on the previous pages, Punk’s presence in 2014 could have mitigated at least some of them. Case in point, the various injuries that took place this year would have been easier to navigate with someone who could be plugged into a main event slot pretty easily besides John Cena and Randy Orton.

For more seasoned WWE fans, CM Punk was one of the constant bright spots on Raw. His absence helped shine an even brighter spotlight on the negatives in 2014

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