Could the signing of former WWE Superstar CM Punk by UFC be a huge set up? TNA Wrestling announcer Taz sure thinks so. Taz expressed his thoughts via Twitter in regards to the signing. He questioned the timeline of everything regarding Punk over the last few weeks. Taz had a point as well. He claims that due to all of the things at play, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon could be involved with everything. Taz is not without knowledge of how WWE works as he used to work for WWE himself.
Taz expressed his thoughts past 140 characters in his preview podcast recently. He spoke for 20 minutes in this preview podcast about Punk and his UFC signing. He said that the timing of everything just seemed weird. CM Punk did the now infamous shoot podcast with Colt Cabana the week of Thanksgiving. WWE had the Stone Cold podcast on the WWE Network with Vince McMahon the Monday after. Then this week CM Punk signed with UFC. Additionally, Punk’s wife AJ Lee still works for the WWE.
Taz said that everything seemed like a bit of a set-up. Taz had a point; everything seemed weird. How is it that all of these things happened all at once? Sure, it could have just been a happenstance, where Punk decided to say something at a certain time, and WWE already planned a podcast for the next Monday, which they announced the week before.
Keep in mind too that Punk claimed on the Cabana podcast that he wanted to do this podcast months ago, but schedules didn’t work out. Cabana was in Japan and Punk was in LA. It was impossible for them to be in the same place at the same time, and work commitments do have priority usually. The real wildcard is this….if CM Punk and WWE are on such bad terms, why would WWE wish Punk the best in his newest endeavor? WWE didn’t do this with Brock Lesnar years ago when he signed with UFC.
Also, if WWE purposely sent Punk’s termination papers out so that they’d arrive on his wedding day, wouldn’t WWE Diva AJ Lee, the person now married to Punk, be upset as well? Why would she go back to work for WWE after this? Yes, we know she loves what she does. However, Punk walked away from his contract, and now that she is married to Punk, does she really need to work for WWE? They not only did Punk wrong on this day, but her as well. They tried to ruin one of the biggest days in Punk’s life.
If all of this was some sort of set-up, it is playing out beautifully. Taz was merely claiming via Twitter and on his preview podcast that, at the end of the day, the math doesn’t add up.
We can also bring up how CM Punk worked his last days in Ring of Honor or the last time he was going to leave WWE. Both times he built a huge storyline out of it and was able to give fans some exciting material. Could this be a long-term way of doing the same if he wanted to return to WWE down the line?
There is clearly a built-in story. Obviously, Punk is with the UFC right now, and that means he will be part of the company for at least a year or two. He is signed to a multi-fight deal after all. The schedule is also far lighter than anything WWE would offer him. That said, Punk could only make himself a bigger name by being part of the UFC world. People will think of him as a legit fighter and follow him to WWE potentially….if he can do well in UFC at least.
Taz put over Punk in his podcast and also wished him the best of luck in his newest venture. He also feels that Punk could have success in UFC. However, he still remains skeptical about the entire situation as many of us also feel.
Taz might have a point with what he claimed, but most would say that the timing of everything just happened and wasn’t planned for. However, the wildcard in it all is still AJ Lee. What comes of that is up in the air. However, if this is a huge WWE set-up by CM Punk and Vince McMahon, it would be one of the best storylines they have ever done. And knowing Vince McMahon, anything is possible.
[IMG Credits: Prowrestling.com, cbc.ca, pwmania.com]