I think the question is, is what is "headlining" Wrestlemania to Punk? or a fan for that matter?

I'm not sure Punk wants to even wrestle the Cenas, Ortons and Batistsas or the world for the belt, as any sort of belt match has been overshadowed by Taker matches for the last ___ years now.

So what were the definition of headlining?

*Ending Takers streak
*match with Stone Cold
*would 54 year old Sting even be attractive?
*Obviously not wrestling Kane or being buried by Triple H again is an option here in Punks eyes

so unless he gets bailed out by Stone Cold (not this year), I can't see any match Punk would like to be in where he is happy.

Well, the dirtsheet reports indicate that headlining, to Punk, meant literally headlining. If we believe them & their suggestions that, pre-Batista, Punk was set to win the Rumble and wrestle Orton for the strap[s].

While I think Punk has definitely more than paid his dues what he should do is count his lucky stars and not look a gift horse in the mouth. He's notorious for these temper-tantrums and I think Vince is sick of it. He should shut-up, count his blessings and his money, bang that little hot ass AJ Lee some more and wrestle whoever the WWE tells him to wrestle.

Actually come to think of it, you are right. Punk did that interview with that MMA dude in his house right before the Rumble and Punk said the Rumble is his favorite pay per view. So I can see him wanting to win the Rumble, and wanting to win it at #1 ala 2004 the Rumble that does not exist anymore.

And I mean I guess Punk has a point, a few years ago THE MIZ HEADLINED WRESTLEMANIA FOR GOODNESS SAKE. And that is really pathetic to think about.

dirtsheets are wrong most of the time

The one thing I do know is Punk has hardly had any time off in a long while and you could tell he was seriously hurting in the Rumble.

He reportedly left immediately before raw. I'd say that sounds more like "**** this bullshit I'm going home" than "man, I'm beat up, gonna take some time off".

For what it's worth, WWE's Twitter account unfollowed CM Punk today. TMZ has picked up on reports of Punk walking out on WWE and say he has no plans on returning. Here is an excerpt of what they reported:

"WWE superstar CM Punk is QUITTING the organization, TMZ Sports has learned ... and sources tell us it's all because he's PISSED over the way the company wants to use him at "WrestleMania."

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ Sports ... Punk was livid when he learned officials scripted Batista to win the Royal Rumble ... because he feels Batista isn't in great wrestling shape and shouldn't be featured in the title match at the upcoming WrestleMania (the biggest event of the year).

We're told Punk feels he earned the right to be in the main event at WrestleMania -- because he's been wrestling tirelessly over the past year from house shows to overseas events. Punk was angry when he found out he'd be wrestling Triple H at WrestleMania instead of squaring off in the title match.

Sources say ... Punk -- whose contract is up in July -- made the decision to leave WWE after "Monday Night Raw" -- and we're told that right now, he's very serious about his decision and has no plans to return."

LMAO Batista just ****ing everything up.

who knows at this point, everyone is reporting something different of how the constant of he is gone came about, and it looks his mind was made up well before what went down at the Royal Rumble/Raw, and was probably gone in July anyway.

God, this sucks. I know he hasn't been in a great spot for the last few months (year? hasn't been the same since he jobbed to Rocky & Taker last year IMO), but his Summer of Punk run a couple years ago really got me invested again (I never stopped watching, but I didn't care very much).

I can't blame him a damn bit for being pissed off. I get why Rock got the ME the last couple years, people who aren't fans anymore might actually consider buying a PPV to watch him, either because of his stardom or nostalgia. But no one in their right goddamned mind is going to come back to wrestling to buy a PPV just because Batista came back. Especially if he's wrestling Robo-Orton 5000.

I don't see how Vince & the powers that be didn't think something like this would happen. These guys have worked 300+ days a year for years to get to this spot. Bryan/Punk (among others) have shown the ability to step up when given the opportunity (which rarely happens). Batista has spent most of the last 4 years being a shitty actor in D-grade movies and shitting on wrestling and wrestling fans. And within six days, he's given the biggest spot of the year. It's unbelievable. Punk can't be the only one pissed about this.

I was excited for the new Network. But sweet jebus this is annoying. I can at least take some solace in the fact that I didn't shell out a ton of money to travel to NOLA this year.

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/rant

The positive of all this, and I think it is a positive, is that it puts Danielson directly into a major program with HHH. Hopefully he isn't just jobbed. Again.

Either great or horrible news.

They need to let DB win the strap at the elimination chamber ppv and hold it until at least summer slam. That's the only way they can fix this mess.

what are they going to do when WM is over and all these guys leave? Batista goes off to do a movie or promote one, he can take time off for movies, he has that clause despite a full schedule 2 year contract.

Sting is 54 years old. Hogan couldn't pass a physical. Who is going to carry this roster in June, July, August, and then when the NFL comes back and shits all over them in the fall?

Guys like Punk and DB and Dolph ,etc bust their ass for those 9 months out of the year, to keep Vince's product afloat during the downtime.

It will be interesting to see after WM if people tune out really quickly. It will also be interesting how many Punk chants happen at the RAW after WM, that is usually the most poppin RAW during the year because all the older elitist marks buy all the tickets the day after they go to WM.

Meh. He should be in the main event. The fact that they were rumored to have him originally wrestle Sheamus blows my mind. If he can't get a big break at the biggest show of the year when he's this over, what the hell more does he have to do?

Same thing they always do. The John Cena Show for 9 months.

I think it's better news than had it been the original Punk/HHH program. Punk was probably leaving in July regardless. Meaning he'd have jobbed at wrestlemania. I think HHH puts Bryan over. Which puts him in position to be one of the guys carrying the promotion through the summer and fall.

In a perfect world he drops the beard at some point and becomes american dragon again.

Now, what I expect they'll do is make Sheamus the man (because he's big, and that's still all they care about), and continue to job Danielson until he retires.

Triple H is squashing whoever he faces at WM unless its Taker or some 50 year old

I don't get why Bryan and Punk teaming up against HHH and Michaels wasn't the original plan.

He knew the overall plan well before the Rumble and would of burned out before the PPV if he was that pissed. I'd bet on this being a work and he's getting some much needed time off.

Although it'd be the ultimate troll move by WWE to hire Colt if it wasn't a work lol

Lets not pretend this isn't going to be the result:
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/6...lehshovelz.gif

In other hilarious news, TNA has rehired Vince Russo.

Now there's speculation that Punk's leave is concussion related.

I like punk. But he has these little hissy fits a lot it seems

Punk already did once, during the MitB PPV in Chicago. He got everything he wanted and more when he signed the new contract literally mid-ppv. Once in a blue moon, talent transcends Vince's roid freak fetish.

I want punk healthy he's too good of a guy to get sick i want him to have a good life.

I was just flipping through the channels and saw that Goldust is on Raw tonight. Yeah, no thanks.

That dude can go for his age.

He changed up his makeup.

Watching Bryan v Orton now. Who is the "Authority"?

Your loss. Dustin is wrestling better than he EVER has. He's pulling off Yoshi Tonics and top-rope ranas and shit. DDP Yoga has done wonders for his athleticism.

I don't watch wrestling very often. I just remember being freaked out by Golddust when I was younger. And the guy that always walked out in a towl.

Oh, and Mr. Ass. He freaked me out too.

So nobody answered me, who or what is the "Authority"?Oh

LMAO

Val Venus.

I think it's HHH and Stephanie McMahon.

Wow. I never knew Terri Runnels was Miss Alexandria York. Crazy.

LMAO, Yes, Val Venus.

Cool to see Bryan win.

Is that the same ... oh, I guess it is the same Kane. Weird.

Isn't she golddust's wife?

Yeah I like Bryan.. I think they had to do that or they would lose the crowd at all of their live events. I guess the audience has been chanting CM Punk and Daniel Bryan's names non-stop during other matches.

Used to be. According to Wiki she bounced a round a bit. Married her life coach for 2 weeks, then was with a dude 15 years younger than her for 5 years and then moved on to NewJack for a year or two who was selling her nudes after a split.

God love her. I wanna see some of those nudes.


Damn.. Nevermind I saw some pics of her post golddust and she went downhill fast, she's gross.

FYI: WWE Network starts on Monday morning and the first week will be a free trial.

RIP Mabel, Viscera.

"Hard to believe he died of heart failure"

-Said nobody

Elimination Chamber starts in 20 minutes.

Jake the snake has Cancer. Sad news

Wyatts/Shield match is really ****ing good

E: Easily a MotY contender.

That was spectacular.

Shield vs Wyatts made me so happy in the way that only a great wrestling match can.

nice of them to follow up with probably the worst match of the year

I don't think the crowd liked that outcome at all.

Vince is just too stubborn to admit that his Batista/Orton plan for Mania is a bad one, and he's going to dig in his heels for no good reason even though the crowd is going to shit all over that main event.

Beyond the **** you finish, the chamber match was actually surprisingly good. Wyatt/Shield was fantastic. Big E/Swagger was decent and the rest sucked.

There's my review.

E: I'd suggest watching DelRio/Bootista just to watch the crowd shit on them.

Bryan will end up in the Wrestlemania main event somehow.

I don't care how stubborn Vince is....He has to know that Orton/Batista is not good for business.

That whole feud, the build up/match was as good as any I've ever seen in the WWE.

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Wasn't a horrible PPV by any means, certainly better than the Rumble, if only for the 6-man tag. I'm not a huge tag team guy (unless it's mid-2000s TLC matches), but that was intense. Second PPV in a row Bray Wyatt's been involved in the MOTN. Would love to see him go over Cena in NO, but I know better than that.

Didn't think the Chamber match itself was bad, except for Roborton 3000 winning. Cesaro seems to be really over, which is good, he needs to break away from that hack Swagger.

I'm a huge Bryan fan. But a (small) part of me wants to see Orton vs. Bootista, just to see how much the crowd totally shits on it.

My bet is Vince goes with Plan A, we get Blandy vs. Bootista as the main event (which, on paper, has to be one of the worst ever) and Bryan gets Kane/HHH. I hope I'm wrong and they find a way to get him in the main event. Maybe Hogan finds some way to politic DB in tomorrow night? It'd be a way to get smarks to actually cheer for Hogan, if only for a little bit...


In related news, Mick Foley doesn't seem too happy...

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>They say a picture's worth 1,000 words. Here's my 5,000 word essay on <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23WWEChamber&amp;src=hash">#WWEChamber</a> <a href="http://t.co/FnmTt5wtEw">pic.twitter.com/FnmTt5wtEw</a></p>&mdash; Mick Foley (@realmickfoley) <a href="https://twitter.com/realmickfoley/statuses/437801745289609216">February 24, 2014</a></blockquote>
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WELL YOU SEE BROTHER, ALL THESE HULKAMANIACS WANNA SEE BATISTA AND RANDY ORH-TUN FACE OFF IN DA SQUARED CIRCLE

BY THE WAY, BROTHER, DID I EVER TELL YOU I TURNED DOWN A SPOT IN METALLICA? BROTHER.

Levesque made sure all of his buddies won tonight didn't he?

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http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/20...97-d6j0b5w.pngYep.

I don't think anyone expected them to start hotshotting titles around right before Wrestlemania, but man that EC finish was a big wet fart. Dead crowd is the worst result.

The Main Event is going to be a big wet fart too with boos echoing allover the inside of a dome.

Rajah.com is claiming there will be a title change on RAW tomorrow night, you'd have to assume Bryan wins the strap.

They won't be able to sell Batista/Orton as the main event at WM30. If Vince didn't already know that, he does now after the crowds reactions tonight.

No pun intended, but Bryan finally winning the belt on a random Raw wouldn't be best for business IMO. Ideally, you'd have the face chasing the heel going into Mania. Obviously, we're past the point of ideal situations seeing as how they've booked themselves into a huge corner, but it's just a thought. I think more people would be likely to buy WM/Network if it was Bryan with a chance to win the belt there instead of just defending it.

That said, I'll take what I can get. It's sad that a guy who's so freaking over with EVERYONE has had to work so hard and still hasn't been given a real shot. I understand the concept of a slow burn & trying to draw out his popularity as long as you can, but they're really risking losing his heat if they keep this up. Randy vs. Dave might be the final straw for some people.

And whoever the idiot is who didn't want Summerslam going off the air with Bryan as the champ should be fired. Same with whomever thought that people would rush to buy Wrestlemania to see Dave Batista in the main event. Those were your chances to make Bryan a star. Give him the clean win over Cena at SS and let him keep the damn belt for more than 5 minutes (literally). Or let him win the Rumble and main event your biggest show of the year.

At some point, they're going to have to rely on someone other than Cena & part-timers to sell tickets, PPV buys & t-shirts, right?

I agree with you that it wouldn't make a lot of sense for a title change on a random RAW but I think they are building this up as the biggest RAW they've had in quite some time. Hogan is coming back, the Nature Boy will be there and there is also rumors that the Undertaker will be there as well. Also, sometime between now and WM30 the Ulimate Warrior will be making an appearance.

If Bryan doesn't win the belt before WM30 then he will more than likely win a match to get him into the main event with Boreton and Boretista.

Can't wait to see Undertaker ride in on a motorcycle tomorrow. *biggest eyeroll in world history*

I totally agree that a title change is unnecessary tomorrow. What needs to happen is jettisoning Batista off of the card somehow. Bryan going over at Mania needs to be the endgame, so I will tolerate him being inserted into the main event for a triple threat.

At the worst, Bryan going over on HHH will feel somewhat satisfying. Bryan v Kane however is a waste of time.

I remember reading that if HHH and Bryan wrestle HHH is going over.

I am going to be in New Orleans that weekend and I will do my best to actually start a riot if that happens.

HHH going over? Well, I never.....

WWE Network time.....

What does that mean? Sorry, I'm a wrestling n00b.

It means that HHH would win.

Managed to get an account made, but it's currently impossible to get a subscription started.

Yes this is awesome...what a time suck this is gonna be.

The sadist in me wants to watch WCW World War III for some reason...

They sent me an email saying they are having "technical problems", Vince must of hired the same people that set up the obamacare website.

http://i.minus.com/icYZn5eyT1CRg.gif

Content overload....sooo much wrestling....

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nsfw