CM Punk has held multiple accolades during his pro wrestling career, but it is also true that he never got a chance to main event WrestleMania. Despite being a head-turner for his blunt persona and a fan favorite, Punk didn’t get that spot; however, he was close to getting it in 2013.
Then came Dwayne Johnson into the picture, who then defeated Punk at the Royal Rumble and shattered his dream of headlining the grandest event. Now that Punk is back in WWE he has aspirations to headline WrestleMania this time around. But it becomes crucial to know if the inclusion of Dwayne Johnson stole that spot from a well-established CM Punk a decade ago.
Booking is indeed a crucial aspect of pro wrestling. But in WWE, this crucial aspect became the main culprit, according to CM Punk. All of a sudden, the star left the company in 2014, and interestingly, nobody knew the reason until November 2014. He then sat down with his former buddy Colt Cabana on the Art of Wrestling podcast and put all the cards on the table.
He revealed that he was not satisfied with the way the company used to plan his storylines. The same point was raised by him in the post-media scrum after the AEW Double or Nothing last year. Moreover, he voiced his displeasure at being ignored by the company to headline WrestleMania in favor of Dwayne Johnson, who was a part-timer back then. So these were two of the major reasons why Punk and WWE were at odds with each other until Survivor Series 2023.
Certainly, being blunt, he told how The Rock’s involvement created problems for him. Additionally, there could be another angle from which this could be seen.
WWE wanted to revisit the “Once in a Lifetime” bout between The Rock and John Cena
Dwayne Johnson’s stature might have been the biggest obstacle in the path of CM Punk. It is not a hidden fact that the presence of The Rock in the main event of WrestleMania would have garnered more attention and, consequently, more revenue for the company in 2013. The proof of this was the headliner of WrestleMania 28 when WWE billed The Rock vs. John Cena as a “Once in a Lifetime” contest.
The WWE grossed $8.9 million in event sales, and the attendance at the Sun Life Stadium in Miami, at 78,363, was the highest at that time. This shows how big of an event WrestleMania28 was. Well, the Stamford-based promotion would have thought of implementing the same strategy during WrestleMania 29 using a champion, Dwayne Johnson, as a marketing tool to sell the show and putting the WWE Championship on him.
This meant Punk who was on course for a likely WrestleMania main event was left out in favor of The Rock vs Cena II and the disgruntled Chicago star would leave the promotion a year later and return after a gap of nearly 10 years.
