Sitting down with Ariel Helwani during the latest edition of The MMA Hour over at SBNation site MMA Fighting, Paul Heyman had some interesting things to say about his friend CM Punk. The former on-screen advocate for the Best in the World was visiting the show to promote his new DVD from WWE, Ladies and Gentlemen, My Name is Paul Heyman.
But as has been the case several times over the past week, the conversation went to related pro wrestling topics - and Heyman was ready with buzz-worthy answers.
Let's look at what the man preparing Brock Lesnar for his SummerSlam showdown with John Cena had to say about the state of the relationship between CM Punk and WWE, and then we'll give you our take and ask for yours:
I think CM Punk's mindset right now is never to come back and I think their mindset is 'we never want him back'.
... In December 2006 if you asked Vince McMahon if Paul Heyman is ever coming back, he would look at you and not even acknowledge that he understands the name you're throwing at him. You asked me four years ago, which was 2010, am I ever going back and I honestly said to you, and I would have sworn it on my testicles, 'no, I will never go back'. Going up the elevator to the meeting where I ended up going back, I would have sworn on my testicles 'I am not going back'.
I think it's very much CM Punk's mindset right now that he is driven and determined never to go back and in his mind, if he ever does go back it will be a sign of a failure on his part, that his success in life is predicated on his move never to go back. And I think WWE feels the very same way on the converse. I think their attitude is 'we're going to show this guy we don't need him and we'll never use him again'.
I don't know what the future holds for either party and there may be a circumstance that occurs in the future, after all this animosity and acrimony dies down, and it's going to take a long time, that CM Punk sits there and goes 'wow, that's a perfect opportunity for me' and WWE goes 'man, we could make so much money if we just get into a room with this guy Punk'.
Do I think it will happen in the calendar year 2014? No. Do I think it will happen calendar year 2015? I highly doubt it. Do I see something in the future? I don't know what that thing is but I've learned never to say never, and I've learned never to say never to say never. ... Do I think he believes he'll ever be back? I think in his heart of hearts CM Punk absolutely has it in his mindset, and his heart, and his soul, and passionately feels 'I will never put on a pair of boots again'. And I believe WWE is in the same mindset.
And I believe that both parties are going to face a situation in the future where it's going to behoove them to do business again. At that point, either WWE will have the satisfaction of saying 'but we're not picking up the phone' or CM Punk will have the satisfaction of saying 'no'. Or, both parties will just ignore each other. Or, both parties will sit there and say 'here's a way to make a lot of money, here's a way to be creatively satisfied, here's something that we both can live with, here's something that we both can enjoy; why not do this?' And they'll do it.
The emphasis there is mine, because I think those are the most intriguing elements of the quote. Especially the reference to bad blood between the parties.
Breaking this down to the message beneath a long promo, both CM Punk and WWE are planning their futures and motivated to succeed without the other. Which is a smart thing to do - for pyschosocial health and business & career potential.
Much like Heyman himself during his last hiatus from the company, he believes Punk is prepared to never come back to WWE - or wrestling. Given that he's a mentor to the Chicagoan and that they seem to have similar approaches to life and business, his insight here is valuable, because it's got a better chance of being accurate than most opinions on the matter.
So, is his belief that it will take several years before Punk and the McMahons will even discuss doing business together due to "all this animosity and acrimony" more inside information or a master promoter trying to ensure that there's even more money in a future reunion?
There's been a camp who has argued since January that this was more a mutually agreed upon departure than it appeared to fans. The former WWE champ was dealing with some lingering physical ailments and mental burnout, and his employer at least understood his need to leave. Evidence offered up was the presence of his merchandise on their website and his presence on WWE productions - even being the focus of them.
Of course, Punk's history has also been excised from some recent event hype like Money in the Bank, but perhaps that was just to keep the focus on current roster members?
Or maybe it was because there's real hard feelings on one or both sides of the split.
Even if there's real issues, they probably aren't worse than the ones that existed between Vince McMahon and Bret Hart, or Warrior. And time - and the prospect of greater financial gain together than was possible apart - healed those wounds.
Even if Heyman is giving us a reason to think that the CM Punk/WWE divorce was bitter, he still believes that given those two factors, they can reunite in the future.
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How do you read these latest comments from Paul Heyman about his absent Guy? Was CM Punk's exit from WWE messy?
Will they ever, ever, ever...get back together?