Paul Heyman on CM Punk: I'm not surprised at all he's not at WrestleMania 30

There are some who still believe wholeheartedly -- or are at least stubbornly sticking to their earlier predictions -- that CM Punk will be making his return to WWE at WrestleMania 30 this Sun., April 6, 2014, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.

He probably won't be.

That comes as no surprise to some, including his former manager and close friend, Paul Heyman, who told Brian Fritz of Between the Ropes exactly that in a recent interview:

"No, I'm not surprised he's not here at all. He was not happy and there was going to come a time when that was going to come to a head and it came to a head six or seven weeks before WrestleMania. What would I say to him? I don't mean to be a smart ass here, though it's going to come off that way, what I would or have said to him is exactly what you said to me at the beginning of this interview: how are you doing? I don't think he's seeking out anybody's advice nor do I think he should. The old Clint Eastwood expression, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. This is what CM Punk felt he had to do so he did it."

Punk, apparently, is doing quite well since taking his proverbial ball and going home. He took another turn as a panel member on Talking Dead, got engaged to current WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee, and isn't taking bumps (outside of whatever he and AJ are doing to celebrate said engaement).

That's a win all around, no?

Still, the rumors will persist that he's returning this weekend and you can choose to believe them or not.