Just before Monday Night Raw was about to go on the air on USA this week (Jan. 27, 2014), my colleague, Keith Harris, brought word that the show had been rewritten multiple times leading up to it. In fact, Vince McMahon, the head of the company, had to call the writers into a meeting to completely rework the script.
This just hours before going live to the world.
Considering the events that have transpired since then, including the breaking of news that CM Punk left Cleveland, the host city for Raw that night, it's fair to wonder if "The Straight Edge Superstar's" decision to bail had anything to do with the need to rewrite the show.
As PWInsider.com is reporting, that's likely the case:
It is believed that when Vince McMahon had the writers re-write Raw late yesterday (6 PM for a taping that was scheduled to start at 7:45 PM), it was because Punk had informed the company he was going home and wouldn't be back.
So, for once, Vince McMahon deserves the benefit of the doubt regarding his notoriously fickle decision making process.
There are rumors that multiple scripts were circulating had two scenarios for Punk: His delivering a promo on Kane to set up a match between the two at Elimination Chamber, or a WWE world heavyweight title qualifying match against Antonio Cesaro that Kane would cost him that would set up a match between the two at Elimination Chamber.
Ultimately, Punk would have gone on to work with Triple H, leader of The Authority and Kane's boss, at WrestleMania 30.
Now, all that appears to be out the window and WWE is being forced to rewrite the script for its most important show of not only this year, but maybe ever. That's because it will be the very first pay-per-view (PPV) broadcast on the WWE Network and is expected to help push sales to the projected one million needed for the company to break even.
Unless, of course, the two sides work things out.
As always, stay tuned.