While we still don't know the exact reason(s) CM Punk decided to walk out on WWE all the way back in January, it's been reported that he was generally unhappy with the company for a variety of issues. He found himself in a situation where he could do what was best for himself, or he could do what was best for his employers.
He chose the former.
Alberto Del Rio would later find himself in a somewhat similar situation, or at least that's how he sees it. And because of that, he told WrestletalkTV he's "proud" of Punk.
He explains:
"I'm proud of him. He started just as I did, in the independent circuit getting $20, $50 per night driving 1000 miles to get paid $30 or not even that. And he made it to the big stage at WWE and he succeeded; people loved him. But there was one day when he wasn't happy with what was going on in WWE and he said 'you know what...' I remember that day because I had a match against Kofi Kingston that night and it was only eight minutes before Raw. I was in the ring and then Mike Chioda approached me and said 'they want you to do another 14 minutes'. I was like 'yeah, whatever'. I was in the ring with Kofi Kingston, who is another amazing performer, another underrated wrestler by the company. I was like 'okay, brother, let's do this, whatever.' We did that match and then I said 'what happened?' And then they came to me and said 'well, you know, CM Punk said fuck you, WWE, I'm out of here.' And then I was like 'what happened?' 'Okay, this and that and that and that happened.' And I was like 'that's a stand up guy.' He is a guy who really believes what he's saying, what he's thinking, and just because of that he has all the respect in the world. And the funny part is a year after god put me, or destiny put me in the same position.
"I was there with this stupid guy. Some people approach me and say 'do you regret what happened that day' and I say, straight to the camera, no. No. Because 15 years from now, my son is going to Google my name. He's going to Google his father and he's going to be proud of what his father did. I stood up for my beliefs. I stood up for who I am and where I come from. And not just because of my accomplishments through the years, because of this incident all my countrymen are worshiping me right now because they know I fought for my beliefs. I fought for who I am and where I come from."
Del Rio's issue was alleged racism that he responded to by physically assaulting the culprit. He was fired for it but reports indicate WWE wanted to let the heat die down, avoid a lawsuit, then bring him back. He refused that, then worked out a deal with the company to drop his no compete in the States.
Now, Del Rio is doing incredibly well working wherever he wants while Punk is doing pretty much whatever the hell he wants.
Good for them, right?