3 Reasons why CM Punk may not be back in WWE for a while

CM Punk and AJ Lee were absent from last week's RAW following Wrestlepalooza, which saw AJ return to the ring after a gap of over 10 years and defeat Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins in a fun tag team match alongside Punk in Indianapolis. They are not advertised for tonight's RAW either, which has led to speculation regarding whether they will be off TV for a while going forward.

While AJ may seemingly not be tied to a full-time round-the-year deal, WWE will likely have her feud with Becky Lynch whenever the time is right. Meanwhile, Punk certainly is a full-time guy, but he may be taking a short break, too. In this article, we shall discuss three reasons why that could indeed be the case.

#3 Seth Rollins vs Cody Rhodes is set for Crown Jewel

World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will go one-on-one at Crown Jewel, which means that CM Punk can't have a shot at Rollins are his title until then.

As such, whether from a presentation standpoint or even looking at it from the perspective of Punk's character and his motivations, it doesn't make sense for him to be on TV right now.

A star of his stature being on TV for no reason or in a forced feud dilutes the equity he brings to the table, and he does not fit into the Jey Uso-LA Knight-Jimmy Uso story right now either.

#2 RAW does not NEED CM Punk's star power right now

The OTC, Roman Reigns, is being advertised for Crown Jewel: Perth, which means that CM Punk is someone who can take a few weeks off for the foreseeable future.

Monday Night RAW, as much as it benefits from his presence, doesn't NEED his star power right now. Meanwhile, Cody Rhodes will seemingly also be appearing on RAW leading up to Crown Jewel.

#1 CM Punk does not take a backseat to anyone

Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns' presence on RAW over the next few weeks could mean either of two things, should CM Punk be on TV during this period.

Either Punk will actively & directly be involved with the build-up to their matches, or work an undercard program over the next few weeks; "directly" & "actively" being specific adverbs here because the enemy and the bigger story here is common.

Regardless, he will be taking a backseat to whatever is going on. That is not something in The Second City Saint's nature. Not only will it dilute his presence, but it will dilute his character too. Instead, Punk could simply recharge his mind and body and come back fresh post-Crown Jewel.