CM Punk is no amateur when it comes to interacting with Internet wrestling fans, and he knew exactly how to spark speculation ahead of his upcoming Money in the Bank championship bout.
After confirming on Monday’s RAW that the expiration of his contract coincided with Money in the Bank, therefore making his match with John Cena on the show his final one with WWE, Punk posted an online comment nearly identical the one he posted prior to when he was leaving Ring of Honor for WWE.
In that scenario, Punk went into a “final match” against Austin Aries for the ROH Championship; he surprisingly won the bout and then turned heel on the crowd, carrying the belt for a while longer until finally losing to James Gibson.
Certainly, Punk wants to make fans question whether he is indeed leaving (and thus suggest he might win at MITB), as there is obviously no way WWE would script a departing superstar to win the belt in the final match.
Some internal sources are buying into the hype, questioning whether WWE will keep him around for a little bit longer to play out an angle.
It has been confirmed by many sources that Punk had definitely expressed real intentions of going on a hiatus when his contract expired, and while many do expect him to re-sign with WWE (rather than head to TNA or another competitor), many believe he ultimately will take that sort of hiatus.
The question becomes whether WWE will follow-through with having him depart immediately after MITB, or if it will work an angle that keeps him in the mix for a little while longer.