He took a brutal route to get there, but in the end CM Punk emerged from WWE Bad Blood triumphant, getting a decisive, feud ending victory over Drew McIntyre in Hell in a Cell. And with his near year long rivalry with McIntyre now in the rearview mirror, many were wondering what would be next on Punk's agenda. For now, the answer appears to be very little, as Punk announced last night on "Raw" that he would be taking a sabbatical, and wasn't sure when exactly he would be returning to WWE.
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A day later, the reasoning behind Punk's promo became clearer. Fightful Select reports that Punk cut last night's promo because he will not be taking part in WWE's upcoming Crown Jewel PLE on November 2 in Saudi Arabia. As such, the promo was used to write Punk off for the time being, though it remains unclear whether Punk will be returning immediately after Crown Jewel or will continue his hiatus till after Survivor Series.
Punk's absence from Crown Jewel won't come as a total surprise, as prior to his WWE return Punk had openly expressed negativity towards WWE's working relationship with Saudi Arabia. This included a tweet towards The Miz where Punk launched into a profanity laced attack where he told Miz to "go suck a blood money covered d**k from Saudi Arabia," and a promo Punk cut on his AEW rival MJF that referenced the WWE/Saudi relationship.
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Whenever Punk does return, it appears his next program will be with Seth Rollins, whom Punk shared a brief staredown with after his promo. A rivalry between Punk and Rollins has long been anticipated, and was even scheduled to take place at WrestleMania 40 before Punk was injured at the Royal Rumble.
