WWE Rumors: Paul Heyman Says CM Punk Not Coming Back to WWE and Company Doesn't Want Him

This is hardly an original statement, but CM Punk is and likely will always be one of my favorite wrestlers. So it hurt when he abruptly left the WWE back in January and more or less disappeared from public life. Since then, fans have clung to every scrap of news about the Second City Saint in the hopes it could indicate a return. Now that Punk has made some public appearances, it's clear he's happy and a return to WWE, at least in the foreseeable future, seems highly unlikely.

But if you don't believe me, read the words of Punk's friend and mentor Paul Heyman during this excellent and extremely lengthy interview with Ariel Helwani. Apologies in advance for the lengthy quote.

"I think CM Punk's mindset right now is never to come back and I think their mindset is 'we never want him back'.

In December 2006 if you asked Vince McMahon if Paul Heyman is ever coming back, he would look at you and not even acknowledge that he understands the name you're throwing at him. You asked me four years ago, which was 2010, am I ever going back and I honestly said to you, and I would have sworn it on my testicles, 'no, I will never go back'. Going up the elevator to the meeting where I ended up going back, I would have sworn on my testicles 'I am not going back'.

I think it's very much CM Punk's mindset right now that he is driven and determined never to go back and in his mind, if he ever does go back it will be a sign of a failure on his part, that his success in life is predicated on his move never to go back. And I think WWE feels the very same way on the converse. I think their attitude is 'we're going to show this guy we don't need him and we'll never use him again'.

I don't know what the future holds for either party and there may be a circumstance that occurs in the future, after all this animosity and acrimonydies down, and it's going to take a long time, that CM Punk sits there and goes 'wow, that's a perfect opportunity for me' and WWE goes 'man, we could make so much money if we just get into a room with this guy Punk'.

Do I think it will happen in the calendar year 2014? No. Do I think it will happen calendar year 2015? I highly doubt it. Do I see something in the future? I don't know what that thing is but I've learned never to say never, and I've learned never to say never to say never. ... Do I think he believes he'll ever be back? I think in his heart of hearts CM Punk absolutely has it in his mindset, and his heart, and his soul, and passionately feels 'I will never put on a pair of boots again.' And I believe WWE is in the same mindset.

And I believe that both parties are going to face a situation in the future where it's going to behoove them to do business again. At that point, either WWE will have the satisfaction of saying 'but we're not picking up the phone' or CM Punk will have the satisfaction of saying 'no'. Or, both parties will just ignore each other. Or, both parties will sit there and say 'here's a way to make a lot of money, here's a way to be creatively satisfied, here's something that we both can live with, here's something that we both can enjoy; why not do this?' And they'll do it."

Heyman's is a qualified opinion and certainly carries more weight than almost every other take on the subject, save for Punk himself, Triple H or Vince McMahon. So until further notice, I'm inclined to believe the one behind the one in 21-1.

This is also why I've taken the position that the incessant CM Punk chants at every episode of Monday Night Raw (and a few other WWE shows) need to stop. They were understandable at first because Punk's exit was so sudden that fans never got a chance to give him a proper goodbye. We were hurting, and so we chanted his name louder and louder both to express our appreciation for him and to direct ire at those backstage whom we believe caused him to leave.

But now, the chants have become about the fans' desire to get noticed. This is no more evident than when AJ Lee, Punk's new wife and the Divas Champion, is in the ring. AJ is a gifted performer in her own right, but fans think it's cool to chant her husband's name while she's out there doing her job. Notice, by the way, that the crowd does not chant Daniel Bryan's name for Brie Bella when she is on the microphone.

It's clear now that Punk is not making a comeback to WWE in the foreseeable future, so we fans need to accept that and move on with our lives, too. If he ever does return, then let's blow the roof of the building and chant his name until our throats hurt. But for now, we should respect the performers in the ring and just let it go.

What do you think, WWE fans? Should the CM Punk chants end, or do the fans have a right to keep going? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments below.