If it truly is a work...(SD spoilers inside)

[An Old Villain]

A) What is their endgame?
I COULD see a point in booking the Bryan stuff. Stretching things to ensure the most massive pop at WMXXX when DB wins the WHC.
For the Punk walkout, where does that go? Initially I thought it would give him a breather to do "shoots" via TMZ, Colts pod, etc etc etc and it leads to a WM match with HHH, but with it being reported that Punk is put off by the suggestion of that...where do we go?
Could it somehow lead to a bit of a brand split with the workers on one side and the entertainers on the other? Could we get WCW (in name) back- there was a crazy rumor in 2013-? Does the WHC get split back to two belts (1 for each brand)? Whatever they have cookin, it cant be something as simple as a 4 way main at WM...or any variance of Punk coming back for a shot at the title...it has to be HUGE.
One thing that strikes me as funny is the timing of Christians return, his placement in the EC match coupled with the rift in the Real Americans and Cesaros placement in the EC match.
Im not a big Christian fan, but its obvious he is a bit of an IWC favorite. That puts DB, Christian, and Cesaro...an all smark team...in the title hunt.
Also, if Hogan is getting a WM role (host or whatever) that just adds MASS amounts of fuel to the hatred of part timers getting spots...which is what lead to Punks walk out. So why on Earth would he come back, when its only getting worse?


B) Lets work them.
If the master plan is to have folks frothing at the mouth for Bryan and Punk, im fine with that...but theyre not the only two guys who deserve better.
Could "we" send an even bigger message by clamoring for bigger roles for guys like Cesaro, Zayn, and Neville?
Even casual fans know and appreciate the likes of Punk and DB at this point, and they should be at the top of the card, but there are others who deserve more.

[1 Free Moon-Down with Burger]

Really don't like the idea of 'wrestlers' and 'entertainers'.

That stuff was so lame during the Summerslam build.

[saintpat]

If it's a work, I think it is a miscalculated one.

The idea, presumably, would be to give Punk more credibility when he returns at some point and goes back to pipebombing -- he can talk about leaving the company not once, but twice, in protestation over how it is being run.

But a large amount of the initial reaction right now is anti-Punk, even from self-professed CMP supporters, who think he's acting like a baby over not getting what he wants (a coveted spot in the final match at WM). So while that MAY turn into support or sympathy after his return, it could also spark some backlash (and already seems to have done so) from those who just don't support him going about it this way.

It also puts great trust in getting the message out there in whatever way WWE wants it to be spun, as there was no promo on TV before he left to lay out his grievances, give his version of why he is leaving, etc. If he does a promo on Raw and says, "The Royal Rumble was the last straw, you're running this company into the ground, you don't care what fans think, hi Colt Cabana, I want my own ice cream bars, I'm out" then WWE controls the narrative in a much bigger way than if www.restlenewz.com puts out a story that says, for instance, "Punk walks because he is tired of Bryan stealing his thunder."

And there is also this: after the RR, surely the WWE would be hesitant to have the guy who is now second most popular among the smark/IWC set (to Bryan) do something like this as part of a work when they are already having crowds turn on them at live, televised events. It could lead to even more crowd heat (of a bad kind) and more chants that might, for all they know, drown out the Undertaker's return (if they'll boo Mysterio, they'll boo anyone).

Between the "Yes" movement and Bryan chants and now the possibility of more open hostility from Punk supporters ... all I can say is if it's a work WWE has pretty big balls to walk that line with the launch of its make-or-break network and its biggest show of the year both coming up so soon.