CM Punk was fired by the WWE on his wedding day because he walked out on the WWE after the 2014 Royal Rumble.
He was due to marry AJ Lee on one day in June 2014, but received a package from FedEx with his termination papers from the WWE.
While it did not affect the enjoyment of his special day, it left a sour taste in his mouth toward the promotion he used to work for.
The WWE were justified in firing CM Punk. After being eliminated by Kane in the 2014 Royal Rumble match, he walked out of the WWE after a fiery conversation with Vince McMahon and Triple H.
People expected him to return eventually, but his resolution was steadfast. CM Punk walked out of wrestling without a second thought and didn’t look back.
But did the WWE need to fire CM Punk on his wedding day? Was that the best day they could have terminated his contract and sent him packing?
WWE Fired CM Punk On His Wedding Day
CM Punk received word from WWE that he was being fired on his wedding day. It was June 2014, months after he walked out of the WWE and retired from wrestling.
On the morning he was due to be married to AJ Lee, CM Punk was sent his termination papers by the WWE. As AJ Lee was employed by WWE at the time, there was no way they didn’t know it was the couple’s wedding.
This was just one example of the pettiness and spite of the WWE over the years.
CM Punk could have been fired at any point from January that year. However, they waited five months to let him go and waited until what would be the happiest day of his life.
He spoke about it on the Art of Wrestling podcast. Speaking to his former friend Colt Cabana, CM Punk had this to say about being fired by WWE on his wedding day.
“The day of my wedding, I got a FedEx in the mail. It was my termination papers. I was fired. I was fired on my wedding day. Very calculated, very deliberate. As much as I chuckled at it and didn’t let it affect my day.”
As he said, he did not let it affect his day. Punk married AJ Lee despite the news of his firing and moved on with their lives.
AJ Lee spent another year in the WWE before retiring due to spinal injuries. The pair found new things in their lives, such as writing books, appearing on TV and even fighting in the UFC.
In the end, being fired by the WWE on his wedding day did not affect CM Punk. He had already walked out on the WWE in January 2014 and decided not to return, due to being burned out from the injuries and the lies from Vince McMahon.
CM Punk Returned To Wrestling With AEW
However, he didn’t stay away from wrestling forever.
There were rumours for months about CM Punk and potentially returning to wrestling. While WWE seemed out of the question, AEW had grown to a point where they could be a viable option for a CM Punk return.
His return to wrestling after seven years out was all but confirmed when AEW booked the 15,000 seater United Centre in Chicago for an episode of AEW Rampage.
Chicago is CM Punk’s hometown, and the arena was way too big for a regular episode of AEW.
This was big. CM Punk was back. The fans sold out the arena on nothing but a rumour of their hero returning.
They didn’t have to wait long to see him, as the show opened on the familiar riff at the start of Living Colour’s Cult of Personality and CM Punk walked out into the ring for the first time since the 2014 Royal Rumble.
Punk won that match and moved on to other targets, more young talent like Will Hobbs and Daniel Garcia, and even pay per view matches against Eddie Kingston and MJF.
Vince McMahon Apologized For Firing CM Punk On His Wedding Day
While it seemed like the firing of CM Punk on his wedding day for an act of spite by Vince McMahon, the WWE Chairman says otherwise
McMahon is known for being incredibly petty. He called out Jeff Jarrett on the final episode of WCW Nitro to fire him in front of millions, for something that happened years prior.
He also has many other foibles, such as hating people who sneeze and not knowing what a burrito is, despite eating one every day for lunch.
Vince McMahon did however deny that he was responsible for WWE firing CM Punk on the day of his wedding to AJ Lee.
Speaking on the debut episode of The Stone Cold Podcast, which is the precursor to the Broken Skull Sessions, nobody expected CM Punk to be mentioned.
The former WWE Champion had not been mentioned on WWE since he walked out, but Steve Austin did not hold back on the hard questions.
The WWE Hall of Famer very quickly brought up the Best in the World’s name, asking Vince McMahon about his untimely firing. McMahon quickly and earnestly responded;
“Sometimes in a big corporation, the legal people don’t necessarily know what talent relations are doing and conversely. Punk got his severance papers moreover on the day he got married. That was a coincidence. So I want to personally apologize for that.”
However, it is difficult to believe a word Vince McMahon said about the situation. He is a famous liar, cheat and criminal.
The former WWE and ECW Champion is currently under investigation for various levels of sexual misconduct. It is not unbelievable he would fire CM Punk on such a special day simply out of spite.
Why do you think WWE fired CM Punk on his wedding day? Let us know down in the comments what you think about the situation?