As noted yesterday, CM Punk is one of several celebrities that will be painting a ball park chair as part of a public art project commemorating Wrigley Field's 100-year anniversary. 50 custom-made pairs of decorated ball park seats that depict a historic moment in the Chicago ballpark's history will line Michigan Ave starting tomorrow.

Red Eye Chicago interviewed Punk in today's newspaper about being a part of the project. Punk will be commemorating Kerry Wood's 20 strikeout games in 1998, and was asked if that was more impressive than holding the WWE Championship for 434 days. Punk fielded that question, replying that Wood's would have to answer that and noting that he felt that it was the most impressively pitched game in major league history.

The only other wrestling related question was Punk being asked about being retired at 35 and if he would be doing more charity work now. Punk admitted that "it feels good," before talking about supporting charities for organizations like the Chicago Cubs.

"I get to do fun stuff like bowl and paint chairs and play whiffle ball with Bull Murray," Punk said. "It was super fun and for a great cause. You've got athletes and actresses and musicians and all kinds of people painting chairs. I'm super happy to be a part of it."

Unless WWE is telling him he can't say anything official, I don't know why Punk wouldn't take an opportunity to say something like this on a more... national platform. I accept he's gone, but it's a weird dynamic.

Because it's quite possible he wanted to retire quietly, if he really did retire. Not everyone needs to go on a podcast or have a press conference to say they're done.

In wrestling they absolutely do need to make a clear statement on a big platform. If you walk away without saying anything, you get people hiding in the alley trying to yell at you when you take the garbage out... People might actually leave him alone so he could have a "quiet retirement" if he did something to confirm it wasn't another one of those classic WWE works.

Ianlovesfozzy wrote:

In wrestling they absolutely do need to make a clear statement on a big platform. If you walk away without saying anything, you get people hiding in the alley trying to yell at you when you take the garbage out... People might actually leave him alone so he could have a "quiet retirement" if he did something to confirm it wasn't another one of those classic WWE works.

No, they really dont. If you say you're done and you never have another wrestling match again, that should pretty much tell people you're done. People would still be bothering him about coming back even if he DID announce it on a big platform. You're honestly meaning to tell me people wouldnt be asking him to do one more match? If that's the case you dont know how wrestling fans operate. The only way they wouldnt harass him is if he was crippled and they knew he couldnt return. He's a celebrity, he's going to get people bugging him until he disappears completely.

Yeah people would bug him to come back no matter what. If he really wants to be left alone it's better to try and fade away.

Dead wrote:

Ianlovesfozzy wrote:

In wrestling they absolutely do need to make a clear statement on a big platform. If you walk away without saying anything, you get people hiding in the alley trying to yell at you when you take the garbage out... People might actually leave him alone so he could have a "quiet retirement" if he did something to confirm it wasn't another one of those classic WWE works.

No, they really dont. If you say you're done and you never have another wrestling match again, that should pretty much tell people you're done. People would still be bothering him about coming back even if he DID announce it on a big platform. You're honestly meaning to tell me people wouldnt be asking him to do one more match? If that's the case you dont know how wrestling fans operate. The only way they wouldnt harass him is if he was crippled and they knew he couldnt return. He's a celebrity, he's going to get people bugging him until he disappears completely.

You said "say you're done and you never have another wrestling match again" like that's a thing he can do. You can't "never have another match." It's not an action. He said he's done... Kind of... but he's did everything to beat around the bush. A firm, national announcement would be necessary for people to believe he's actually done. Until then, every PPV will be "Punk's surprise return" because the thing he needs to do to be done isn't a thing you can actually do, it's a narrative you can state after the fact. He's in for a long four or five years if he makes no effort to make an actual announcement.