CM Punk news: WWE departure blamed on Triple H?

Phil Brooks aka CM PunkWikimedia Commons/Steve Wright Jr.

Back in December 2014, WWE wrestler CM Punk signed a contract to join the UFC, officially leaving his wrestling career behind. In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, legendary WWE wrestler Bret "The Hitman" Hart revealed that he blamed much of CM Punk's departure on Paul "Triple H" Levesque.

Triple H, who was also the WWE Executive Vice President of Talent, reportedly mishandled how wrestlers were given spots on each main event's fight cards. According to the report, CM Punk had an issue with Triple H's habit of putting the spotlight on part-timers such as Brock Lesnar instead of wrestlers that put in more time and effort on the show.

Hart takes CM Punk's side on the matter, claiming that Triple H is a "bodybuilder nut" who has no concern on how much effort a wrestler puts into their work as long as they look good. 

"I admire Punk for taking his stand," Hart explained. "He was the guy doing all the work, every week, going injured, and here's a guy sitting at home - working three or four times a year - and you're going to give him the main event at 'WrestleMania?' I'm not buying it."

Hart also claimed that WWE owner Vince McMahon also regretted WWE's loss of CM Punk, explaining that McMahon had a better balance on judging wrestlers according to how good they look on camera and how well they work behind the scenes while Triple H in comparison only cares about his physique.

"If a guy is 6'5" and has a bodybuilder's physique, that's all that matters to him. But he's wrong," the iconic wrestler stated.

Phil "CM Punk" Brooks has yet to make his UFC debut since his official signing last year but he is expected to appear in his first match sometime in summer 2016, according to News.com.au.