The new "Ask the Specialists" Roundtable is the latest spin-off from the "Ask the Torch" feature. CSI led to CSI: New York and CSI: Miami, which is where you'll find the Specialists tackling a daily topic submitted by PWTorch readers to askpwtorch@gmail.com.

Ask the Specialists Roundtable #4

- Question from Zachary Shelton: Now with the storyline of the war between the Shield and the Authority, do you think C.M. Punk should come back to WWE and fight on the side of The Shield since his last storyline/issue was with The Authority?

New Answers Posted Below

- "Mr. TV" Justin James (@Justin_M_James) responds: The idea has a ton of appeal from a fantasy booking perspective. It eases Punk back into the mix in a non-critical role, so it is easy to deal with him if he bails again. It is an indy wrestling dream combination: Punk and Ambrose and Rollins. Outside of that, I just don’t see it working.

What does Punk bring to the table? Ambrose is a great talker, Rollins can put on some fantastic babyface matches (going back to his quest for the NXT Championship to see what I mean), and Reigns is over big-time with the audience. Why mess with a winning formula when there is no real upside, other than some storyside continuity (which Raw & Smackdown do not seem to have anyways) and servicing a group of fans that WWE does not cater to?

- "Showstopper" Shawn Valentino responds: Thank you for your question, Zachary. First, I do not see Punk coming back anytime soon, and for his sake, I hope he does not come back. There was a reason he wanted to leave for time off a few years ago. He looks and feels burned out, and although he had some of the best matches of the year in 2013, he needs to take at least a few months away from the road for his long-term mental and physical health. If he does return soon, I would like to see him come back on his own, preferably betraying Daniel Bryan. Punk is a far better heel than a face and he seems much more inspired in that role. He and Bryan have a long history in ROH and a previous feud in the WWE, so there is plenty to draw from. They could have some classic matches, and since the hard-headed Punk respects Bryan, he should feel inspired to work with him.

As far as a potential storyline/issue with The Authority, I can also see him teaming with The Shield as a mystery partner in a tag match or as a run-in, but I prefer Punk as a lone wolf as opposed to aligned with a faction. If he turns heel, I do not want to see him with The Authority, but I think he is best utilized in his own program. He can return to being a Paul Heyman Guy again if done correctly and help turn Cesaro face, and there is also another possible feud with John Cena. Right now, though, I feel Punk is best taking some time off or not returning at all and leaving fans wanting more.

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- "Falls Count Anywhere" Tony Donofrio (@TonyDonofrio) responds: Zachary, I think the C.M. Punk ship has sailed at this point. Would he add some fire to the storyline? Absolutely. However, there are no signs that Punk will be back any time soon. Would it be the ultimate shock? For sure. With that said, why would he come back right now after leaving so much money on the table from WrestleMania? The next possible time to legitimately talk about a Punk return would be for the June 1 "Payback" show that takes place in Chicago.

- "Common Fan" Jimmy Eaton (@TheCommonFan) responds: That's the million dollar question, Zachary. It's definitely possible, but I think Punk will come back in a completely different story. It does make sense to bring him back in that set up with his history. I just think they'll make a bigger deal when he returns so they can setup something fresher.

Could he even come back and SIDE with The Authority and play the heel? Maybe, but hopefully by the time he returns he'll be able to sink his teeth into something of his own, whether he's a heel or a face. I'd rather them play off how he walked out than be with/against The Authority again. Regardless, it will be very interesting to see when, and if he returns sometime in 2014. My guess would be August at the earliest and next WrestleMania at the latest.

- "Instant Reaction" Ben Tucker (@BTuckerTorch) responds: IF Punk comes back, then I'd put him in a higher profile singles feud to capitalize on the buzz around him. That being said, Punk isn't coming back for a long while. A long, long, long, long while. And at this point it doesn't seem like WWE needs him, either.

- "Mr. PPV" Nathan Kyght responds: Hmmm. Well, it certainly is an interesting idea and one that I think would be a natural fit: the returning 'anti-hero' C.M. Punk inserting himself back into a storyline where he is siding with an upstart group of rebels to try and take back the company from what they perceive to be the evil corporate forces. Having Punk team with Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins would provide some surely excellent in-ring encounters, and I think the promo dynamic among the four would be off the charts.

The real question though, is not whether I think he should or not, but whether it seems likely. Once the Raw in Chicago came and went without C.M. Punk's return, and then more dramatically WrestleMania, it's become increasingly more likely that C.M. Punk is, in fact, done. From what we can assume I don't think Punk needs to return for the money, and he seems to be a guy that has very much controlled his career from the get-go in terms of what he is or is not willing to do.

Passing up on the extremely lucrative 'WrestleMania season' is our best way to gauge his interest level in returning to wrestling at the moment. All signs pointed to him being involved in a Mania match with Triple H, and when he passed up on that opportunity it told us what we need to know about his feelings on being involved in a 'rebel vs. corporation' program, at least as of right now. Do I think it would be a good idea if he did return? Absolutely. Do I think it's going to happen? My opinion is we're going to to go quite a bit of a time before we see C.M. Punk back in the WWE, if at all.

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[ FYI: The specialists consist of a mix of current PWTorch contributors providing their opinion on today's wrestling scene and modern wrestling history questions, including Shawn Valentino, Michael Moore, Ben Tucker, Jon Mezzera, Justin James, Brian Leahy, Jimmy Eaton, Nathan Kyght, Tony Donofrio, and Mike Roe. ]

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