Latest Reporting on the WWE Absences of CM Punk and AJ Lee

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

CM Punk has been off WWE programming since the night after WrestleMania 42, but people still can't help but talk about the former World Heavyweight Champion.

There have been a number of unsubstantiated rumors about the self-proclaimed "Best in the World" and his time off from WWE, which we won't mention until something more concrete surfaces. As of this writing, however, the folks behind WrestleVotes say Punk's absence from Monday Night Raw is not that deep.

"It’s a well-deserved rest for that guy that has been going, outside of injury, for three straight years. Just main evented WrestleMania. Get a little time off, him and his wife. He’ll be back in no time, right back on top of the card. It is not true that they have no plans for CM Punk," WrestleVotes said during a live Q&A Tuesday.

Punk is coming off a spectacular main event match at WrestleMania 42, where he dropped the World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns. He had a face-to-face promo exchange with reigning WWE Champion Cody Rhodes the next night on Raw, which teased a future match between the two.

Punk has not been seen since. Neither has his wife, former WWE Women's Intercontinental Champion, AJ Lee.

It sounds like CM Punk will be back in WWE long before AJ Lee

Your favorite wrestler's favorite wrestler last competed on night one of WrestleMania 42, where she lost the Women's IC Title back to Becky Lynch. She later penned a letter of appreciation to her adoring fanbase and left the door open for a return to WWE at some point.

When asked about her status with the company on Tuesday, WrestleVotes simply stated, “AJ Lee’s not coming back anytime soon.”

The Takedown on SI sat down with AJ Lee in April and she expressed to us her desire to work with a number of women on the WWE roster. It would be highly surprising for her not to come back down the line, especially now that her good friend Paige has returned to WWE, but it certainly sounds like her appearances will be much more sporadic moving forward.

"I'm so proud of everything I've done before, everything now feels like extra credit. It feels like sprinkles on the sundae," Lee told The Takedown on SI in April. "This era is about just enjoying it and being surprised and being able to soak it in and have fun every second. Did not expect a title, did not expect another Mania match. So as long as I'm just sort of here for the ride, I think fun things will come my way."

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