Respect; that was all he ever wanted to achieve from his peers, but they just didn't seem to care all that much about respect anymore. He was the WWE Champion, yet the company was treating him like he was some mid-card talent and were letting their golden boy, John Cena, hog the spotlight. He wasn't the only one not being utilized to their highest potential. Many a times has he seen Divas get completely forgotten on the main shows and just thrown in lackadaisically onto the Pay-Per View cards. He was tired of the disrespect he, and everyone else, was getting but when he finally speaks up about it, like he has done in the past, he gets criticized for it. The fighting with commentators like Jerry 'The King' Lawler, getting called out on Twitter by fellow SuperStars and Divas was really starting to tick him off. It wasn't until August 19th at 11:34pm, that he felt like what he was doing was right. That was when one of his childhood idols, Bret 'The Hitman' Hart, tweeted that he held respect for the Chicago Made Punk.
After seeing that particular tweet from Bret, Punk felt like he should do something worth remembering. With the tag team division slowly on the rise, that barely left any time for the Divas. Now knowing what he was going to do, he needed to make a plan to get things pushed and into motion. His first thought was who would be the lucky Diva that would ultimately get the push she deserved? Thinking quickly to what his peers have said over time, Punk's mind raced. Randy Orton had been pretty vocal about a certain third generation Diva and John Cena had been impressed with a certain Glamazon ever since she out lifted him in the gym a few weeks earlier. Beth Phoenix and Natalya both screamed epitome of women's wrestling and they were both floundering by constantly jobbing to the lesser talents such as Alicia Fox, Aksana, and even, to Punk's chagrin, Kelly Kelly.
It was decided who's career he was going to help jump start again. Maybe he was being a little biased based on his childhood hero, but he didn't give a rat's ass. The luck Diva was Bret Hart's niece, Natalya. He has always been impressed with the Dungeon Diva's ring-skills, and she really grabbed his attention when she was defending the Divas Championship on Monday Night Raw when he was a commentator. The way that she used her power to get out of Melina's submission attempt and ultimately the way Natalya bent her opponent like a pretzel in the Sharpshooter really added up points of respect in Punk's book.
There was that dreaded word again: respect. If he wasn't going to get the respect of his fellow Superstars, by god he was going to help someone else earn respect. And what better way to do that than to help out the Divas division? After deciding that he was going to help out Natalya, he headed out to find her. Walking down the hallways looking for the Divas locker room, he gave up after five minutes of not being able to find it. Heading back towards his own locker room, he passed the Gorilla, and there was the Glamazon Beth Phoenix warming up for her match that was next. Swallowing his pride and putting the past aside for a few minutes, he cautiously walked over to her.
"Hey Beth, can I ask you a question?"
"You just did." She replied without looking up at him; she was too focused on her side lunges.
"Very funny, anyway, I was looking for Natalya but I have no clue where the Divas locker room is, can you tell me?"
"Why do you need to talk to Natalya? If you don't remember, she has a boyfriend, so it's not like she's going to use you to get ahead in the company like I supposedly did."
"Jesus Beth, I apologized a thousand times. I'm sorry that I listened to what Vickie and the other jealous Divas were saying about you and the fact that I didn't give you a chance to explain. Besides, it's not like I'm going to be asking her out anyway, I just need to discuss something with her."
"Fine, out locker room is down that hall over there and fourth door on the right side." Beth said as she pointed towards the hallway he just came from.
"Alright thanks Beth."
"You're welcome but she won't be in there!"
Punk swung his body back around and marched over to Beth again, only this time he squatted down to her level. He was slightly annoyed and just glared at her through slits.
"And why wouldn't she be in there? Didn't she just tape her match against Layla for SuperStars?"
"Yes, but as soon as she got backstage, Tyson was waiting for her and pulled her away. So after some deductive reasoning, I am going to guess that she is still with him in his locker room. Now if you don't mind, I have to go and make a Diva cry, and then ultimately lose the match…again." Beth said as she stood up to her full height and began to walk away.
"Wait, where is his locker room?"
"Seriously Phil?! Its three doors down from your own. Maybe you would have known that had your head been stuck so far up your own ass!"
Before he had a chance to retort, she was making her way out onto the stage. Shaking his head, he made his way back to his locker room. As he approached, he slowed down upon hearing a woman and man yelling at each other. Nearing closer, he recognized the voices; they belonged to Natalya and her boyfriend Tyson Kidd. Keeping a safe distance from the door, he settled in to listen.
"You can't be serious about this Natalya!"
"And why the hell not? I deserve to do much more within this company rather than to walk your ass out to the ring and be eye candy in spandex every night. In case you have forgotten, I'm a wrestler too."
"Yeah and where has that gotten you? You have only been pushed twice in your career. The first time being when they were having a tournament to crown the first ever Divas Champion. Yeah you made it to the finals, but you tapped out to fucking Michelle McCool. Then the second time, you had to put up with Michelle and Layla's bullshit for almost three months before you captured the belt. Then what happened?"
When she didn't respond, he knew that he had made his point.
"You dropped it less than three months later in a Fatal Four Way to Eve. Fucking Eve Torres of all people! How could you let that happen?"
"It's not like I had a fucking choice in the matter Tyson! That was the way creative set me up to lose it. I never expected to be discarded like a no talent bimbo and end up jobbing to make these bimbos look good."
"Then what is the problem with you accompanying Justin and I to the ring? I mean, come on, you did that all the time when I was tagging with Harry, so what's different now?"
"Because Harry isn't here anymore! No offense to Justin or anything, but when Harry was in the group with us, he supported me and not just because he was my cousin. He supported me because he believed in me as a wrestler too. Why can't you do the same?"
"Because you have garnered yourself no respect from the other Divas and, hell, you haven't even been proved your worth to Vince. Until you do, I insist you stay as Justin and I's manager."
"Then how the hell am I supposed to prove my worth to anyone in the god forsaken company if no one gives me a fucking chance?!" Natalya yelled out in desperation.
Punk had heard enough of Tyson berating his girlfriend and fellow wrestler. Pushing himself off the concrete wall where he had stationed himself, he walked over to the door and knocked rather loudly.
