During a two-segment interview on the Arsenio Hall Show on Thursday night, WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin was asked if CM Punk’s departure from WWE was part of a storyline.  Austin replied, “Word on the street is it was real.”

There have been many comparisons drawn between Punk walking out on WWE this past Monday night and when Austin himself did a similar thing in 2002 when he infamously “took his ball and went home” after a disagreement with Vince McMahon.  Drawing comparisons to the two issues, Austin revealed his actions in 2002 meant he “lost out on a lot of money”.

Austin went on to predict two possible outcomes for Punk’s dispute with WWE and Vince McMahon; either Vince McMahon will meet with Punk to smooth things out or Punk will come back to WWE when it suits him.

In separate news, UFC President Dana White has quickly moved to quash rumors Punk is discussing a move into MMA.  Punk was seen talking with White at last weekends UFC event, but White addressed the issue at a UFC media conference in New York.

“He quit? Really?” White said. “Yeah, he hasn’t said a word to me. He hasn’t reached out to me.”

White was asked if he would be interested in seeing Punk, 35, move into MMA.

“We talked about lots of things. Fighting was not one of them.  It’s a little late to get into the game. But, who knows if he can fight?” White added, “I don’t know. We’ll see what happens. I like him a lot. He’s a great guy.”

It certainly appears the relationship between WWE and CM Punk has reached breaking point at present.  WWE’s Twitter account unfollowed CM Punk this week, and signs for CM Punk were confiscated at the recent NXT TV tapings.