The Rock CM Punk
The Rock beat CM Punk at Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber. wwe.com

The WWE landscape, following WrestleMania 29, remains very unclear.

After headlining both Pay-Per-Views leading up to the event at MetLife Stadium, The Rock and CM Punk have taken a hiatus. The Rock suffered an injury during his title match with John Cena, while Punk has been given time off, following his match with the Undertaker.

In order to replace the missing superstars, the WWE has booked several part-timers to fill the void. The Undertaker faced off with The Shield on “Monday Night Raw” and “SmackDown,” while Triple H and Brock Lesnar will headline Extreme Rules with their grudge match.

At the conclusion of the PPV on May 19, though, a lot of questions remain unanswered.

When will The Rock and CM Punk return? Will WWE bring in a new part-time wrestler in the summer?

The Rock

There’s a good chance that The Rock has wrestled for a final time in the WWE.

In a recent interview with Peter Rosenberg of Hot 97, The Rock said his WrestleMania 29 match was “possibly” the last of his career. The Rock’s feud with Cena is over, and his injury forced the WWE to abandon a storyline that might set up a future match between him and Lensar.

The Rock has wrestled four times since he came back in 2011, suffering a serious injury in two of those matches. He’s signed on to film at least six more movies, according to IMDB, and just agreed to join Mark Wahlberg for a dramedy pilot on HBO.

Risking another ring injury may not be worth it for Dwayne Johnson the movie star.

CM Punk

Since Punk made his last appearance on WWE television the week after WrestleMania 29, there have been a lot of rumors on the internet about when he will return.

According to PWInsider, Punk might be gone until after SummerSlam, meaning he’d miss four straight PPV’s. That may not be the case, however, as Wrestlezone reports the two-time WWE champion is advertised for tapings of “Raw” in late May, June and July.

Punk has been battling injuries since the end of 2012, so he certainly needs some time off. However, the WWE is lacking star power, and may bring back one of their top performers in a few weeks.

Batista

For the latter part of the last decade, Batista was one if the WWE’s biggest stars. He left the company in 2010, pursuing a career in mixed martial arts, but there have been rumors of an impending return in the past few months.

Batista responded to chatter about rejoining the WWE on Twitter.

“Here's a cryptic message: I'm focused on movies now. No #MMA anytime soon. No #WWE plans either, but not opposed. Hopefully #MyFansSupportMe”

If Batista is open to coming back on a part-time basis, a SummerSlam match with Brock Lesnar could in the cards. Batista is a big enough name to fight the former UFC camp, and the event is set to take place in Los Angeles, so it might not conflict with his film schedule.

The WWE has shown it’s not afraid to bring back former talent, and Batista could be the latest guy to make a return.