CM Punk was injured – stop if you’ve read this one before – in his return to WWE at the Royal Rumble on Saturday, and it appears that he will be out of action past Wrestlemania 40.
Punk, the former WWE and AEW champ, returned to WWE in November after a two-year run in AEW, which ended with Tony Khan firing Punk following a backstage brawl moments before the opening match of the All In show in London.
Punk had only been back on AEW TV for two months following another injury suffered at the 2022 All Out pay-per-view, and a backstage brawl in the aftermath of that show that would have led to a lengthy suspension, given that Khan did suspend fellow AEW stars Kenny Omega and Matt and Nick Jackson for their roles in that post-All Out fracas.
The injury that put Punk on the shelf after the 2022 All Out was a torn left triceps; the injury that he suffered at this past weekend’s Rumble is a torn right triceps.
From a review of the match, Punk was injured after taking a double-underhook DDT from former WWE champ Drew McIntyre.
Punk was seen telling a ref at ringside during the match that he had injured his right triceps.
Punk continued in the match, and was the final man eliminated by the winner, Cody Rhodes, who with the win was granted a title shot at Wrestlemania 40, where Rhodes will face WWE champ Roman Reigns in a rematch of their Wrestlemania 39 main event.
Punk was reportedly on a path to facing Seth Rollins at WM 40.
The injury to the right triceps will require surgery and then four to six months of rehab, so the likelihood is that Punk would be set up to return for SummerSlam in August.
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Chris Graham
