9 months ago
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WWE
CM Punk may have finished as the runner-up in Saturday's Royal Rumble match, but he didn't leave Tropicana Field unscathed and is expected to be out of action for quite some time. According to Dave Meltzer, Punk's exact injury was unconfirmed by WWE, but is "significant." PWInsider reported Punk, who entered the match at number 27, suffered a torn triceps in the match. It is believed to have happened when Punk took a Future Shock DDT from Drew McIntyre. Punk will reportedly be on "WWE Raw" from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on Monday to address the injury.
After taking the move from McIntyre, Punk rolled out of the ring, holding his left arm. According to Meltzer, a referee checked on him and Punk said, "my triceps." Fightful Select also confirmed the reports that it was a triceps injury and that Cody Rhodes' win was always planned and not an audible. PWInsider's sources said the injury will require surgery, and Punk will need 4-6 months of physical therapy after he recovers. The timeline will put Punk out of WrestleMania. According to Meltzer, Punk was set to face World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins at the event in Philadelphia this year. As of this writing, it has not been reported if Punk was set to win the Elimination Chamber next month to get the shot at Rollins.
Punk previously tore his triceps in 2022 while he was competing in AEW, during a main event match against Jon Moxley at All In. He underwent surgery that September and was out of action for over nine months, prior to the debut of "AEW Collision," where Punk was set to be the star of the show prior to being fired by the company and debuting for WWE at Survivor Series: War Games months later.
