WWE Rumors: CM Punk Suffers 'Significant Injury' at Royal Rumble; Torn Triceps Feared

After participating in the Royal Rumble match for his first WWE in-ring action in over a decade, CM Punk reportedly could be sidelined for the foreseeable future.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), Punk is feared to have suffered a "significant" injury in Saturday's match, with some speculation in WWE that he tore his triceps.

PWInsider's Mike Johnson reported that he "can confirm" that Punk suffered a torn triceps and will be forced to miss WrestleMania 40 in April.

"The belief among sources we have spoken with is that post-surgery, Punk would likely need in the area of 4-6 months of recovery and physical therapy," Johnson stated. "If correct, that would obviously put him out of WrestleMania as a wrestler and if he gets the surgery within the next week, it likely means he wouldn't be able to return to the ring until this summer."

Meltzer added that Punk is expected to address his injury during this week's episode of Monday Night Raw.

"His exact injury was unconfirmed by those in WWE past many confirming the injury and that as of right now the plan is to have him on the show from Tampa to address the nature of the injury," Meltzer said. "Within the WWE the speculation was a torn triceps but nobody close enough to the situation would confirm anything more than a significant injury to be addressed on the show."

Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp added that while the injury has yet to be officially confirmed, Punk was seen waving off a ringside doctor toward the end of the Royal Rumble match, which was won by Cody Rhodes for the second year in a row.

A significant injury for Punk would be a disastrous turn of events. He made his surprise return to WWE in November to a massive amount of fanfare, and he was positioned to be in the running for one of the main-event slots at the WrestleMania 40 two-night event.

Despite not winning the Royal Rumble match, Punk had ignited a feud with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, so it was widely expected that the two of them would face off at the company's biggest show. Even after Rollins suffered a torn MCL and partially torn meniscus, reports still said WWE planned for Punk to challenge him for his title.

This will mark yet another short-lived return for Punk after his run in AEW was also mired by injuries and backstage incidents. He had also suffered a torn triceps in September 2022 when he won the AEW World Championship at the All Out pay-per-view. He was forced to relinquish the title not only due to his injury but also because of his involvement in a backstage brawl with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks that resulted in them being suspended as well.

At this point, it's fair to wonder if Punk will ever be able to recapture the glory that made him one of the most popular wrestlers in the world. At 45 years old, his body has not been able to hold up long enough for him to make the impact he had hoped for when he returned to wrestling, and it could be time for him to hang up his wrestling boots for good.

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