CM Punk Out of WWE WrestleMania 40 After Confirming Injury Suffered at Royal Rumble

Just as CM Punk's return to WWE got into full swing, things reached a screeching halt.

During this week's episode of Monday Night Raw, Punk confirmed reports that he suffered a torn triceps and will be forced to miss WrestleMania 40.

Reports surfaced on Monday that Punk suffered the injury during the men's Royal Rumble match at Saturday's premium live event in Tampa, Florida, which was his first televised match in WWE since 2014.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported that Punk is "believed to [be] heading towards surgery" following his appearance on Raw. Johnson added that the belief is that Punk will be facing four to six months of recovery time and physical therapy, with a return to the ring in the summer being his best-case scenario.

The injury ends the hype of Punk's WWE comeback, which many thought was out of the realm of possibility when he left the company nearly a decade ago. Fans were blown away by his return at Survivor Series in November, and it appeared big things were on the horizon for him.

Punk had immediately put himself in position for a feud with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. Even though Cody Rhodes won the Royal Rumble match for the second year in a row, there was an expectation that Punk would challenge Rollins for his title in one of the main events of WrestleMania 40, which will be held on April 6-7.

Now, WWE will have to pivot to finding a new opponent for Rollins at this year's marquee event.

This isn't the first time Punk's return to the ring ended unceremoniously. Prior to coming back to WWE, he spent two volatile years in AEW during a run that was marred by injuries and backstage incidents.

He also suffered a torn triceps in September 2022 after he won the AEW World Championship at the All Out pay-per-view. He relinquished the title and was suspended for his involvement in a backstage brawl with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks after the event. His contract was terminated in September 2023 after his involvement in another backstage altercation.

The 45-year-old is one of the most popular wrestlers in the world, but at his age, his days in wrestling appear to be numbered. It remains to be seen how he will bounce back from yet another unfortunate roadblock.

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