CM Punk: Latest News and Buzz for Former WWE Star Before Elimination Chamber

While several WWE Superstars prepare to enter the painful, unforgiving structure that is the Elimination Chamber, CM Punk will be training for his UFC debut. That is unless he's not teasing fans on Twitter instead.

Despite how long he's been away from WWE, Punk's name still generates buzz. He remains a figure in the wrestling news cycle, even if it's just for trivial stories.

As May closed, Punk created headlines with zero effort. Darren Young recalled a touching interaction between himself and the former world champ. Booker T brought Punk up as well. A strange result on WWE Shop had Punk fans wondering if the company was taking a passive-aggressive shot at him.

And of course, discussion about potentially wrestling won't die. A recent tweet didn't help matters. Punk only got his fanbase worked up.

Teasing a Comeback, Predicting Hockey Games

John Throne, who runs Absolute Intense Wrestling in Cleveland, Ohio, joked on Twitter that he would be willing to plug Punk into a potential match with Samoa Joe. Of course he would—Joe versus Punk at this point would be a major money-maker.

It's not going to happen, though. 

Still, Punk messed around with Throne. He tweeted a playful inquiry:

It's unlikely that Punk will ever wrestle again. He's filled the time he once spent traveling and working for WWE with a variety of less painful endeavors, including watching more hockey.

His love for the game got him some press. CBS Sports posted an article about Punk's ability to predict hockey games. It's a tongue-in-cheek piece that includes fantasy football writer Dave Richard making a Paul Heyman reference.

Punk picked the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 4 against the Anaheim Ducks:

Richard asked him a follow-up question, which Punk rolled with:

Still in the Discussion

Talk of working hurt led Booker T to address the allegations Punk fired about the WWE medical staff last November in a podcast interview with Colt Cabana (h/t Yahoo! Sports). In an interview with The Troy Show (h/t WrestlingInc), Booker T touched on whether company doctors push wrestlers into competing.

"I've heard people make claims and even CM Punk talk about having issues and them telling he's got to go out there to work," he said. "If you go out there and work, as smart as you are, you should know the difference. You should know your own body."

Punk's issues weren't with whether he knew his body. He claimed that a doctor misdiagnosed a staph infection and ignored concussion symptoms.

Booker T's comments also didn't address the pressure wrestlers, especially ones who aren't yet established, feel to work injured in order to keep their job.

In his mentioning of Punk, Darren Young offered a behind-the-scenes look at Punk. As part of A Day in the Life of DYoung, a mini-documentary, Young talked about Punk's reaction to his coming out.

He says that Punk told him: "I'm proud of you. If you ever any problems with anyone in the locker room, let me know. I got your back."

Kudos to Punk for his support for his peer. This story is another example of wrestling culture being more tolerant than one might expect.

The WWE Shop Story

Maybe someone working for WWE wanted to take a jab at Punk. Maybe it was just an odd glitch. But when fans searched for Punk merchandise on WWE Shop, "CM Junk" came up instead. 

The NB Show Network tweeted a screenshot of the search results:

Clearly, WWE has caught wind of this blowing up on the Internet. CM Punk searches now lead one to the default Superstars page. 

Training Continues

Fans got a few more glimpses of Punk prepping for his first foray into UFC. He recently traveled to Phoenix to work with the EXOS fitness program.

Luke Rockhold shared a photo of Punk and Rashad Evans in mid-squat:

Evans offered up a look at him, Rockhold and Punk working with medicine balls:

These images aren't enough to satisfy the curious fan. They want to know whether Punk will sink or swim in the Octagon. That question won't be answered for a long time to come.

Until then, one can be sure that Punk's name will pop up in any number of places.