CM Punk Responds to John Oliver, Tommaso Ciampa and More in the WWE Roundup

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe. 

CM Punk Responds to 'Last Week Tonight' Segment

During Sunday's episode of Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver turned a critical eye toward WWE and highlighted its treatment of active wrestlers. At one point during the show, Oliver highlighted CM Punk's interview in November 2014 on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling podcast (warning: contains profanity).

Punk said WWE doctors had given him so much of the Z-Pack antibiotic he "s--t [his] pants on a SmackDown."

The former world champion evidently watched the segment and seemed to approve (warning: tweet contains profanity):

WWE released a statement saying it "responded to [Oliver's] producers refuting every point in his one-sided presentation" but he "simply ignored the facts" (h/t Wrestling Inc's Raj Giri).

Tommaso Ciampa Discusses Neck Surgery

WWE announced in March that then-NXT champion Tommaso Ciampa would be out of action indefinitely in order to undergo neck surgery. The company subsequently released a video in which the surgeons who operated on Ciampa add some perspective on the injury and his potential comeback.

On Monday, Ciampa tweeted cryptically the doctors "told me that if I return then I will be on borrowed time."

Earlier in the tweet, he recounted how the odds were against him when he suffered knee and ankle injuries in May 2017. He returned to the ring at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans last April. During his most recent run, Ciampa not only cemented himself as the best heel in NXT but also delivered excellent match after excellent match.

It's unclear when Ciampa might be cleared for a full return.

Drew McIntyre Opens up about First Run with WWE

Drew McIntyre was 24 when WWE Chairman Vince McMahon called him the "Chosen One" during an episode of SmackDown.

While the company had high hopes for McIntyre, he was unable to break through in WWE and the company released him in June 2014. Speaking with Good Morning Washington, the 33-year-old said his departure from WWE was a blessing in disguise (h/t Fightful's Alex Santa Maria):

"I wasn't achieving my potential, I had gone straight from university to WWE, I hadn't figured things out yet. Being outside the WWE bubble gave me perception, it let me realize that I can't mess up that opportunity. I worked extremely hard, becoming the busiest wrestler in the world, worked my butt off for three years and returned a man after leaving a boy."

Upon coming back to WWE, McIntyre won the NXT Championship and he's wrestling Roman Reigns on Sunday at WrestleMania 35.

Because the company has such a deep talent pool, mid-carders like McIntyre used to be can often get overlooked and fall out of favor. He's another example of how finding success elsewhere can open the door to stardom in WWE.