CM Punk famously has done just about everything there is to do in pro wrestling except appear in a main event at WrestleMania. It appears he’ll have to wait for at least one more year to cross that huge item off his bucket list.
According to reports from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer (subscription required) and Mike Johnson of PW Insider, Punk suffered a triceps injury while competing in the Royal Rumble past Saturday in St. Petersburg. The injury is believed to be a torn triceps and occurred during the Men’s Royal Rumble match, where Punk finished runner-up to Cody Rhodes.
Meltzer said that during the match, a referee checked on Punk “and he told the ref ‘My triceps.'” Both Meltzer and Johnson expect the injury to be addressed on tonight’s episode of WWE Raw, with Johnson adding that Punk would be “heading towards surgery” after the show.
Triceps injuries are unfortunately no stranger to Punk, who tore one while competing at All Out in 2022 while he was in AEW. That injury prevented him from wrestling for the rest of the calendar year, though he was also suspended for much of it due to his well-publicized post-event rant and the ensuing fight it caused with The Elite.
Still, this is an especially cruel twist of fate for Punk, who looked set to face Seth Rollins at WrestleMania only to see himself get hurt in his first televised match since his WWE return. The prospects of both his explanation to fans and a new direction for Rollins will make tonight’s episode of Raw even more intriguing.