CM Punk: WWE Return Unlikely After Years Of Injuries, Kevin Nash Says
CM Punk walked away from the WWE, not because he was upset with his workload or billing, but instead because he was devastated by years of injuries and financially shrewd with his money, former wrestling superstar Kevin Nash shared this week.
In an interview with Squared Circle Radio, Nash shared his experiences working with Philip Brooks and tried to quash rumors that Brooks left the WWE out of spite. Nash did say Punk appeared to be growing wary of the organization’s handling of Royal Rumble, but more than anything he was in constant pain from working the wrestling circuit for years.
As Nash noted, CM Punk was an independent wrestler for more than a decade, performing in smaller venues night in and night out before finally breaking into the WWE. Over the course of that time, his body began to break down.
“The thing is, you know, Phil’s not a small guy but he’s not a big guy either. And he’s one of the guys, he takes a lot of punishment on a nightly basis,” Nash said, telling about a time when he saw the wrestler backstage with a heating pad on his back.
“We were in the trainer’s room and we were talking. I just asked him what his condition was. He really hadn’t even had an MRI at that point. I think he’s gotten an MRI since then and I think he’s got some degeneration in his lower back.”
Nash added that a return to the WWE seems unlikely for CM Punk given that the wrestler has been so smart with his money.
“You know, he’s not one of those guys that’s going to have 15 cars. He’s one of those simple guys,” Nash said, adding, “At some point he probably saved $4 or 5 million. Really, if it’s in a Lincoln National Fund with a five-percent return you don’t need much more than that. I’m sure he’s smart, he’s a smart guy. I’m sure he’s looked at it.”
Nash echoes the sentiments from fellow WWE legend Mick Foley. As one of the first wrestlers to speak out on the matter, Foley originally encouraged CM Punk to return for Wrestlemania 30 but later changed his tune and said Punk walked away at the right time.
“While I respect everybody’s opinion – as long as it is given in a respectful way, I have to disagree with those out there who find great fault in Punk’s simply walk away,” he wrote on Facebook. “I am kind of like a ghost that drifts in and out of WWE, but in my past three years of drifting, I have never been to a WWE event where Punk was not in considerable pain. Ice packs, heating pads, and visits to the trainer were as much a part of his daily routine as eating. sleeping, and wrestling. Performing at that level, in that degree of pain was only possible when accompanied by the passion that turned an unlikely Indy kid into one of the greatest WWE superstars of his generation.”
Many are still holding out hope for CM Punk to return to the WWE, and have even been gathering clues about a possible comeback. WWE boss Vince McMahon has referred to his absence as a “sabbatical” and Hulk Hogan talked about CM Punk being on vacation somewhere, giving fans hope of a comeback.
