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CM Punk's dreams of headlining Wrestlemania will likely not be realized this year.
PWInsider.com can confirm that Punk is believed to have suffered a torn triceps during the Men's Royal Rumble match. The severity of the tear has not been confirmed but Punk is believed to heading towards surgery after an appearance on tonight's Raw. Punk is in Tampa for the show.
The belief among sources we have spoken with is that post-surgery, Punk would likely need in the area of 4-6 months of recovery and physical therapy. If correct, that would obviously put him out of Wrestlemania as a wrestler and if he gets the surgery within the next week, it likely means he wouldn't be able to return to the ring until this summer in a best case scenario.
A review of the match shows that Punk may have been injured taking a double underhook DDT from Drew McIntyre. Punk rolled out of the ring holding his right arm and was seen speaking to a WWE referee following that spot. Punk suffered a torn triceps of his left arm while performing for AEW, so this would be a new injury, not a recurrence of a previous injury. Punk was the final competitor eliminated by Cody Rhodes.
Punk returned to WWE this past November at the 2023 Survivor Series and wrestled two live event matches against Dominik Mysterio the following month. The Men's Royal Rumble match was his first televised WWE match since the 2014 Rumble match.
WWE had been building to Punk vs. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins at Mania this April in Philadelphia. How they pivot remains unknown as this time.
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