CM Punk Explains The Reason Behind His WWE Absence

CM Punk’s absence from WWE post-WrestleMania 42 proved to be a major story over the last few months, with rumours and reports emerging of reported heat and issues between Punk and WWE which stemmed from his World Heavyweight Title loss to Roman Reigns. Following his return and win of the WWE Championship, Punk has finally opened up about the reason behind his absence. 

Speaking to ESPN New York, Punk opened up on some personal struggles which influenced the decision from him to take time away from WWE.

“In my business, in this company, for me to be able to say that I had time off and it wasn’t due to injury or surgery is remarkable. It was the first time in my career I had time off without having to get surgery or be injured. I just hung out with my wife… I’m not going to say a rough year, you know, because suffering is relative. I was World Heavyweight Champion on Raw for quite some time, and during that entire time I was champion, I had at least three or four people who were very close to me pass away. Each time, I was at work the next day. I didn’t talk about it publicly. I showed up partially because it helped me. Being here amongst my road family and being able to connect with the fans on that level helped me get through it, but there was still some stuff I needed to process. So my time away was just to kind of reset.”

Punk also noted that being at home with his wife AJ Lee was important, and hit back at those complaining about his time off. 

“If you’re upset that I was mourning some dead friends, I think that’s a you problem. We should celebrate people taking some time for themselves.”

Reports recently suggested that Punk’s WWE Title reign was not expected to be a short-term one. 

H/T WrestlingNews.Co