CM Punk Confirms He Was Going to Main Event WWE WrestleMania 40, Talks Injury Return

CM Punk's long-awaited return to WWE was derailed by a torn triceps suffered in the men's Royal Rumble match last month, and it had massive ramifications on WrestleMania 40.

While speaking to Caroline Pearce of TNT Sports, Punk confirmed that there were plans for him to compete in one of the main events of the two-night spectacle on April 6-7.

"You know, fingers crossed, yeah, I was going to headline WrestleMania. Obviously, now I'm not," Punk said (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News). "But, you know, it's sports. It's what happens to athletes. Mentally, I think it's harder because the physical pain is whatever. But I look at it just like a bump in the road. This is an occupational hazard. It happens and I'll be back bigger and better. I'm a clumsy idiot. I tore my left triceps about two years ago, so the right one was jealous."

Punk went on to reveal the tentative timeline for his recovery, saying his main focus is on getting healthy and he's not looking to rush his return to the ring.

"I'm like an old cobbler. I'm like a 72 Nova, you know what I mean? We have to change some parts every now and again. So once we fix up all the parts, the engine's still strong, we'll still be good to go," he said. "We're thinking maybe six to eight months, but I'm not really in a rush to get back to compete. I'm in a rush to get healthy. I'm in a rush to get better. The sooner I do that, the better I'll be when I come back."

Without Punk available for WrestleMania 40, WWE has turned to The Rock to add some star power to the marquee event. It appears that he will be in the corner of WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, who is set to defend his title against 2024 Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes in the main event for the second straight year.

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