CM Punk worked hard to get back to 100%.
During his AEW All Out post-show media scrum, CM Punk was asked about how he injured his foot and what his recovery entailed. Punk explained that he believed he broke his foot by doing a stage dive into the crowd, but didn’t immediately know something was wrong.
“What I said in a promo last week, I think, was true. I did the stage dive — what an idiot. I must’ve hit my foot on the top of the guardrail, but I didn’t feel it. And you would think that shit would hurt, but when people caught me, they put me down and I waited for FTR, I’m standing and my foot just didn’t feel right. But I thought again, maybe I just whacked it or something like that. Then I wrestled on it and blew a springboard, came off the top with a double axe, did all this shit, and what I eventually did was I fractured my foot, but I pulverized the bones. ‘Pulverized’ is the word my doctor, Dr. Jeung used.”
Punk then explained how surgery took longer than expected, and the recovery process was very difficult for him as well.
“Surgery was supposed to be an hour, it ended up being four-and-a-half. I got three plates and sixteen screws in my foot, and I essentially have a new foot now. It is 100%, but it is a new 100% and I’m — every day I rehab. This is the worst injury I’ve ever had. I had surgery on my elbow, easy peasy. I had surgery on my back, I could bike the next day, I could get a coffee, go for a six-hour walk, I could do something. I was bedridden for two weeks [with the foot surgery] and it was really, really hard for me because I really wanted to have this great summer and do good for Tony and sell tickets, draw money, help with ratings. And it all just came crashing down, but that’s life. I missed out on Forbidden Door in the United Center, really wanted to wrestle there. I have pride in my work and I wanted to carry the title and carry through the summer, help grow the business.
“It was mentally devastating and I was bedridden for at least two weeks. I would dead if it wasn’t for my wife, I would also be dead because of my wife if that third week I didn’t get out of bed [laughs] I love April to death, I wouldn’t be here in a lot of ways if it wasn’t for her. It may sound corny, but not being able to walk my dog was like really challenging. Then the rehab, I could tell you how hard and painful it was grueling, but I just wouldn’t be able to do it justice. I was doing two-and-a-half hours of rehab plus once they told me I could bike, I was biking my life away, I would go to the gym later and lift weights and I was just trying to bust my ass and hurry up. Not hurry up to get back, but hurry up to get healthy. If I’m not healthy, I’m no good to anybody. It was just really, really tough. I just think I’m a little older now and it was a pretty ridiculous — I think if I was 23 it would have been a hard injury. I literally couldn’t do anything. Trying to get around on crutches and going up stairs, I’ve got to walk two feet to go to the bathroom, it was just pretty bad and depressing.”
CM Punk also discussed his relationship with Colt Cabana and how Hangman Page went into business for himself by cutting a promo on him. Read more about how Punk took issue with recent rumors about him and how it played out in the media at this link.
Read More: AEW All Out Results (9/4): CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley, Chris Jericho vs. Bryan Danielson
