CM Punk has revealed that an injury from the early years of his wrestling career still affects him more than two decades later. The WWE star said a fractured skull suffered in 2002 left him with recurring vertigo, and there have been matches where he was performing while struggling to understand what was happening around him.
“The Second City Saint” discussed the injury during his appearance on Netflix’s “Hot Ones: Extra Heat” with Sean Evans. When the conversation turned to injuries that have continued to affect him, Punk brought up the skull fracture he suffered during a June 2002 Jersey J-Cup match against Reckless Youth in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Punk explained that the injury affected the bones in his inner ear responsible for equilibrium. He said the problem can return when those structures become displaced, causing the world around him to spin.
“I fractured my skull once. This is the one that reoccurs every once in a while, because after I fractured my skull, I developed vertigo really bad. Also, one I haven’t really talked about too much but what happened was I fractured my skull, and there are some bones in your inner ear to help with equilibrium and those kind of basically were like dice inside a cup and got rattled around and thrown around. So, sometimes those still get knocked loose, and if I lay down and look straight up, the world spins.”
The revelation became even more significant when Punk explained that the vertigo has not been limited to his life away from the ring. According to the former Undisputed WWE Champion, he has competed in matches while experiencing a full bout of vertigo.
“So there’s been a lot of matches that you see that you know a lot of people are impressed with, where I’m full on going through a bout of vertigo and I don’t know what’s going on.”
Punk also found a way to make light of the revelation, joking that his recurring vertigo could explain why one of his signature high-risk moves does not always go according to plan.
“And I will also now blame the crookedness of my moonsault on my vertigo.” [H/T Fightful]
The comments offer a glimpse at an injury CM Punk has rarely discussed publicly, while also adding another layer to the physical demands he has continued to put himself through throughout his career.
CM Punk Recently Lost the Undisputed WWE Championship
Punk’s revelation comes shortly after another significant moment in his latest WWE run. He lost the Undisputed WWE Championship to Sami Zayn on the September 11 episode of SmackDown in Mexico City, ending his reign at 66 days.
The title change came after Punk had successfully defended the championship against Johnny Gargano one week earlier. Zayn had repeatedly interfered in Punk’s title business before earning his rematch, setting up their championship showdown in Mexico.
“The Second City Saint” initially appeared to have the match won after countering Zayn’s Helluva Kick and hitting the GTS. He later applied the Anaconda Vise, but the submission occurred while the referee was distracted. The match broke down further when Johnny Gargano and Kevin Owens became involved, with Owens accidentally striking Punk with the championship before Zayn hit the Helluva Kick for the victory.
The defeat ended Punk’s latest run with the championship, but his latest comments show that his career continues to involve challenges that extend well beyond what happens during a title match.
