CM Punk Reportedly Injured At WWE Royal Rumble, Will Not Perform At WrestleMania 40

CM Punk may have finished as the runner-up in Saturday's Royal Rumble match, but he didn't leave Tropicana Field unscathed and is reportedly expected to be out of action for quite some time. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, Punk suffered a "significant" injury in the men's Royal Rumble match, though WWE did not confirm. Meanwhile, PWInsider reported that Punk, who entered the match at number 27, suffered a torn triceps — the same injury he suffered against Jon Moxley at AEW All Out 2022.

The injury is believed to have occurred when Punk took a Future Shock DDT from Drew McIntyre, after which Punk rolled out of the ring, holding his left arm. Per Meltzer, a referee checked on him, and Punk said, "my triceps." Fightful Select also confirmed the reports of a triceps injury but noted that Cody Rhodes' win was always planned and not an audible.

PWInsider's sources said the injury will require surgery, after which Punk will need 4-6 months of physical therapy. This timeline will obviously take Punk out of any planned match for WrestleMania 40. According to Meltzer, Punk was set to face World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins at the event. As of this writing, it has not been reported if Punk was set to win the Elimination Chamber next month to get the shot at Rollins. Punk will reportedly be on "WWE Raw" from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, on Monday night to address his immediate future.

Following the 2022 injury, Punk was out of action for over nine months, after which he returned on the debut episode of "AEW Collision." Punk was set up as the star of that show prior to being fired by the company and eventually debuting for WWE at Survivor Series: War Games.