CM Punk Admits He Feels "Like Trash" Physically Since Returning To Wrestling

In a recent interview with The Wrap, AEW star CM Punk was asked how it feels to be taking bumps inside a pro wrestling ring after a gap of seven years.

"Oh, I feel like trash, I'll be honest," Punk admitted. "I'm 42 years old and I haven't taken bumps in seven-plus years. I think there's something to building up a callus, to something you do on a regular basis becoming easier because you do it on a regular basis.

"I think a lot of wrestlers are feeling this right now. The pandemic, when it shut everything down and it essentially killed house-show business — they're not on the road, they're not taking bumps Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday — I think everybody kind of felt this awfulness of 'Oh man, I'm wrestling less-frequently than I used to,' (but) it feels worse somehow."

Although a part of Punk "feels worse somehow" performing limited dates post pandemic, he also sees the appeal in wrestlers no longer being treated "like cattle."

"It's 100% better (now)," Punk said of the business. "I don't gotta drive into a town and try to check into a hotel at 4:30 in the morning and find out there's a clown convention in town and all the hotels are booked up.

"(The) appealing schedule (is) one of the reasons I came back. The pandemic and the reset kind of made it to where the wrestlers have that better schedule and they have more say over– this is easier and this is the way it should be. You can't treat us like cattle, and that's definitely an appeal."

With a victory over Daniel Garcia on Friday's episode of AEW Rampage, Punk improved his AEW singles record to 3-0. As noted earlier, Punk will face Matt Sydal on next week's Rampage.

There is still no word on Punk's opponent for the upcoming Full Gear pay-per-view on Nov. 13.