Jun 7, 2018
CM Punk: 'I'm done with pro wrestling'
Phil "CM Punk" Brooks says he won't be the next Terry Funk. The UFC welterweight says unequivocally his professional wrestling career is over. Speaking with TSN's Aaron Bronsteter, the former WWE Champion made the announcement ahead of Saturday night's UFC 225 in his hometown of Chicago where he's set to face Mike Jackson in his second career bout.
TSN.ca Staff
Phil "CM Punk" Brooks says he won't be the next Terry Funk.
The UFC welterweight says unequivocally his professional wrestling career is over.
Speaking with TSN's Aaron Bronsteter, the former WWE Champion made the announcement ahead of Saturday night's UFC 225 in his hometown of Chicago where he's set to face Mike Jackson in his second career bout.
You can catch the UFC 225 prelims LIVE on TSN5 on Saturday night at 8pm et/5pm pt.
Expanding on comments he made during Wednesday's UFC media day, Punk ruled out a return to the career before mixed martial arts.
"[Wednesday], I said a bunch of stuff about wrestling, about how I'd never gotten a true offer [to return to wrestling]," Punk said. "This does not mean I want to wrestle. I'm done, I'm done, I'm done with professional wrestling. A lot of people like to be mad at me about that and make fun of me because I lost my first fight (to Mickey Gall at UFC 203 in September of 2016 via rear-naked choke at 2:14 of the first round) and that's fine. You're entitled to your opinion, but you do not own me and I'm entitled to do what I want to do and that's what I'm doing."
Prior to his mixed martial arts debut with UFC in 2016, Punk, now 39, wrestled for 15 years, spending time in Ring of Honor, Total Nonstop Action and a decade with World Wrestling Entertainment from 2005 to his departure in 2014.
"Wrestling is in the rear-view mirror," Punk said. "I've been trying for five years to put wrestling in the rear-view mirror and some people just won't let it go. They - I don't know - want to live my life for me and I kind of don't understand that, but it doesn't matter what I say. I've said, 'No, no, no, no' so many times that people always kind of be like, 'Oh, so there's a chance?' I love Terry Funk and he retired for the first time when I was two years old. People always come and go and they leave and come back. [UFC] is where I live now. This is my headspace."
On Tuesday, Punk and Scott "Colt Cabana" Colton were cleared of defamation and invasion of privacy in a Chicago-area court, stemming from a lawsuit levied against the pair by a WWE doctor who claimed his reputation and livelihood were maligned when the two discussed Punk's 2014 medical issue on an episode of Cabana's "The Art of Wrestling" podcast in November 2014.
Dr. Chris Amman took umbrage with Punk's claim on the show that he failed to properly diagnose a staph infection. Amman contended that he became the target of online abuse from Punk fans in the wake of the episode.
Amman was seeking $1 per stream of the podcast, which would have been just under $4 million.
Punk's fight will open the pay-per-view portion of UFC 225. Jackson, his opponent, is also making only his second MMA appearance, with the other also coming in the Octagon and against the same opponent.
Jackson, 33, was choked out also choked out by Gall in the first round of their encounter at UFC Fight Night in February 2016.
Punk's fight against Gall lasted 1:29 longer than Jackson's.