CM Punk, speaking in an exclusive interview on Colt Cobana's podcast today, has revealed how WWE's medical mistreatment of him during his final few months in the company almost cost him his life.
Speaking extensively on his tumultuous time in the WWE, Punk revealed that WWE put his life on the line by constantly refusing to act on one of the Chicago native's many ailments.
MYSTERY MASS
The issue in question was a strange mass CM Punk discovered on his back and, as with any pro wrestler, he sought the advice of the WWE's docto
"Somewhere along the way I get this f****ing lump on my back so I go to the doc and I say 'look at this, this wasn't here last week, what the f**k is that?" explained Punk to Cobana.
The WWE doctor apparently identified the issue (incorrectly) as a 'fatty deposit' but was extremely unwilling to cut off the mass so long as Punk was not in any obvious pain - despite the fact that it is common practice for this to happen in the WWE locker room.
UNWILLING TO HELP
CM Punk returned to the doctor on several occasions as the 'mass' continued to grow "to the size of a baseball" but the medical staff continued to refuse to act. The fact that the wrestler would be forced to miss WWE shows to recover, as well as pure laziness on the part of the doctor, is cited by Punk as the reason for this decision.
At one point Punk demanded it be cut immediately only for the doctor to point blank refuse because he had to wrestle that night - clearly taking the WWE show's importance over the health of one of its most popular superstars.
NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE
"You should be dead, you could have died."It took until he had quit the WWE this summer for Punk, on his wife's recommendation, to visit a non-WWE doctor for him to realize just how serious the issue was:
"My lovely wife convinced me to go to her doctor in Tampa," explained Punk.
"I walked in, never seen him before, he's got no idea who I am. He's like 'OK so what's the problem?'...I yanked my shorts down and I showed him this thing on my back and he looks right at it, cocks his head sideways and he goes 'That's a full blown staph infection."
A staph infection has the potential to cause many issues such as meningitis and ultimately death if it is not treated appropriately. A point the doctor made clear to CM Punk when he discovered he had been forced to wrestle while suffering the issue for at least three months.
I can cut it out and you need to go to a hospital and get on an IV drip...You should be dead, you could have died'," was the harrowing response CM Punk received from the doctor.
TOTAL AGONY
Fortunately for CM Punk the doctor was able to remove the infectious mass, but the wrestler admitted today that it was the most painful thing he has ever experienced - placing it above broken ribs, tattoos, and even a fractured skull. "
This was the most painful experience of my entire life...I sweat like I was in the f***ing Sahara desert, I was clutching the table and this doc was just squeezing this s**t."
The ordeal sounds truly distressing but while the pain was huge it is the WWE's failure to address the issue earlier on, and their ability to put the business ahead of wrestler safety, that is likely to have many people questioning their motives going forward.
