CM Punk has admitted that if it were up to him he would have chosen a different WWE star to win the 2025 Men’s Royal Rumble match.
After suffering a torn triceps in the match the previous year, Punk looked to win the Rumble for the first time in his career and finally headline WrestleMania. With the former World Champion a fan favourite along with being one of the odds-on favourites to be the last man standing, there was a strong case to be made that this would be Punk’s year.
Unfortunately, Punk was unable to add a Rumble victory to his many accolades as he was eliminated from the match by Logan Paul.
Speaking on the Good Guy/Bad Guy podcast, Punk was asked if he was disappointed that he was not the winner of the match in Indianapolis:
“I think early in my career, I would say yes. I think now, I’m actually more inclined to pitch me losing things. Because I think there is a broader story to tell. Oh, 100 percent. It’s all about the chase. It’s like — the most recent example I can give you is Cody [Rhodes] losing to Roman [Reigns] at WrestleMania 39. That was Cody’s time. He loses in the main event and it’s just like — man. And he spends the entire year as like a redemption arc and he chases the title and he wins it at [WrestleMania] 40.”
Continuing, Punk added that if he were the booker he would have had the match go in a different direction that saw him be runner-up to winner John Cena:
“The Rumble didn’t go the way I would have booked it, so to speak. Since we’re just peeling back the curtain so much here: I would have had me and Cena as the last two guys. And I would’ve had Cena throw my ass over the top rope, you know? Because I think at this stage, I think losing is so much more valuable than winning. I’m almost afraid of me winning everything that I’ve ever dreamed of because what do I do then?”
CM Punk Looks Back On WWE Departure
Back in 2014, Punk walked out of the company after frustrations boiled over and at one point looked to be done with professional wrestling entirely. With Punk barely acknowledged by the company during his time way, there was a lot of animosity between both sides. Speaking in an interview ahead of the Royal Rumble, CM Punk explained how the abrupt departure affected his relationship with Paul Heyman.
In other news, Joe Hendry has looked back on his Royal Rumble appearance.
H/t to F4WOnline.