Ex-WWE star calls out CM Punk for making injury accusations: "I was extra gentle with him"

After CM Punk left WWE in 2014, he made several accusations against former WWE star Ryback. Punk, 46, accused Ryback of being unsafe and careless in the ring. As per The Second City Saint, Ryback caused Punk to have a broken rib.

It's worth noting that Punk and Ryback began facing each other inside the WWE ring in 2012 when they first met at Hell in a Cell. The two superstars were inseparable as they faced each other on many occasions and again in 2013.

While Punk accused Ryback of being reckless in the ring, The Big Guy in a recent video slammed Punk for his accusations. As per Ryback, he was gentle with Punk. The former said:

“The reason is that I was as gentle with him as anyone I’ve ever worked with. If you watch my matches with Punk and compare them to Brock, Brock was a million times more physical than I was. I was aware of Punk’s injuries—he was always beat up and hurting backstage—so I was extra gentle with him. The one table spot that some people like to make a big deal out of—the truth is, the table broke, and he landed on padding. We accomplished what we needed to from that angle. I didn’t get in trouble. Not one person talked to me about it—not Vince, not Hunter, no one from the office. The spot went as planned. Was it perfect? No, but he landed on padding. It doesn’t really matter that he didn’t go directly through the middle of the table.” [H/T: EWrestlingNews]

Ryback claimed responsibility for hurting WWE Superstar R-Truth

During Ryback's time with WWE, he also shared the ring with R-Truth on many occasions. During the same Instagram video as above, Ryback spoke about a time he accidentally hit R-Truth during a match. The former accidentally hit Truth with a kick to the stomach.

Further in the video, Ryback mentioned how Truth did not make a big deal of the incident and went on to reinforce his earlier point about being good to CM Punk. Ryback said:

"As for people who say, ‘Oh, you can’t hold yourself accountable; you never learn,’ that’s not true. I had an incident in the ring with R-Truth, whom I love dearly. I accidentally knocked the wind out of him by kicking him in the stomach. When we were taught that move in developmental, we were told to always lay it in but remind our opponent to tighten up so they can flex their abdomen. One particular night, I forgot to tell Truth to tighten up, and when I kicked him, it knocked the wind out of him. I felt horrible. He’s not a crybaby, he never complains, and he wasn’t mad about anything. I apologized for everything, but that’s one thing I truly regret. So I can hold myself accountable all day long. But with Punk, I was as good to him as I’ve been with anyone.”

While CM Punk still wrestles in WWE after returning to the promotion in 2023, Ryback is currently away from professional wrestling. The last time Ryback stepped inside the ring was in 2018 when he defeated Dylan Bostic on the NEW Wrestling Under The Stars 7 Tour.

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