CM Punk Explains Why He Took Time Away From WWE After WrestleMania

TLDR

CM Punk revealed in an interview with ESPN New York that his months-long absence from WWE after WrestleMania 42 was not due to injury or surgery, but to grieve the loss of several close friends who died during his championship reign. He said he initially kept working through the losses but eventually needed time at home with his wife to reset mentally before returning. Punk returned on the July 6 episode of Raw, defeating Sami Zayn to win the Undisputed WWE Championship.