CM Punk has revealed that he continues to experience bouts of vertigo stemming from a fractured skull he suffered more than two decades ago.
Appearing on the new Hot Ones: Extra Heat special streaming on Netflix, Punk discussed some of the injuries he has endured throughout his wrestling career.
The WWE star revealed that one issue dates back to June 2002, when he fractured his skull during a Jersey J-Cup match against Reckless Youth in Elizabeth, New Jersey. “I fractured my skull once,” Punk said. “This is the one that reoccurs every once in a while, because after I fractured my skull, I developed vertigo really bad.”
Punk explained that the injury affected bones in his inner ear that play a role in maintaining equilibrium, comparing the impact to “dice inside a cup” being shaken around.
More than 20 years later, Punk said certain movements can still trigger the problem. “Sometimes those still get knocked loose, and if I lay down and look straight up, the world spins,” Punk said.
Punk also revealed that he has experienced vertigo while wrestling, including during matches that received praise from fans who were unaware of what he was dealing with. “So there’s been a lot of matches that you see that, you know, a lot of people are impressed with, where I’m full-on going through a bout of vertigo and I don’t know what’s going on.”
Despite the lingering issue, Punk found some humor in the subject by joking about his moonsault. “I will also now blame the crookedness of my moonsault on my vertigo.”
The Hot Ones: Extra Heat special also features Liv Morgan and Charlotte Flair and is currently streaming on Netflix.
