CM Punk Not in WWE Concussion Protocol After RAW Match

CM Punk took a nasty face-first spill during RAW’s January 5 main event, and rumors immediately took off that the WWE World Heavyweight Champion had been placed in concussion protocol. But now, we know the truth—he wasn’t.

PWInsider shut the whole thing down, reporting that “there have been rumors all day” about Punk being evaluated for a head injury, but “this is entirely incorrect.”

The original speculation came from Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live, where he suggested Punk may have been placed in concussion protocol following his match against Bron Breakker. Alvarez pointed out a particularly rough moment when Punk went for a tope suicida and crashed hard on the floor after not being caught. Alvarez added that Punk didn’t seem totally there afterward:

“It’s possible it was CM Punk, because that guy landed right on his face… Punk went straight down and his head bounced off the black mats.”

“If he wasn’t in concussion protocol after that, I would’ve put him there, because that looked brutal.”

But PWInsider made it clear: that theory doesn’t hold up. Punk spent the next morning doing hours of live media appearances across New York City, starting bright and early with FOX 5 New York’s Good Day New York. That kind of schedule would never happen if there were real concerns over a concussion.

“When you think about it, the story doesn’t even hold up to scrutiny… if Punk was concussed, the last thing anyone should want to do is put him on camera for hours upon hours of interviews all day.”

During the FOX interview, Punk looked bruised and banged up, but not sidelined. He even addressed how rough the night before was and when asked about how he was feeling:

“Yeah, we were at the Barclays Center. Yeah… I did. I survived. I think I made it through. I don’t know what it’s like to feel like a real human being… This is just every day for me.”

While the fall looked brutal and raised alarms, CM Punk is not in concussion protocol, and he’s still doing media as WWE’s reigning top champion. So, fans can exhale—for now.

Do you think Punk should slow down after taking dangerous bumps like that, or is this just part of being the World Heavyweight Champion? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let us know how you feel.