CM Punk Recalls “Instant Karma” For Wrestler Who Broke His Nose In WWE Developmental Debut

WWE Superstar CM Punk shared an unforgettable story from his wrestling debut in OVW, WWE’s developmental territory at the time.

Recalling his first match, in a candid 2019 interview on Loudwire’s Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction? CM Punk described the experience as a rough initiation into the wrestling world, with his opponent, Danny Inferno, taking things a bit too far.

My first match in Ohio Valley Wrestling. ‘Welcome to developmental, kid,’ that’s what that was.

Punk said, referring to the harsh treatment he received. According to Punk, Inferno tried to “big-league” him in the ring, an effort that escalated when Inferno broke Punk’s nose during the match. Afterwards, tensions ran high between the two as they headed to the hospital. Punk didn’t hold back, confronting Inferno directly.

We had a conversation in the car, and I was like ‘If we have a problem, we can pull over right now.’

He recounted. Inferno assured Punk it was just an accident. Once at the hospital, doctors told Punk his nose needed to heal before being re-broken and set—a process Punk was unwilling to wait for. Instead, he took matters into his own hands, explaining:

I went into the bathroom and I set my nose myself.

The story took an ironic twist as Inferno, who had been waiting with Punk, suddenly experienced leg pain. A quick MRI revealed he had torn his quad.

They MRI’d him and he’d tore his quad punching me in the face.

Punk couldn’t help but see the poetic justice in the situation, calling it:

The most expensive punch thrown in OVW history.

Which WWE Superstar Said It Was A Special Moment When They Wrestled CM Punk?

WWE Superstar Dominik Mysterio recalled how it was a special moment when he wrestled CM Punk in Punk’s return match to the company at a house show in Madison Square Garden on Boxing Day 2023. Mysterio said that he was grateful that the company trusted him to be the first person to face Punk in a WWE ring in nearly 10 years.

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