CM Punk: I Was Going To Die If I Didn't Leave WWE

CM Punk has opened up on his decision to leave WWE in 2014, saying an inability to take time off to recover from injuries left him concerned he was going to die.

Punk walked away from WWE in January 2014, confirming in subsequent interviews that his decision to depart partly came from needing time to heal from a number of injuries, despite WWE constantly telling him he needed to remain on the road.

The Second City Saviour, who returned to the world of wrestling with AEW last month, has now gone into further detail, saying the company failed to look after his health, and that he didn't want to end up in a place where he couldn't enjoy life.

Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Punk said: "There are what people like to call WWE drones out there that aren’t going to like anything I have to say about that company. So I try to limit what I do say, but everything I do say is the truth.

"I was going to die, you know what I mean? Because in my head I was always like ‘what would Harley Race do? He would keep going.’ There’s only so many times you can get hurt and keep going. I was never given time off after an elbow surgery, a knee surgery, narrowly avoided a hip surgery. It was always ‘no we need you.’ And it’s nice to be needed, but they will run you dry. I was on that path. And I watched too many friends get swallowed up by this business, and drugs, and everything else they thought they had to do to keep going.

"I was a cycle breaker, I took myself out of it. I’ve never really been proud of myself about a lot of things, but that’s just a real life thing that I was proud of myself about. I took a step back and I was like ‘they’re not listening to me. I’m sick, I’m hurt. They’re not going to take care of me.’ I had to take care of myself. It caused a lot of drama, lot’s of silly baggage, but I’m alive. I woke up this morning. It sounds dramatic but it’s not bulls**t.

"I would’ve kept going until I literally could not go anymore. And then what? Then I get posthumously inducted into a Fugazi Hall of Fame? I don’t want that, I want to kiss my wife and walk my dog and enjoy things. And like I said, I know that there’s people out there that will be like ‘this is bulls**t’ or dramatic. It’s not, and I implore anybody out there that if you’re unhappy with anything, you have to do what’s best for you. That was 100% the bottom line.

"I wish there was a support system, but I was mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally just in pain. And if I didn’t get out of there, I wouldn’t be here right now."

H/T Wrestling Inc.