CM Punk is a hot topic because of his new physique. Many fans are impressed at the work Punk has put in during his WWE TV absence. It also appears that TNA star Ryan Nemeth took a shot at CM Punk for how he got in such great shape.
Punk has not been seen in WWE since the night after WrestleMania 42, but he was recently spotted in a video clip taken by a fan at the gym. The fan joked that they didn’t recognize CM Punk at first because he was “yoked af now.”
Recent photos of CM Punk do confirm he’s notably bigger. This has resulted in some accusations that he’s using steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs. While he didn’t outright name Punk, TNA star Ryan Nemeth seemingly took a shot at Punk bending the rules for his straight-edge lifestyle, which means he is supposed to abstain from alcohol, tobacco, and recreational drugs.
“I love that straight edge guys are like NOTHING! IS! EVER! GOING! IN! MY! BODY! EVER! except PEDs which I will be putting in my body actually very often now because I do steroids, but of course that does not break my sacred vow. I am more disciplined than you :)” Nemeth wrote on Twitter/X.
CM Punk and Ryan Nemeth have had issues in the past
The beef between Nemeth and Punk started after Nemeth referred to Punk as “the softest man alive” in a June 2023 tweet. The comment resulted in Punk confronting him backstage in AEW. Nemeth later alleged that AEW quietly fired him over the incident in a lawsuit he filed in February 2025.
Nemeth sued Punk, Tony Khan and AEW, claiming that the company did nothing to protect him after he was targeted by Punk. He also claimed that despite assurances his job in AEW would not be impacted, he believed Khan and AEW held him responsible for having to fire CM Punk.
The lawsuit was in private arbitration as of April 2025. After leaving AEW, Nemeth debuted in TNA Wrestling, where he has won the TNA Tag Team Championship with his brother, Nic Nemeth.
A former AEW star defended CM Punk against past steroid allegations
CM Punk’s new look has been the subject of steroid-use accusations online. However, the idea is something that former AEW star and fitness instructor Cezar Bononi quickly denied.
Bononi called the accusations absurd and praised Punk’s work ethic. He also gave credit to respected coach Jay Ferruggia, explaining that CM Punk’s physique is “very, very achievable naturally” and shows “zero indications of any steroids.”
Bononi reasoned that people are just trying to diminish Punk’s achievements because they can’t do it themselves. He added that Punk “still had to put the work in on this,” regardless of what his critics believe.
CM Punk is currently advertised for the June 15 episode of RAW in the United States. He is also advertised for the June 22 edition of RAW at The O2 Arena in London, England.
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