Opinion

The Trial of CM Punk & Colt Cabana, and the Importance of Truth

Published

7 years ago

June 5, 2018

As a professional wrestler, CM Punk prided himself on being the voice of the voiceless. He was a guy who was of the people, from the people, and he prided himself on telling his truth, whether positively as a face or judgingly as a heel. While it’s tremendously sad that his wrestling career has come to such a controversial and disappointing end, it is ironic that the very thing that endeared him to wrestling fans is what’s in question in a civil court in Cook County, Illinois.

If you haven’t heard, CM Punk – real name Phil Brooks – is being sued along with his former best friend Colt Cabana – real name Scott Colton – for libel and slander stemming from an episode of Cabana’s Art of Wrestling podcast in 2014. Punk, who left the company unceremoniously earlier that year, asked to be on the podcast to “tell his truth” of why he left. In the episode, he attacked Ryback, Triple H, Vince McMahon, and most notably, WWE’s ringside doctor, Dr. Chris Amann. He stated that the doctor was “one of the most worthless piece of s**t I’ve ever met” and that he had a repeated history of medical negligence. The most notable instance is a lump on Punk’s back which he believed was a staph infection, possibly MRSA, which went untreated as told by Punk, and his elimination from the 2014 Royal Rumble match in which he suffered a concussion and asked for medical assistance from Dr. Amann. Cabana is involved with the suit because it was his platform in which the story was told and magnified.

Dr. Amann, who many fans and Punk himself believe is being prompted and bankrolled by Vince McMahon and WWE, is suing on the grounds that Punk and Cabana “repeatedly and falsely impugned the integrity” of his ability to be a doctor, and their statements “are highly offensive in that they accuse [him] of a gross lack of integrity as a medical doctor, an inability to perform his professional duties as a medical doctor, and in placing the financial interest of his employer above life-threatening health conditions of his patients.” He also noted in a filing that his medical malpractice carrier (Hallmark Specialty Insurance Company) “has increased his insurance premium approximately 63%, quadrupled his deductible, and his policy has less favorable terms including, without limitation, the elimination of his right to consent to settle any future claims” and that other carriers “have declined to offer coverage to Amann as result of the statements published by Brooks and Colton or have offered coverage only on terms even less favorable”.

After a few delays and an attempt to settle by Amann, the trial officially started this past Tuesday, May 29th. And as expected, there have been a ton of interesting and possibly damning revelations so far. As it stands, Amann, Punk, and Cabana have taken the stand, as well as recorded video testimony from former WWE timekeeper Mark Yeaton, audio tech Timothy Gaeng, athletic trainer Larry Heck, referee John Cone, Kane (Glenn Jacobs), Vice President of Talent Relations Mark Carrano, and Punk’s personal Physician’s Assistant Patrick Duffy.

This trial is one in where neither party looks particularly good. Dr. Amann all but admitted that he violated HIPAA laws by giving antibiotics and Z-packs to wrestlers without a prescription or having them officially sign for it. He also admitted that he’s never felt that his job with WWE was in jeopardy, that he joked about the “Z-pack” line in text messages with friends, and that he’s not suing for emotional distress because he hasn’t seen a physician about it. On the other hand, Cabana admitted that he received a cease and desist from Dr. Amann for the episode of the AoW podcast soon after the episode dropped, and that he ignored the C&D and kept it up for 2 and a half years after, even re-uploading the episode after the server that hosted his website crashed. He also admitted that in a text message with CM Punk, Punk said “Poor guy, I almost feel bad. I was mean.” The episode in question also reached approximately 3 million views or more, which Colt ultimately agreed with.

CM Punk admitted that he was bitter at the end of his tenure at WWE, and that he wanted to bury the doctor, saying in a text message to his wife AJ Lee “I’m going to fucking email Vince and bury Dr. Amann. He also mentioned that he never told anybody else about the lump at WWE other than the doctor and AJ, that nobody else would’ve seen it other than those two, and that he never took any pictures of it or noted any meetings with the doctor on paper. Most notably, however, Punk broke into tears when asked to speak about the 2014 Royal Rumble, where he received a concussion. He said that he felt “helpless” when Dr. Amann supposedly told him “What do you want me to do?” when he asked for help.

In the other testimonies, some interesting tidbits were that due to the concussion Punk received in the 2014 Royal Rumble due to a clothesline from Kofi Kingston, Kane was sent out by the agents at Gorilla to eliminate him because he refused help and refused to eliminate himself. This moment was a big point of contention in the trial, as Punk stated that Dr. Amann didn’t seem to care about his well being, but Dr. Amann and the other WWE employees remember him and everybody else involved being concerned for Punk. Another interesting revelation was that Physician’s Assistant Patrick Duffy, who is Punk and AJ’s dermatologist and the person who treated Punk’s lump, mentioned that it ultimately was a cyst. He tried to culture the lump, which is how lumps are tested for staph infection or MRSA, and Punk declined due to not having medical insurance. Duffy also stated he gave Punk antibiotics, drained the lump, and that it was not MRSA or staph.

There was a lot of discord regarding the lump Punk speaks of. Even though Punk stated that the lump was on his belt line in the AoW episode, he admitted on the stand that it was on his left buttock, as did Cabana, AJ, and PA Duffy. There was also a lot of conversation about the size of the lump, with Punk stating that it was baseball or golf ball sized, AJ saying that it was zit sized at first to becoming the size of a small fruit, and Duffy saying that it was not golf ball or baseball sized. There is also a dispute of when the lump first appeared, starting anywhere from September to November 2013.

This trial is important in a number of ways. First off, the verdict could have ramifications on what is said on podcasts and radio shows. If it’s proven that Punk and/or Cabana willingly lied or exaggerated the story on the podcast and tried to damage Dr. Amann’s reputation as a doctor, then that could affect how interviews are given. Cabana’s podcast prided itself on it’s entertainment factor and as being a gateway for fans to see behind the curtain. If Punk loses, many podcasts and radio shows could change their questioning of wrestlers or entertainers in general. This also will likely end the hope that CM Punk will ever return to WWE for good. In having to relive his old life on the stand, Punk mentioned many times that he has moved on from that part of his life and that he regrets a lot of his old actions.

Slander is the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person’s reputation and libel is published false statement that is damaging to a person’s reputation. We have to remember that this is what is being judged in this case, and that Dr. Amann is not on trial. Truth is paramount in the case, because the judgement is so directly tied to whether or not Dr. Amann provided adequate medical care for CM Punk, and if Punk and Cabana knowingly lied or exaggerated their story on the podcast, leading to Dr. Amann having his reputation affected.

The link to the case information summary can be found here. While not the official case summary, this was directly found at the Cook County Records website.

A big thanks is owed to Nick Hausman (@WZrebel) and Ross Berman (@RossWBermanIV) from WrestleZone.com, Steven Muehlhausen (@SMuehlhausenMMA) from Fightful.com, and Gregory Pratt (@royalpratt) from the Chicago Tribune for their detailed reports from the court. Also, thanks to Christopher Harrington (@mookieghana) from Fightful.com and Bethany Krajelis from the Cook County Record for information used in this column.

FIN

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

1 day ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

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About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

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Classic POD is WAR

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

4 weeks ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1