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What's the story?
Even though former WWE Superstar CM Punk, (real name Phil Brooks), is only three weeks away from stepping inside the UFC's octagon for the second time, his defamation case against WWE doctor Chris Amann kicked off on Tuesday.
In case you didn't know...
Back in November 2014, CM Punk appeared on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling podcast, where he was very critical of WWE, and company doctor Chris Amann.
During the podcast, Punk claimed that Dr Amann refused to treat what he described as a fatty deposit on the ex-WWE star's back. Of course, Punk later learned that the lump on his back was an MRSA infection.
In response to Punk's comments, Dr Amann filed a defamation suit against CM Punk, and the host of the podcast, Colt Cabana.
The heart of the matter
On Tuesday, the jury heard the entire episode of the podcast in question, including all of CM Punk and Colt Cabana's plugs for upcoming events.
According to Chicago Tribune reporter Gregory Pratt, who was in attendance for Tuesday's proceedings, both sides were very thorough. He also said that Punk was very serious and attentive during the entire process, however, he did openly laugh at some parts of the podcast.
As of this writing, nobody knows exactly how long the trial will last. Dr. Amann is expected to return to the stand on Wednesday.
CM Punk has a fight coming up against Mike Jackson, who also has a professional MMA record of 0-1, at UFC 225 on June 9 in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois.
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Mike Jackson predicted that the CM Punk character will die at UFC 225:
“That’s his name — Phil Brooks," said Jackson. "The whole CM Punk thing, I guess he’s trying to bring that gimmick over from the professional wrestling.
"Look, the CM Punk guy, he’s dying June 9 at UFC 225 in his hometown of Chicago.
“Vince McMahon could not have written a better storyline,” Jackson added. “The redemption story of CM Punk being ended by ‘The Truth’ at UFC 225.”
As for Dr. Amann, well, all we know now is that he's expected to take the stand on Wednesday, so we'll have to wait until then to know more regarding the defamation case.
What's next?
The timing of this case kicking off couldn't be any worse for CM Punk, as it might have a negative impact on his performance at UFC 225. However, I for one am rooting for Punk to get a win under his belt, so hopefully, the timing of the trial doesn't hurt the ex-WWE Champ's performance.
It's impossible to predict how long this case is going to last, and perhaps we'll have a better idea of its timetable after Dr. Amann takes the stand on Wednesday. But, one thing is for sure, nobody predicted that it would drag on this long.
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