CM Punk's UFC career has suffered myriad setbacks and his former employer is taking some enjoyment out of it.
The former WWE Champion stormed out of Vince McMahon's company in January 2014 due to his many frustrations reaching a boiling point. He signed on with the UFC that December.
Though Punk has been under contract with the MMA promotion for a year and a half, he has yet to make his debut in the Octagon. The "Best in the World" was due to face Mickey Gall, 23, at UFC 200, but had to back away.
The latest setback had to do with a need for back surgery due to the former wrestler putting years of wear and tear on his body. He will eventually face Gall, a realtive newcomer and New Jersey native, at a time to be determined.
For the most part, the WWE keeps its mentions of Punk to a minimum. That wasn't the case on a recent edition of WWE Network's "The Edge & Christian Show" That Totally Reeks of Awesomeness."
The seven-time WWE Tag Team Champions couldn't help but take a shot at Punk for his debut being so delayed.
During a segment of the show called "Will WWE Talk About It?," the topic of Punk's debut came up.
Christian tongue-in-cheek said the WWE will talk about it "if he ever has one."
Turnabout is fair play.
Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks, hasn't been shy about blasting the WWE and is currently involved in a defamation lawsuit with its doctor, Chris Amann. The soon-to-be UFC fighter blasted Amann on his friend Colt Cabana's podcast, saying he misdiagnosed him on several occasions.
As for Gall, he hasn't taken Punk's foray into the Octagon seriously, either, as he ripped his opponent as someone to get through, not a worthy adversary.
"[After the Punk fight], my dream really starts," Gall said last month, according to ESPN. "I don't want to be the 'CM Punk guy.' I don't want to be a sideshow-type thing. [After Punk], I get to prove I'm of this caliber. I've been training with UFC guys since I was 16. I know I'm ready and I can't wait to fight the best guys in the world, get into those wars and get those victories."
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