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WWE

CM Punk Reflects On ‘Hard’ Period After He’d Left WWE But Wife AJ Lee Stayed

AJ Lee and CM Punk at Wrestlepalooza

WWE

CM Punk has conceded that quitting WWE in 2014 was hard on his relationship with his wife, AJ Lee, who was still with the company at the time.

Punk walked out of WWE in 2014 after being disgruntled with his standing in the promotion, but Lee continued on, eventually leaving WWE — and pro wrestling — in March 2015. In his recent appearance on Kevin Hart’s “Cold As Balls” show, Punk admitted that 2014–15 was a difficult year for him and Lee, but they eventually found a way to keep their relationship intact.

“It was difficult because when I left, she was still with the company for a year. That was a hard year for us, relationship-wise. But it made everything after that so much easier,” he said. “Her understanding the business now that I’m back in it, and when she has important stuff to do — like she had a short film debut at Tribeca Film Festival — she can go do that, I can watch our dog, Larry, and when I’m here with you, freezing my nuts off, she’s at home watching Larry. I found my person. She is 100% my partner.”

The show was seemingly filmed before Lee’s return to WWE, which happened on the September 5 edition of “WWE SmackDown,” in Chicago. Ever since he returned to WWE, Punk has been asked numerous times whether Lee would rejoin the promotion, denying each time that she has any interest in getting back in the ring.Â

Punk even claimed that he and Lee would never work together even in movie or television projects. However, when Lee finally returned to WWE, she came to her husband’s aid in his feud with Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, sharing the ring with Punk at Wrestlepalooza in her return match.Â

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Will Phil Mickelson ever be Ryder Cup captain? Analyst says it’s hard to envision

When the 2025 Ryder Cup was announced at Bethpage Black, many expected Phil Mickelson to get the captain’s duties for Team USA at “The People’s Country Club.”

But Mickelson’s move to LIV Golf and everything that went with it removed that likelihood from the equation. Instead, the PGA of America tabbed Keegan Bradley as Team USA’s leader for the next week’s showdown at Bethpage Black. Luke Donald will captain the Europeans for the second consecutive Ryder Cup.

Prior to LIV’s emergence, the Europeans had a stable of veterans in line to be Ryder Cup captains. But Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Paul Casey, and Sergio Garcia all defected to LIV, as did Henrik Stenson, who was initially named the 2023 Ryder Cup captain before bolting for the breakaway league. That left the Europeans with Donald and a relatively empty cabinet behind him, outside of Justin Rose, who is still playing at a high level at the age of 45.

Rory McIlroy reacts to a putt during the Irish Open

Rory McIlroy’s Ryder Cup promise will tell the story at Bethpage Black

By:

Josh Schrock

As for the Americans, it’s unclear who will take over after Bradley is done with his captain’s duties. Mickelson’s name will continue to come up, but Johnson Wagner is unsure if Mickelson would be a fit given all that has happened since his exit for LIV.

“I mean, think about the players that would be on the U.S. team that he would captaining and that maybe feel like he sort of abandoned them and tried to burn the house down on the way out,” Wagner told GOLF’s Subpar co-hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz on the latest episode. “Like, I think it’s a little bit harder to have a LIV player as a captain.”

Wagner believes Rose would be a “no-brainer’ to be the next Ryder Cup captain for the European side in 2027 at Adare Manor.

To hear more from Wagner, check out the full episode in the video below.

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Josh Schrock

Golf.com Editor

Josh Schrock is a writer and reporter for Golf.com. Before joining GOLF, Josh was the Chicago Bears insider for NBC Sports Chicago. He previously covered the 49ers and Warriors for NBC Sports Bay Area. A native Oregonian and UO alum, Josh spends his free time hiking with his wife and dog, thinking of how the Ducks will break his heart again, and trying to become semi-proficient at chipping. A true romantic for golf, Josh will never stop trying to break 90 and never lose faith that Rory McIlroy’s major drought will end (updated: he did it). Josh Schrock can be reached at josh.schrock@golf.com.