CM Punk has finally explained why he disappeared from WWE television for nearly three months following WrestleMania 42, revealing that his absence had nothing to do with injury and everything to do with taking time to grieve.

Speaking with ESPN New York, the Undisputed WWE Champion said the break was unlike anything he has experienced during his wrestling career.

"For me to be able to say that I had time off and it wasn't due to injury or surgery is remarkable," Punk said. "It was the first time in my career I had time off without having to get surgery or be injured. I just hung out with my wife."

While fans speculated about the reason for his disappearance, Punk explained that the months leading up to WrestleMania had been emotionally draining after losing several people close to him.

"I'm not going to say a rough year, you know, because suffering is relative. I was World Heavyweight Champion on Raw for quite some time, and during that entire time I was champion, I had at least three or four people who were very close to me pass away," Punk said. "Each time, I was at work the next day. I didn't talk about it publicly. I showed up partially because it helped me. Being here amongst my road family and being able to connect with the fans on that level helped me get through it, but there was still some stuff I needed to process. So my time away was just to kind of reset."

The former World Heavyweight Champion said spending uninterrupted time with his wife, former WWE Superstar AJ Lee, became his main focus during the break.

"One day away from my wife is one day too many. I've been with her every single day, and now that I'm back I'm champ, and I'm on the road. I'm as full time as full time gets," Punk said.

Punk also addressed criticism from those who questioned his absence, making it clear he has no regrets about stepping away when he needed it most.

"If you're upset that I was mourning some dead friends, I think that's a you problem," Punk said. "We should celebrate people taking some time for themselves."

After losing the World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 42, Punk appeared on the following night's Raw during a confrontation with Cody Rhodes before disappearing from WWE programming. He made his return on the July 6 edition of Raw, defeated Sami Zayn to capture the Undisputed WWE Championship for a third time, and is now preparing to defend the title against Rhodes at SummerSlam.