The truth about why CM Punk cut ties with his real brother

CM Punk has had a controversial time in the wrestling industry. While much is known about the Straight Edge star, there's one aspect that very few know – Punk doesn't talk to his real-life brother, and he says that's because his brother stole money from him.

Phil Brooks has openly acknowledged that he hasn't spoken to his brother for around a decade. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune from a few years ago, Punk opened up:

"I have two sisters and a brother by blood. I talk to my sisters but haven't talked to my brother in like 10 years. Family supports you. So like my Mom, my Dad... my brother – the only thing my brother ever did to me was steal a (cr*p) load of money from me,” he said.

The incident goes all the way back to the days of the Lunatic Wrestling Federation, the wrestling promotion that CM Punk put together with brother Mike, Billy Whack, Supreme, and his former tag team partner, CM Venom. It all fell apart when Punk found out that his brother had stolen money from the organization.

In another interview, Punk's brother opened up about what, according to him, happened with all the money.

"Yeah man, I made a real f*cking big boo boo. A big mistake in my life... took some money that did not belong to me. And it trailed my life from that point forward to this point. It's probably something that a day doesn't go without me thinking about it. And looking at the effect that it had on my family and my friends, I can't say I am sorry enough, other than just living the rest of my life in a better way."

CM Punk's brother clarified that he had since returned the money.

"What you didn't hear is that I actually paid the money back. There's no defending the actual mistake. When you make a mistake, you try to make it right. If you f*uck up, you have two options. You pick yourself up and try to make it right. I paid that money back to the LWF, not to any individual, I never took the money from any one individual," he said. (1:59 - 3:27)

AEW removes CM Punk's merchandise

CM Punk was unceremoniously let go from AEW earlier this month. As a fall out of that, his imagery and merchandise have been removed from anything AEW. This means that the iconic X sign merchandise is no longer available.

CM Punk has been through some tumultuous times this month, but some wrestlers are now talking about him being welcome on wrestling rosters.

What do you think? Will Punk battle his personal and professional demons and bounce back? Tell us in the comments section below.