It’s a decision the independent wrestler and Ring of Honor (ROH) announcer says he’s still paying for almost three years later.
That’s because Dr. Chris Amann, WWE’s Senior Ringside Physician, filed a defamation lawsuit against Punk (real name Phil Brooks) and Cabana (Scott Colton) for alleging on the podcast that Amann misdiagnosed a staph infection Brooks suffered from, pressured him to work with a concussion and other improper medical practices.
Asked about the status of the case during an appearance on Live Audio Wrestling (LAW), Cabana couldn’t say much since it’s ongoing, but did offer this:
“The update is that it's still going on, it's costing me a lot of money, and that's the extent that my lawyers will allow me to talk. So nothing breaking here, but just do know that it's always on my mind, it's always a very sad thing. And I've talked to other podcasters, even [LAW’s John] Pollock, it's kind of changed the way that he's worked, and realizing that this is a reality that you can host a show and get sued for it.”
While Cabana didn’t make the allegedly defaming statements, Amann’s lawsuit claims he "affirmed and amplified" them. And he certainly benefited from the attention those episodes of his show got from fans who were excited to here Punk’s account of his falling out with Vince McMahon’s company.
So whether you feel bad that this lawsuit is still hitting him in his wallet is up to you. Probably depends on whether you believe Punk about the treatment he received from Amann, or the counter-claim that WWE is actually funding the doctor’s lawsuit.
But know the case isn’t over, even if lawyers are the only ones making money off it at this point.