The History Of Hatred Between WWE Wrestlers Triple H & CM Punk, Explained

There’s no secret of the tension that existed within the tumultuous relationship between Triple H and CM Punk over the years, with troubles brewing from Punk’s early days in WWE, right up until he left in 2014. How did these issues even start, and how did things get as bad as they did? Thankfully, though, now that CM Punk is back in WWE, having returned at Survivor Series 2023, it looks like he and Triple H have repaired their relationship, at least professionally.

UPDATE: 2025/05/21 20:30 EST BY BENJAMIN VIEIRA

Since returning to WWE, CM Punk has been doing some of the greatest storytelling of his entire career. He has been a part of incredibly personal feuds with the likes of Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins. In addition, his in-ring abilities have been at their best in quite a while. However, there was a time not too long ago when it was uncertain if Punk would ever step into a WWE ring again. One major person that he had issues with was Triple H, a historic rival of Punk’s. While the two of them managed to get past their issues with one another, it was not an easy road to get there.

Triple H Developed A Dislike For CM Punk Even Before He Joined WWE

Triple H Thought CM Punk Was Copying Him In ROH

• CM Punk copied Triple H’s “Reign of Terror” in Ring of Honor.
• Punk did the Pepsi Plunge, a Pedigree-like move off the top rope.
• Triple H and Shawn Michaels didn’t like Punk.

Many believe that the birth of their dislike stemmed from way before Punk joined WWE, as his heel run as ROH World Champion sparked multiple comparisons to Triple H’s ‘Reign of Terror’. Although there’s every chance that Punk wasn’t intentionally mimicking Triple H, he did use the ‘Pepsi Plunge’ maneuver on the indies, which was essentially a Pedigree off the top rope.

These talks of similarity allegedly upset Triple H, which may have been the reason why he and fellow D-Generation X partner, Shawn Michaels, took a distaste for a dark match CM Punk had in 2005. Whilst many were positive about his test match, the two former world champions attempted to bury Punk. Looking at where Punk is today in terms of stature in the business, it evidently didn’t work at holding him down. At the time, Punk was everything that veterans such as Triple H didn’t like in a professional wrestler. With a less impactful style, a smaller size, and a different look, Punk had an uphill battle to climb in WWE from day one.

The following year, Punk would have his very first PPV match, coincidentally teaming with the DX pair on their Survivor Series team. Punk — the newer, younger star — received some of the biggest cheers and chants during the match, a testament to the hard work he’d put into that point. During a promo from their feud in 2011, Punk made reference to this moment, claiming Triple H was jealous and unhappy that Punk overshadowed him.

CM Punk And Triple H Rarely Shared The Same Screen

CM Punk & Triple H Did Feud In The 2010s

• Triple H insulted Punk when he was part of the Straight Edge Society.
• CM Punk’s career changed with his famous pipebomb promo.
• During the promo, Punk referred to Triple H as the “doofus son-in-law.”

It may have been jealousy, dislike, or perhaps even just circumstance that led to Punk and Triple H interacting so infrequently on WWE television. The next notable point was in 2010 when Triple H would insult Punk’s looks, hair, and hygiene during a promo with the Straight Edge Society. This could have been all just fun and games, made to pop the crowd, but there were seeds of something deeper.

It wouldn’t be long until the long hair was gone, and Punk was beginning to ride a wave of momentum up the main event scene, leading to the infamous pipe bomb, which was the turning point of Punk’s entire career. In a worked shoot, Punk aired out his grievances against the company that employed him, insulting the likes of The Rock, Vince McMahon, and Triple H. Punk went in on several people, but his off-hand comment of “doofus son-in-law” was so brief that it felt even more sincere. It was as though he couldn’t even find the time to bother insulting Triple H further.

A Feud With Triple H Began The Fall For The Summer Of Punk

Triple H Reportedly Tried To Bury CM Punk During The Rivalry

• CM Punk lost the WWE Championship at SummerSlam in 2011.
• Punk and Triple H battled at Night of Champions.
• Punk attacked Triple H in promos for burying talent.

Later that year, after the Summer of Punk propelled him into being one of, if not the top babyface in professional wrestling, he entered a feud with Triple H. The two were a pair of the biggest names in WWE at the time, so putting them together made sense, on paper. What followed was a mess of a storyline, featuring a mysterious text, a brief Kevin Nash return to the ring, and big match loss after big match loss for Punk. The first came when he dropped the WWE Title at SummerSlam, quickly followed by a loss to Triple H on PPV at Night of Champions.

Punk has made no secret of how he believes that Triple H personally attempted to bury him, with capitalizing on the momentum of Punk being the clear, better business move. During battles of the mic between the two, they cut deep, with Punk bringing these accusations of burying talent to light, and Triple H firing back with digs at Punk’s physique.

CM Punk Made One Final Dig At Triple H On His Way Out

CM Punk Was Supposed To Face Triple H Before Leaving In 2014

• CM Punk first left WWE after the 2014 Royal Rumble.
• He became a WWE analyst for Fox’s WWE Backstage.
• Punk said he had no desire to return to WWE.

The storyline served no purpose, with Punk managing to find his way back to the WWE Championship, and Triple H continuing as a part-time talent. It was easy to see Punk’s side of things in hindsight. The two would be separate once again until plans came to light that WWE wanted Punk to face Triple H at WrestleMania 30, something Punk didn’t want to do. Coming off years of alleged mistreatment, a build-up of injuries, and frustration, Punk walked out of WWE after the Royal Rumble in 2014, and on his way out, insulted Triple H in Vince McMahon’s office.

From that moment, Punk wasn’t seen in WWE for almost a decade. In a surprising moment, Punk didn’t return to WWE per se, but instead to Fox’s WWE Backstage program, which saw an analysis of WWE TV. Rumors ran rampant, of course, about Punk coming back. In interviews, he stated that he had no intention of coming back, due to the likely event that he’d be booked to face Triple H, something he had no interest in. Through reports, it seemed that the pair communicated now and again, with some potential bad blood soothing over time.

CM Punk Showed Up At WWE Raw And Met With Triple H In 2023

Security Asked CM Punk To Leave

• CM Punk spoke to a few WWE stars when he appeared backstage at Raw.
• Punk was still signed with AEW at the time.
• Jim Kelly, WWE’s head of security, asked CM Punk to leave at management’s request.

Despite stating that he would “never ever” go back to WWE again, CM Punk was reportedly backstage at the April 24, 2023 Raw taping in Chicago. This came after rumors of Punk making a return to AEW television after nearly a year away from programming following an injury and the “Brawl Out” controversy. Either way, Punk turned up backstage after running into other WWE superstars on a flight after doing commentary for Cage Fury Fighting Championships, and made the rounds by speaking to certain superstars like Bobby Lashley, Tamina, and Baron Corbin, and notably “clearing the air” with The Miz.

One surprising name that he spoke to was Triple H, the current Chief Content Officer in WWE, with whom Punk has never seen eye to eye with. Given some of the things said about Triple H in the past, it is surprising that the pair even crossed paths again. A PW Insider report stated:

“Punk was looking to have a short talk with Triple H, who was clearly surprised that Punk was there. The two shook hands, Punk asked if he was able to hang around. Triple H said he had to ask if that would be permitted. CM Punk was asked to leave by Jim Kelly, WWE’s head of security, at the request of management. Punk had been under the impression that it was a Vince McMahon call.”

Whether this was just a publicity stunt or something more is uncertain, but either way, it seemed as though Triple H and CM Punk made some small progress to patch things up and move forward after their past heat with one another.

CM Punk’s Grudge Against Triple H Was Present Until 2023

Punk Refused To Shake William Regal’s Hand

• Triple H and William Regal are close friends.
• CM Punk refused to shake Regal’s hand when he debuted in AEW.
• Punk called Regal a “stooge for Triple H.”

Even until 2023, it seemed like CM Punk and Triple H weren’t on good terms as a story emerged of an interaction between Punk and William Regal in AEW, following Regal’s AEW debut at Revolution 2022. Punk held a grudge against Triple H, as Punk reportedly refused to shake Regal’s hand, something which is often deemed disrespectful in professional wrestling. Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net reported:

“In the altercation between the two, Punk refused to shake Regal’s hand, and would then get in the legend’s face, telling him that he did not like him, he did not trust him, and that Regal was a “stooge for Triple H.”

CM Punk & Triple H Have Formed A Healthy Working Relationship With Each Other

Both Punk & Triple H Share Mutual Respect For Each Other Today

• CM Punk returned to WWE at Survivor Series 2023.
• Triple H and CM Punk buried the hatchet.
• Triple H praised CM Punk at a Clash at the Castle press conference.

With CM Punk’s shocking return at Survivor Series 2023, it became clear that things had changed between Triple H and him. Their relationship dynamic wasn’t the same as before, and both “The Game” and “The Straight Edge Superstar” acknowledged this. Triple H expressed happiness working with Punk, while Punk praised Triple H’s leadership. Both wrestlers buried the hatchet and are now on good terms. During the Clash at the Castle press conference last year, Triple H had this to say about Punk.

“We saw eye-to-eye [back then], but it was angry eye-to-eye. It was opposition eye-to-eye. I cannot tell you how happy I am to have him back. I cannot tell you how exciting it is, for me, to see the Phil Brooks that I wanted to see then. And while maybe my efforts to get that were taken wrong, and it’s what led to friction, I always knew the Phil Brooks that I see today was inside there. He just couldn’t express it in the right way. As much as [WWE] has changed, he has changed, and I have gotta tell you, it’s amazing. I am excited for the future, and I’m excited to not just work with him, but to be around him. He’s a pleasure to be around in the locker room. He’s a pleasure to be around as a performer.” (h/t WrestlingInc)

CM Punk Gave A Detailed Account About His WWE Return

CM Punk Spoke With Triple H Directly

• Punk spoke to Stephanie McMahon on Stephanie’s Places.
• Triple H and Punk talked about a WWE return on Thanksgiving.
• Punk admitted that he and Triple H are very similar.

This past year, Stephanie McMahon began her own television series called Stephanie’s Places. In one of the episodes, she spoke very candidly with CM Punk regarding his return to WWE and his current relationship with Triple H.

As Punk recalled, he spoke with Triple H on the Thanksgiving leading to Survivor Series 2023. It was a conversation that was years in the making. Punk said:

“Thanksgiving, I’m on a Zoom call with your husband, having a conversation we should have had ten years ago, and I’m telling him ‘Yeah don’t worry about it, go cut the turkey, go spend time with your family’ and he’s like ‘No, this is – we gotta do this…100%. I ruined turkey dinner. . I think everything came together so fast. I was still unsure of a lot of stuff and there definitely is that part of the performer’s brain. There was that ‘will they remember me? Are they going to care?’ I think me and your husband are way more similar than maybe even today we want to admit. I felt it was going to be a big deal and then that wash over me – I think it was like, ‘Oh, this is way bigger of a deal than I thought it was. Okay, we got something here.” (h/t ScreenRant)

Since CM Punk’s return, he has been embarking on some truly extraordinary stories. This includes his rivalries with Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins, and Paul Heyman.