In the unpredictable world of professional wrestling, few stories captivate fans quite like the resurrection of past vendettas. Survivor Series 2023 witnessed a seismic moment as CM Punk, a figure synonymous with controversy, made an unexpected return to WWE. The echoes of Punk’s entrance music still resonate, setting the stage for a conflict that transcends the squared circle. Caught in the crossfire was none other than Seth Rollins, whose visceral reaction at the event hinted at a history fraught with animosity.
UPDATE: 2025/03/12 17:00 EST BY BENJAMIN VIEIRA
On the most recent edition of Monday Night Raw, the war between CM Punk and Seth Rollins saw yet another chapter. However, this time something different happened. Instead of the bout ending in a pinfall or a submission, Roman Reigns dictated the way that the match was going to come to an end. He pulled Rollins out of the cage and attacked both men in and out of it. It adds a totally new dynamic between both Reigns, Rollins, and Punk. This trio of talents has been intertwined for months. With WrestleMania right around the corner, it will be interesting to see where this goes.
CM Punk Returns To WWE And Seth Rollins Goes Viral
CM Punk Returned To WWE At Survivor Series 2023
- CM Punk returned to WWE in 2023.
- Seth Rollins was visibly angry when he saw CM Punk.
- CM Punk and Seth Rollins have battled many times in WWE.
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The culmination of Survivor Series 2023 left the WWE Universe in awe as Seth Rollins’ team emerged triumphant in the grueling men’s War Games match. The cheers echoed, celebrating Rollins’ team’s victory, but the atmosphere shifted dramatically when the unmistakable sound of “Cult of Personality” blared through the arena. The shockwave reverberated as CM Punk ignited a frenzy of emotions among fans and wrestlers alike. Punk’s return to WWE after an extended hiatus since 2014 was nothing short of a seismic event. Seth Rollins, however, supposedly didn’t know that Punk was coming back, with his wife, Becky Lynch, telling Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that Rollins felt disrespected for not being told.
The aftermath of Survivor Series unfolded with a viral clip capturing Seth Rollins expressing his unfiltered emotions. From the ring, Rollins vehemently flipped off and unleashed a barrage of expletives towards Punk on the stage. The intensity of Rollins’ reaction, combined with the genuine surprise of Punk’s return, laid the groundwork for what promised to be a deeply personal and heated conflict. As the wrestling community processed Punk’s shocking return, the intrigue only deepened at a non-televised live event following Survivor Series. In a candid moment, captured and circulated widely on social media, Rollins voiced his strong opinion of Punk, saying:
âYou guys watch WarGames last night? [Fans chant âCM Punkâ] You already know how I feel about that. I said as much last night. Iâm not gonna waste any more breath on somebody whoâs been gone for eight years, has done nothing but try to tear this place down. Instead, I want to take my time… use my breath on talking about the people whoâve been here all along.â
The duo’s in-ring history includes a tag team match together where they teamed, only a single one-on-one clash which Punk won, and multiple tag team encounters against each other where CM Punk teamed with various WWE stars to battle The Shield.
When Did The Feud Between Seth Rollins And CM Punk Begin?
The Twitter Wars And WWE Backstage Drama Between CM Punk And Seth Rollins
- CM Punk and Seth Rollins have had issues for years.
- Seth Rollins and CM Punk have exchanged back and forths on Twitter and on television.
- Seth Rollins and CM Punk have never been shy about expressing their feelings about each other.
In 2019, the wrestling landscape experienced a peculiar intersection of reality and entertainment when CM Punk made a brief return to the WWE fold, not as an in-ring competitor, but as a pundit on the WWE Backstage show airing on Fox. This unexpected move set the stage for a verbal joust between Punk and Seth Rollins that spilled over from the television screen to the Twitterverse. Rollins publicly challenged him to a match, reigniting simmering tensions.
Punk, true to his outspoken nature, didn’t shy away from firing back. On the WWE Backstage show, he dismissed Rollins by saying:
“I want my journalistic integrity to be intact, so this isn’t the show where you come on and shoot your little angles. Seth (Rollins) needs to stop tweeting and realize that sometimes it’s better to be viewed as the fool and shut your mouth, or open your mouth and remove all doubt.â
Seth called him a coward in response. It should be noted that CM Punk is often credited as the one who formed The Shield. In an interview with Colt Cabana, he revealed that WWE wanted him in a heel stable back when he was a competitor there, but he didn’t like their choices, so he gave his own. He said:
âIâm willing to do the heel stable thing, but why donât we pick three guys from FCW that are ready instead of using two guys, you know what I mean?….Ambrose, Rollins and Chris Hero [Kassius Ohno]. They wanted Roman Reigns. They came to me, and they were like, âWhat about Leakee?â I didnât⌠it wasnât my hill to die on. I said, âSure,â because it made sense to me.”
Seth Rollins Once Called CM Punk A Cancer
CM Punk’s Reputation In AEW Didn’t Help
- Many controversies occurred while CM Punk was in AEW.
- Seth Rollins did not want CM Punk back in WWE.
- Seth Rollins has since expressed wanting to bury the hatchet with CM Punk.
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Punk’s subsequent venture into AEW in 2021 was met with fanfare, but controversy soon followed. After AEW All Out in 2022, reports surfaced of a legitimate altercation between Punk and AEW executives Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, resulting in suspensions for all parties involved. Seth Rollins, speaking to Wrestling Inc, didn’t mince words when asked about his opinion on CM Punk possibly returning to WWE. He said:
âOh, Philly Phil. Stay away. Stay away, you cancer. Get away from me forever. I don’t like Phil. I don’t like Phil. He’s a jerk. Did we just figure that out? Do we just figure that out? No. Everybody in the room is like, ‘Oh no, Did he say that?’ Yeah, no. He’s a jerk. Come on. We figured it out over there, we knew it over here. I don’t want him back. Go do something else. See you later.”
CM Punk has earned his fair share of criticism as he did eventually get fired from AEW after another backstage incident. With his heated history with WWE and falling out with AEW, no one expected him to ever return to either again, but now he’s back in WWE.
Seth Rollins recently spoke to Sports Illustrated Media and revealed the real reason why he despises CM Punk. He said:
âFor a guy (CM Punk) who, when I met him, made it seem like he was all about giving back to the business, he really turned into a pretty selfish guy and really wanted to take more from the industry. He (CM Punk) said some really bad things about me. Talked down about me for years, and the company (WWE), for years. Iâm talking some really bad stuff. Called me a bootlicker and crap like that. You donât know me. You donât know what I stand for. Iâm a loyal person, and I felt pretty insulted by a lot of the ways he treated me, treated the place I work for, treated friends that I worked with. I donât need to get into any of the stuff with Colt Cabana if you want to look at that kind of stuff, thatâs out there.â âI also felt like heâs a fraud in that sense, or at least turned into one at some point in the last decade. Thatâs the long of it. Itâs a deep-rooted, I wouldnât call it hatred, but thereâs animosity there.â
Seth Rollins also said he’s 37 now and has no place in his life left for such petty grudges. He credited his wife, Becky Lynch, for calming him down amongst others backstage at Survivor Series, and he regrets shouting expletives. He expressed he would like to bury the hatchet.
CM Punk Cost Seth Rollins The World Heavyweight Championship
They Continued To Feud While CM Punk Was Injured
- CM Punk cost Rollins and McIntyre the World Heavyweight Title at Money in the Bank.
- Seth Rollins didn’t trust Punk’s sincerity when he apologized on Raw.
- Rollins still wants to fight CM Punk.
On an episode of RAW, CM Punk returned to confront both Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre. At Money in the Bank 2024, CM Punk cost both McIntyre his cash-in attempt and also ended up costing Rollins an opportunity at the World Heavyweight Title so long as Damian Priest was the champion.
As Punk was addressing his foes, Rollins came out and spoke directly to him. He told him that Punk’s actions have consequences and that he is going to have to pay for them once he is 100% and ridiculed him for sticking his nose in his business.
Seth Rollins Gets Involved In CM Punk’s Business
Seth Rollins Didn’t Forget What CM Punk Did
- Rollins was the special guest referee at SummerSlam 2024 between Drew McIntyre and CM Punk.
- CM Punk lost at SummerSlam.
- Punk has beaten McIntyre twice since SummerSlam.
Since CM Punk was getting involved in Rollins’ business, the latter took it upon himself to get involved in Punk’s business. At SummerSlam 2024, Rollins was the special guest referee for the match between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre. Punk lost the match, in large part because Punk saw Rollins wear the famous bracelet that was such a key part of the feud between McIntyre and Punk.
After that match, Rollins took care of his own business, but Punk was still involved in the feud with McIntyre. After two more PLE matches, CM Punk prevailed over McIntyre. On a recent episode of RAW, Punk said that he was going to take a break. Enter Rollins, who came out and smiled at CM Punk.
CM Punk And Seth Rollins Will Finally Have A Match
They Will Face-Off On RAW’s Netflix Debut
- RAW premiered on Netflix on January 6, 2025.
- Punk vs. Rollins main evented the show.
- CM Punk won the match.
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After months of anticipation, Monday Night RAW on Netflix took place on January 6, 2025. This led to WWE finally making it official by scheduling the match between the two rivals for the premiere of RAW on Netflix. In anticipation of it, WWE held a kickoff show on December 18, 2024. Rollins and Punk came face-to-face and things went as expected. Rollins yelled that CM Punk was a “bootlicker.” They also began to push each other before Triple H and Adam Pearce got involved and broke it up.
When it came to the actual match between the two of them, it was a brutal battle. However, it was Punk who came out on top that night. But, it was not the end of the feud by any means whatsoever.
CM Punk & Seth Rollins Went To War In A Steel Cage
Roman Reigns Is Now Involved In Their Feud
- Rollins won the match due to Roman Reigns pulling him out of the cage.
- The Original Tribal Chief attacked both Rollins and Punk.
- This was Punk and Rollins’ second major match in the feud.
The feud between Rollins and Punk did not end after that night on RAW. It continued, in some capacity or another, for months. It was a war that continued both on the microphone and inside the ring at events such as the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber. This led to a steel cage match being scheduled between the two of them on the March 10, 2025, edition of Monday Night RAW. However, things unfolded differently this time.
Roman Reigns came out during the match and had his sights set on attacking both men in the match. Reigns pulled Rollins out of the steel cage. This led to Punk losing. Reigns also attacked Punk inside the steel cage. It was clear that he had issues with both men and that he wants to take care of these issues sooner rather than later. Only time will tell what happens next.