CM Punk’s WWE return has caused quite the stir this week. I won’t bore you with the details, because most fans will already be aware of how he departed WWE and AEW. With news circulating that CM Punk is likely to feud with Seth Rollins, and then Roman Reigns, I’d like to highlight what they have previously said about Punk in interviews, for anyone who forgot or missed them entirely. Let’s begin with Seth Rollins.
Seth Rollins while speaking to journalist Nick Hausman:
“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? Everybody in the room is like, ‘did he say that?’ Yeah, 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. Bye bye. See you later,”
Seth Rollins while speaking to FoxSportsRadio:
“I’ll end it on a positive note with him, that guy has given my career so much that it pains me to have to say bad things about him because he helped me out, he really did. He’s been a good guy to me for a lot of my career, but for whatever reason, the past maybe six or seven years, he’s in a different headspace and we’re not on the same page.
“To see what he’s done and taken and taken and taken and it’s always been about him? I’m just not a fan, I’m not a fan. There’s a place for him man, he’s got a lot to give I just wish his head was in the right spot.”
Seth Rollins in 2019 after CM Punk said (on FS1’s WWE Backstage) he should stop tweeting:
“Here’s someone who’s been in the doldrums for the last few years because he got his butt kicked in the Octagon so bad he didn’t want to show his face anywhere, now he shows back up on a WWE show. It’s called WWE Backstage show. You can say it’s an FS1 show all you want, which it is, and you may be paid by FOX, but that show doesn’t exist without our company, the company that you left five years ago.”
Seth Rollins has been sniping at CM Punk for years, and much of it stems from Punk being out for himself and not WWE, or the pro wrestling industry. He has made several challenges on Twitter like the below post, which he never deleted. The heat is real, and while the two may end up working together, we’re going to see something potentially explosive. Unlike rivalries like Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels, where they had just enough respect to take care of each other in the ring, this could get ugly if the tension boils over.
Fight me @CMPunk
— Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) November 13, 2019
Next up is Roman Reigns, who has previously discussed CM Punk in a different light:
“If you’ve watched wrestling for the last 10-15 years and love it and it’s in your blood, then you probably have some kind of feelings about that guy, I know I do. Just by doing one of these things, he made my job a lot harder. If it’s something that the fans can get behind and can sink their teeth into and really dive into the creative with us, then I’m willing to do it.
I don’t like the guy, I don’t know many people who do. I just don’t know many who do, but I’m willing to put business first and make really good content if that’s the case. He’d probably have to be slapped around a few times in order to get his mind right, but if he’s willing and the fans and audience are going to like it and be into it, then most likely I’m going to be into it.”
Roman Reigns on (via Ariel Helwani Podcast) CM Punk not being a needle mover or as over as John Cena:
“I can see it from both perspectives, but I think you said it before, that ‘high tide raises all the boats’ and everybody benefits. So I do think there’s that strange threshold, but I think those statements are coming from bitter people who possibly thought they were better than they really were. When it comes down to it, CM Punk was not as good or as over as a John Cena, wasn’t as good or as over or moved the needle like The Rock. It just was what it was.
From a full-time performer, I understand the frustration and wanting more, but like I said before, you gotta take it. I’m a full-time performer but I’ve done everything that needs to be done to stay in this position, to be in this position, to continue to make the opportunity for myself to be in a main event at SummerSlam against a John Cena. If anybody ever comes along to try to push me out of that scenario, I’m going to fight like hell to keep the ground that I’ve made.
It’s just one of those debatable… we can go back and forth, and we can change our perspective, if you’re one of those types of people who can see it in a different set of eyes, but I really think if more eye-balls are being brought to our product, and of course it depends on who it is, but a guy like a John Cena, who is starring in multiple movies this summer, and when it comes down to it, earns the right, and he’s at that portion of his career where if he is a part-time performer, I’m not going to complain. I’m just going to capitalize on him being here, and everything that he brings with that, and that’s my goal, that’s the whole gimmick to me, is this is John Cena.
Why wouldn’t I want to be in the ring, why wouldn’t I want him to come at me? You know what I mean? This is the biggest movie star of the summer right now, why would I… and he came to me, he came to The Head of The Table, he came to Roman Reigns. He wanted to be in the ring with me, and I’m not going to complain about that. But I think other people who think they should have more or be more, and aren’t willing to actually do it, they’re going to have a different explanation than what I just did.”
Conclusion
So, unlike Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns is more likely to bury CM Punk and highlight how he isn’t as big of a draw as he thinks he is. That might be true for anywhere outside of Chicago, but he clearly still has value, even if it comes with controversy. Both WWE and CM Punk have labelled him “polarizing” and “controversial” this week, so they aren’t trying to hide it. CM Punk has stirred the pot one too many times in the wrong direction, and many could see this as his last chance. Triple H and Nick Khan have been willing to offer him one last run to prove that he can be a team player, and while we may see glimpses of what makes CM Punk controversial, WWE will be all over micro managing what he says for everyone’s benefit.
It will be tough for all involved, but so long as business is good, that’s the price WWE has to pay. Professional wrestlers should be able to work with anybody. That’s the way it has always been. The main thing I want to see is CM Punk behaving himself while producing quality content, and ending it on a high without upsetting anybody. He should be able to walk away from WWE with his head held high and upper management respectfully patting him on the back. That should be the goal, but time will tell if it will become reality. Thanks for reading.
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CM Punk’s WWE return has been making headlines this week, and it has sparked a lot of excitement and controversy among fans. While many are eagerly awaiting his potential feuds with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, it’s worth revisiting what these two superstars have previously said about Punk in interviews.
Seth Rollins has been quite vocal about his feelings towards CM Punk. In an interview with journalist Nick Hausman, Rollins didn’t hold back, saying, “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.” Rollins has made it clear that he doesn’t want Punk back and believes he’s been in a different headspace for the past few years.
However, Rollins also acknowledged that Punk had helped him in his career. He said, “He’s been a good guy to me for a lot of my career, but for whatever reason, the past maybe six or seven years, he’s in a different headspace and we’re not on the same page.”
In 2019, after Punk criticized Rollins on FS1’s WWE Backstage, Rollins fired back, saying, “Here’s someone who’s been in the doldrums for the last few years because he got his butt kicked in the Octagon so bad he didn’t want to show his face anywhere, now he shows back up on a WWE show.”
Roman Reigns has also shared his thoughts on CM Punk. He admitted that he doesn’t like Punk but is willing to put business first if it creates good content that the fans can get behind. Reigns also commented on Punk not being as big of a draw as John Cena or The Rock, saying, “CM Punk was not as good or as over as a John Cena, wasn’t as good or as over or moved the needle like The Rock.”
Reigns believes that if more eyeballs are brought to the product, it benefits everyone. He stated, “I think those statements are coming from bitter people who possibly thought they were better than they really were.”
It’s clear that both Rollins and Reigns have strong opinions about CM Punk. Rollins has been critical of Punk’s attitude and departure from WWE, while Reigns acknowledges Punk’s impact but questions his drawing power compared to other top stars.
As CM Punk returns to WWE, it will be interesting to see how these feuds unfold and if tensions between the superstars boil over. WWE will likely be closely managing what Punk says to avoid any controversies. Ultimately, the goal should be for Punk to leave WWE on a positive note, with his head held high and the respect of upper management.
Only time will tell if this goal can be achieved, but one thing is for sure – CM Punk’s return has generated a lot of buzz and anticipation among wrestling fans.