Seth Rollins and CM Punk are two of the biggest stars in professional wrestling. Yet their rivalry is one that operates both on and offscreen. So how real is it?
In professional wrestling, there are many instances of in-ring heat boiling over backstage. Yet the rivalry between CM Punk and Seth Rollins is just that. After Rollins’ Summerslam heist, CM Punk has yet to make a real move to reclaim the title he held for just mere minutes. Fans await their rivalry and are using Missouri sports betting to stay informed on the action. But is their rivalry kayfabe, or an actual hatred of the other?
The Early Days
A rumor persists online that Seth was actually trained by CM Punk. This has been played on by WWE. In a 2022 interview, Rollins admitted he wasn’t trained by CM Punk, as he didn’t have the money to afford the sessions. This may be where some of their off-screen animosity originated from.
CM Punk did, however, give Seth Rollins a career boost. In his infamous podcast after leaving WWE, CM Punk said he was the brains behind the concept of The Shield. This famous faction was made up of Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins, who were all working in NXT at the time. He pitched a new type of faction that would work alongside him. Alas, WWE creative took the idea but didn’t include Punk in the finished package. Arguably, it was the inclusion of the Shield and its impact on RAW that catapulted Seth to stardom.
Their Current Fued
Seth Rollins has quite a different opinion on this, however. He believes that after CM Punk left WWE the first time around, their relationship deteriorated. He went on to describe Punk as a ‘Cancer’ to his career because of the promos he cut. He said that every time Punk took a potshot at WWE or Rollins, he ignored it as he viewed him as a troll.
It seems that Punk has acknowledged his time away from WWE was not a good one for him, and he may be reconciling some of the comments and moves he made. This seems to be true in the first episodes of WWE Unreal, when Paul Levesque discusses the relationship between himself and CM Punk and how it has changed. He now says that Punk is a different person from the angry man he was before, with Punk concurring.
CM Punks Return
For anyone who does not know Punk’s history, he was a major eventer but left WWE in a haze of controversy, believing he was not getting the push he deserved. He badmouthed the company, and even legal action ensued. He then did stints in MMA and other wrestling promotions.
Oddly, his return was in 2019 as a backstage commentator for a show on Fox. This started a social media sparring session between the two. He finally returned to the ring at Survivor Series 2023. Seth Rollins’ team had won their Wargames match, and as they were about to celebrate, the famous opening chords to Punk’s entrance music ripped through the air.
It was not only Rollins who looked visibly annoyed at the comeback, with Drew McIntyre also furious. Becky Lynch, Rollins’ wife, admitted that he had not been told and felt that this was a disrespectful move from the company. Punk had not been seen in a WWE ring since 2014.
The only known fact is that their matches are fantastic. The recent WWE Unreal showcased the backstage reactions to their first bout in a decade. Despite running over somewhat, it was a masterclass in storytelling and wrestling. The fans love them both, and any future clashes are guaranteed to be classics.
