00:00When CM Punk made his long-awaited return to WWE at Survivor Series WarGames 2023, one
00:07man was seen freaking out.
00:09That man was Seth Freakin' Rollins.
00:12He was losing his mind and even charged towards Punk as the best in the world was at the ramp.
00:17Michael Cole was spotted restraining Rollins, preventing him from doing anything controversial.
00:22The intensity of Rollins' reaction combined with the genuine surprise of Punk's return
00:27laid the groundwork for what promised to be a deeply personal and heated conflict.
00:32As the wrestling community processed Punk's shocking return, Rollins voiced his strong
00:36opinion of Punk the next night, saying, quote,
00:39"'You guys watched WarGames last night?
00:41You already know how I feel about that.
00:44I said as much last night, I'm not gonna waste any more breath on somebody who's
00:48been gone for eight years, has done nothing but try to tear this place down.
00:52Instead, I want to take my time, use my breath on talking about the people who've been
00:57here all along," end quote.
01:00Fans always anticipated a feud between them as they've been going at one another for
01:04a long time.
01:05In 2019, Punk made a brief return to WWE, not as an in-ring competitor, but as a pundit
01:11on the WWE Backstage show airing on Fox.
01:14His contract was not with WWE, but with Fox, so technically he wasn't part of the company.
01:21During this time, Rollins publicly challenged him to a match, to which Punk responded by
01:25saying that Seth needs to stop tweeting and realize that sometimes it's better to be
01:29viewed as a fool and shut your mouth or open your mouth and remove all doubt.
01:35That was just the start.
01:37After Punk's controversial AEW All Out media scrum and the backstage brawl, Rollins did
01:42not shy away from firing shots at him.
01:45He said, quote,
01:46Oh Philly Phil, stay away, stay away you cancer, get away from me forever.
01:53I don't like Phil, I don't like Phil, he's a jerk.
01:57Did we just figure that out?
01:59Did we just figure that out?
02:01No.
02:02Everybody in the room is like, oh no, did he say that?
02:06Yeah.
02:07No.
02:08He's a jerk."
02:09end quote
02:10Fans realized that there might be some personal animosity between the two, feeling an even
02:14stronger demand for their match.
02:17So when rumors of Punk's return to WWE surfaced, the first dream match on everyone's mind
02:22was him facing Rollins.
02:24However, Punk's return was a huge secret and Rollins had no idea that he was coming
02:29back at Survivor Series.
02:31The reaction that he gave was genuine.
02:33According to Seth's wife, former WWE Women's World Champion Becky Lynch, Seth felt disrespected
02:39by not knowing that Punk was coming back.
02:42It became evident that this was the path WWE was setting up.
02:46When they finally came face to face on Raw, Rollins said that he hates Punk.
02:51He further stated that Punk has been slandering his name and slandering every single person
02:55in the locker room and claimed that WWE is his home and he will do everything in his
02:59power to protect it from people like Punk.
03:02The writing was on the wall.
03:05Punk vs Rollins at Wrestlemania 40, however, that could not happen.
03:09During the Wrestlemania Behind the Curtain documentary, Triple H revealed that Punk was
03:13supposed to face Seth for the World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania.
03:17Unfortunately, Punk got injured at Royal Rumble by Drew McIntyre, which started an entirely
03:22different feud.
03:24We've covered that storyline in several videos, so be sure to check them out.
03:28Stand back, there's a new wrestling quiz coming through.
03:32Check out Brain Buster, the daily quiz that tests your WWE knowledge with winning strengths,
03:38stats and more.
03:39It's time to see if you're up for the challenge.
03:43Coming back to Rollins, the plans changed and he put on double duty at the show of shows
03:48by teaming up with Cody Rhodes against The Rock and Roman Reigns and defending his World
03:52Championship against Drew McIntyre, which he lost.
03:56Following this, Rollins took some time off to undergo surgery for a torn meniscus.
04:01Punk occasionally continued to grace our TV screens, keeping his feud with McIntyre alive
04:06by interfering and costing the Scottish Warrior the World Championship on multiple occasions.
04:12Seth eventually made his comeback on Raw, challenging Damian Priest for the World Heavyweight
04:16Championship at Money in the Bank.
04:18On the same night, Drew won the contract and later cashed it in during Seth and Priest's
04:23match.
04:24But as expected, Punk intervened, once again costing McIntyre, this time the Money in the
04:30Bank contract too.
04:31In the process, he also sabotaged Seth, who ended up losing the match due to Punk's
04:37interference.
04:38The following episode on Raw, Seth confronted Punk and told him that his actions have consequences
04:43and that he's going to have to pay for them once he's 100% and ridiculed him for sticking
04:47his nose in his business.
04:49Punk apologized for his actions but said quote,
04:52"'But because it's you, I can't be that sorry, can I?'
04:56End quote.
04:57Punk, McIntyre and Rollins found themselves entangled in a feud, leading to a match between
05:02Punk and Drew being scheduled for Summerslam, with Seth Rollins serving as the special guest
05:07referee.
05:08The most thrilling aspect was that each of the three had unresolved conflicts with each
05:12other which intensified fans' excitement.
05:15The match was packed with drama centering around Punk's bracelet, which had his wife
05:20and dog's name inscribed on it.
05:22Drew had stolen it after attacking Punk weeks earlier.
05:25When the bracelet fell, Rollins picked it up and put it on for safekeeping.
05:30Seeing this, Punk lost his composure, confronted Rollins and delivered a GTS.
05:36This distraction allowed Drew to seize the moment and win the match.
05:40This reignited the hate between the two as Seth came out fuming in anger on the next
05:45episode of Raw and told Punk that it was time to put him in the dirt.
05:49But Punk wasn't done with McIntyre, his focus was on the Scottish Warrior.
05:54In the meantime, Rollins was attacked by Bronson Reed who delivered tsunami after tsunami and
05:59injured him.
06:00It's clear that Rollins will feud with Reed as he would need something to do before finally
06:04facing Punk, while Punk and McIntyre's personal rivalry will continue to escalate in the coming
06:09months.
06:10So, fans will have to wait for Rollins and Punk's eventual feud, and that's what Triple
06:16H wants.
06:17We know that he loves long term storytelling and this is the perfect example of that.
06:22We have had multiple segments with Punk and Rollins, but there hasn't been any match
06:26between them as of yet, and we don't think that will happen until around WrestleMania
06:3041.
06:32Consider this.
06:33Seth Rollins vs CM Punk was planned for WrestleMania 40, but Punk's injury led to its cancellation.
06:39Had Punk not been injured at Royal Rumble, he might currently be feuding with Rollins
06:43instead of McIntyre.
06:44One unexpected incident altered the course and allowed WWE to tell a more extended and
06:49personal storyline between Punk and Rollins.
06:53We expect Punk and McIntyre to finish their rivalry at Royal Rumble 2025, one year after
06:57Punk's injury, with the best in the world finally overcoming the Scottish Warrior.
07:02On the same night, he could enter the Men's Royal Rumble match, only to be eliminated
07:06by Seth Rollins.
07:08This would reignite their feud.
07:10WWE can make this personal by having Seth bring up Punk's controversial AEW run and
07:15all the brawls that he was part of.
07:17Although WWE typically avoids referencing AEW, this could be an exception.
07:22Their first match has to happen at WrestleMania 41, but the question is, who wins?
07:28Either one can come out with a victory, but the outcome might not be the main focus.
07:33Given Triple H's knack for surprises, we anticipate a major twist with CM Punk potentially
07:39winning the match by turning heel.
07:41This could turn out to be the new direction for their feud, and Punk also has the motivation
07:46to go heel.
07:47Seth has been talking crap about him for years, and now that fans are cheering on the visionary,
07:52why wouldn't he turn to the dark side?
07:55CM Punk has always excelled as a heel, delivering some of the best performances of his career.
08:00Whether leading the Straight Edge Society or dominating as WWE Champion in 2012, he
08:05was truly untouchable.
08:07As he nears the end of his career, fans deserve one final memorable heel run from the best
08:12in the world.
08:13Additionally, some fans remain critical of Punk due to past controversies, and by WrestleMania
08:1841, the excitement surrounding his WWE return might have cooled down.
08:23This would be an ideal moment for a character shift.
08:26On the other hand, Seth is one of WWE's most popular stars, and fans would love seeing
08:31him play the underdog role following Punk's heel turn.
08:34Punk could even surround himself with younger talent, though not necessarily forming a full
08:38fledged faction.
08:40For instance, he might enlist someone like The Final Testament to handle his dirty work.
08:45Alternatively, it could be revealed that Punk had secretly hired Bronson Reed to attack
08:49Rollins and keep him in line when he was occupied with McIntyre.
08:53The possibilities are endless.
08:55Their second match could happen at Summerslam.
08:58Seth could have his victory here, but not necessarily a convincing one.
09:02He could have a technical pin or something like that to keep the rivalry going.
09:06Against the loss, Punk could go insane and attack Rollins, injuring him kayfabe-wise.
09:11In the meantime, WWE could consider putting the world title on Punk, allowing him to make
09:16the most of it as a heel.
09:18Punk deserves one final title run in WWE, and this could be the perfect opportunity.
09:24When Seth eventually returns, Punk could avoid him and make him jump through various challenges
09:28before they finally clash in a decisive match.
09:32So where should the final match between the two happen?
09:36There are two options.
09:38Royal Rumble 2026, WrestleMania 42.
09:42Triple H is someone who could stretch this out to WrestleMania 42 with all the excitement
09:47intact.
09:48Seth would finally defeat Punk and win the World Heavyweight Championship once again,
09:52ending their feud.
09:54If they want, they could continue this, but it's better that Punk moves on to someone
09:58like Roman Reigns after this.
10:00However, they could revisit the feud in the future with roles reversed.
10:04This rivalry needs to be deeply personal and even more intense than the one between Punk
10:09and McIntyre.
10:10It's been building for years and WWE must deliver a satisfying payoff, especially with
10:16Triple H's track record for fulfilling his promises.
10:19What are your thoughts on how this will unfold?
10:22When do you think the match between Punk and Rollins will finally take place?
Comments