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The feud betweenCM Punk and Seth Rollinshas quick becomeWWE’shottest contention . A match that was originally in the cards for one of the main events of WrestleMania 40 has managed to stretch its plot line eight month after Mania without either man laying a finger on the other until recently . It ’s a will to how invest fans are that both humans were able-bodied to keep fan interest .
The only element that WWE betray to apply over a year ’s worth of storytelling between Seth Rollins and CM Punk is a clear - cut cause as towhy they hate each other . That may have been knowing , as WWE has become eff for its tenacious , drawn - out plot line as of former ( with Bloodline being a select model ) .
It was n’t until theDecember ninth sequence of Rawthat WWE finally gave Punk and Rollins the distance to explain their grievances . Now , audience can better infer exactly how this rivalry begin , and perhaps even where it ’s live on .
Before Coming to WWE, Seth Rollins Wanted to Train Under CM Punk
How Idols Become Rivals
As both render their sides of the story , one aspect they deal was thatSeth Rollins first met CM Punk as a 16 - year - one-time fan meeting a wrestler who he idolized . Doing the maths , that would have had to have been 22 years ago in 2002 , back when Ring of Honor had just taken off the ground and CM Punk was quickly becoming a fan - favorite on the sovereign wrestling circuit through his employment in ROH . It was at that clip that a young and arguably unenlightened Rollins ask Punk to train him to become a professional wrestler , for devoid ( accord to Punk ) .
While the 46 - year - old CM Punk says today that Rollins came at him from a billet of entitlement , it seems the 24 - year - older Punk of older countenance the teenager down gently . concord toan audience with Corey Graves , as a adolescent , Rollins was an introvert who followed the straight boundary lifestyle and care rock and metal music , all thing he had in common with CM Punk . Ultimately , Rollins was condition by Danny Daniels in Illinois and made his introduction in the Iowa independent panorama .
Some will say that this being the Crux Australis of their gripe vocalise mete footling at best . However , their feud is much bigger than Rollins make sour grape over an ill - fated coaching request from two decades ago . This bit merely created the building blocks for a feud that would persist in the number years . It ’s a modest fire that would produce an engulfing inferno between these two hands today .
Seth Rollins Reunites with CM Punk in WWE
Friendships Blossom and Jobs are Saved
Without CM Punk ’s guidance , Seth Rollins would do just fine on his own , becoming a matman on his own accord , and while Punk was achieving his dreaming as WWE Champion , the future Visionary was get a name for himself as Tyler Black , eventually winning the ROH World Championship . It ’s at that point that he was reconnoitre by WWE and eventually signed . Working through the developmental system in Florida Championship Wrestling , when WWE rebranded it to NXT , Rollins became the initiative NXT Champion .
This lede to an iconic staredown between CM Punk and Seth Rolins , when the then - WWE Champion look on NXT programming , tease a feud for the future . However , this was when WWE did n’t have as much faith in Superstars who weighed less than 200 lb and were n’t jacked . Thus , Rollins ' chore security was in risk , but as Punk advert , he lay aside Rollins ' job after he " shield him . “This is a reference to howCM Punk approached WWE creatives with an idea for what would become The Shield , handpicking Rollins as one of its members .
In kayfabe , Punk andhis advocate Paul Heyman , would quiet hire three NXT Superstars in Rollins , Dean Ambrose , and papistic Reigns to secure Punk go on to retain his WWE Championship from the shadows , starting with his Survivor Series 2012 Department of Defense . Considering how much success the members of the Shield had , it ’s safe to say that not just Rollins , but the WWE as a whole owes a circle to CM Punk for that estimation .
CM Punk Leaves WWE, Destroying His Friendship With Rollins
Burning Bridges and Ignoring Phone Calls
In due time , Punk would feud with his former onscreen protectors , leading tohis first onscreen friction match against Seth Rollins on the December 30 , 2013 episode of Raw , which Punk would succeed . Behind the scenes , Rollins and Punk would grow closer as friends , but a calendar month after their first match , Punk quit the company . When explain his side of the taradiddle , Rollins say this was a turning point in their friendship . The intellect was that Punk ignored Rollins ' sound birdsong and texts because , according to the latter , the former could not take on that someone did not desire to throw in the towel their dreaming line of work to show solidarity with Punk ’s plight .
Someone Rollins recognized as a protagonist , who he respected and idolized growing up , had suddenly ghosted him . Rollins was n’t the only conscientious objector - proletarian Punk gave the moth-eaten berm , but the silence did n’t sting untilPunk began partake in interview bonk the company and anyone who still worked for it . It ’s also worth noting that when Punk briefly turn back to body of work for FOX for theirWWE Backstagepost - show , he oft and openly pick apart Rollins , mostly for his social media antics . Rollins took it personally , and more clearly than ever , the friendship was over .
add fuel to the fire , CM Punk ’s tirade on WWE would retain when he decided to bring back to wrestling - not for WWE , but for its competition , AEW , at a time when Rollins was one of WWE ’s key flagbearers . In Rollins ' eyes , Punk had try out to tear down WWE whenever he found an opportunityto do so , and only resolve to mend bridge with the company when " the money was right . " Alas , when that daylight did come at Survivor Series 2023 , then - World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins visibly blew a gasket on unrecorded television .
CM Punk Returns to WWE, Drawing the Ire of Seth Rollins
A Backstage Feud Reignited Onscreen
While The Visionary ’s public presentation blurred the lines between reality and fiction , it was at least unmistakable that the route to WrestleMania was point to Rollins vs. Punk for the World Title . At least that was the big rumor heading into the Show of Shows , but those hopes were dashed when Punk legitimately tore his veracious tricep in the Royal Rumble following a DDT from Drew McIntyre . This put Punk on the shelf for months after Mania , and though he ’d start feuding with McIntyre , Rollins continue to brood around the Straight Edge Superstar and frailty versa , albeit without touch each other .
After finally ending his feud with McIntyreinside Hell in a Cell , CM Punk blend in on a hiatus to heal , during which the OG Bloodline tried to coax Seth Rollins into joining them for WarGames against the Bloodline 2.0 . Rollins ' disdain for former Shield mate Roman Reigns was too great to win over The Architect to become their fifth human , so or else , Reigns and co. levy Seth ’s archrival , CM Punk , by way of the Wiseman . Punk help his curse to win WarGames , victoriously no less , was the last straw for Seth Rollins , and in a confrontation the next night , they went to fisticuffs for the first metre .
The two Bloodlines unleash chaos in the War Games while new champions are crowned in a firm edition of WWE ’s second - foresightful - turn tail PLE .
Just over a year since CM Punk ’s WWE comeback , Punk and Rollins ' gripe with each other has finally been addressed , along with them finally going to blows . With the rivalry reaching its peak intensity , it ’s been rumored thatCM Punk vs. Seth Rollins may last happen on Netflix ’s premiere episode of Monday Night Raw . It seems as though their rage has boiled over enough that look for WrestleMania is n’t going to cut it for either character . This is a rivalry that has preserve to cook for two decade and is lastly overheat into aWWEring .
