The fascinating story between these 4 men, explained

CM Punk has been back in WWE for over a year now, and while Drew McIntyre has been his biggest feud so far (this has been the best of 2024), he now looks set to continue his feud with Seth Rollins , who was sidelined due to his triceps injury at the Royal Rumble. Heading into WarGames at Survivor Series, Punk didn’t get along very well with Roman Reigns either. Rollins and Reigns were, of course, part of The Shield, along with Dean Ambrose (now AEW’s Jon Moxley). Punk helped form the popular faction, both in real life and in storyline, before feuding with them. It’s a rivalry that has led to encounters in WWE and AEW, and is expected to have more chapters soon.

The Shield debuted in a CM Punk match

CM Punk faced Jon Moxley in AEW

• The Shield debuted at Survivor Series 2012 and attacked John Cena and Ryback.
• CM Punk feuded with The Shield in late 2013 before leaving WWE.
• Jon Moxley is not a fan of CM Punk after what happened in AEW.

Entering Survivor Series 2012, CM Punk was the WWE Champion. At the PPV, he defended his title against John Cena and Ryback, but at the end of the main event, three men in black came out and destroyed the ring area, along with Cena and Ryback. The men were three call-ups from NXT: Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. Their interference allowed Punk to retain the gold, and then for weeks the trio attacked their opponents. They started out as CM Punk’s mercenaries, but soon began attacking injustice all over Raw. That didn’t stop them from helping CM Punk eliminate The Rock, where it was revealed that Paul Heyman had been paying them all along.

It would take a year, in November 2013, for The Shield to have a real rivalry with CM Punk. Alone, he managed to beat the trio in a handicap match at TLC. A month later, CM Punk left WWE, ending the rivalry, seemingly for good.

In 2021, however, CM Punk made his return to wrestling, but in AEW, not WWE. Turns out there was a former member of the Shield, Jon Moxley, who had dropped the Dean Ambrose moniker a few years earlier. At All Out 2022, Jon Moxley was the AEW Champion, but he lost the gold to CM Punk. But the celebration will be short-lived. Punk not only tore his tricep, but minutes later found himself in a backstage brawl with The Elite, leading to a suspension and loss of the title. Whatever friendship Punk and Moxley might have ended, with Punk accuses Moxley of refusing to relinquish the title to him in a unification match. When CM Punk returned to WWE, ComicBook.com asked Jon Moxley for his opinion. Mox could only say:

“You don’t want to know what I think.”

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CM Punk and the original tribal leader were together in WarGames

CM Punk didn’t want Roman Reigns in The Shield

• CM Punk wanted Chris Hero in The Shield instead of Roman Reigns.
• Paul Heyman tapped CM Punk to be WarGames’ fifth man.
• Heyman now owes CM Punk a favor.

During his first appearance in WWE, only one member of The Shield managed to beat CM Punk, namely Roman Reigns. After Punk left after the 2014 Royal Rumble, Reigns, Rollins and Ambrose eventually became the faces of the company and all became world champions. Reigns became the biggest star of them all, even though he failed as a babyface and only truly reached his potential when he became a heel in 2020. None of this would have happened if he didn’t hadn’t been in The Shield. However, he almost wasn’t part of the group, as Punk had initially suggested that Chris Hero be part of it instead.

This fact would have caused resentment in Reigns. When Punk returned to WWE, he appeared on SmackDown last December, where he cut a promo on Roman Reigns (who wasn’t there), congratulating the tribal leader on all his success but reminding him who the OG “Paul Heyman guy.” is, and that he was first his wise man. The two megastars remained apart, but heading into WarGames at Survivor Series 2024, Reigns’ version of Bloodline needed a fifth man to take on Solo Sikoa’s faction. This led to the return of Paul Heyman, who brought Punk in as the fifth man. CM Punk let Roman know that he was only there for Paul, and because Heyman promised him a favor in return if they won. Roman naturally didn’t trust Punk, and WarGames wouldn’t even let him out of the cage, but once they were both in the match, Punk proved himself by saving Roman from a tsunami of Bronson Reed from the top of the cage. cage. Roman’s team won and Roman showed Punk his respect, but with Heyman now owed a favor, the story between them certainly isn’t over.

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CM Punk Vs. Seth Rollins is WWE’s dream match

Seth Rollins spoke openly about his real-life dislike of CM Punk

• Seth Rollins called CM Punk a cancer during an interview.
• Rollins collapsed when Punk returned to WWE at Survivor Series 2023.
• Seth Rollins goes after CM Punk again on Raw.

This brings us to Seth Rollins. They didn’t work together much during Punk’s first run in WWE, but after CM Punk returned to wrestling, Rollins wasn’t afraid to let everyone know what he thought about him. In an interview with Wrestling Inc. last year, long before Punk made his return to WWE, Punk said of his now opponent:

“Oh, Phily, Phil, oh, stay away. Stay away, you cancer. Stay away from me forever. I don’t like Phil. He’s a jerk. Oh, is- what did we just understand?… I don’t like Phil. I don’t want him to come back.

Seth Rollins doesn’t like CM Punk in real life, but they and WWE knew it could make a lot of money, so they agreed to work together. When Punk returned at the end of Survivor Series last year, Rollins was shown losing his mind in the ring. He then made it his mission to go after Punk, letting him know that he didn’t trust him. It seemed like a WrestleMania 40 dream match was just for the fans, but CM Punk’s injury took the focus away. Now Punk and Rollins are healthy, and the former world heavyweight champion once again has his sights set on Punk. It’s a move that could give us that dream match at WrestleMania 41, as well as a possible heel turn from Seth Rollins. CM Punk’s story with Jon Moxley may be over forever, but it’s only just beginning for Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins.