Seth Rollins comments on CM Punk's return and the WrestleMania match that wasn't.
CM Punk returned to WWE at WWE Survivor Series 2023, and Seth Rollins' apparently angry reaction sparked some buzz. Rollins took several shots at Punk over the next few weeks, and they clashed in a heated promo exchange on WWE Raw. Punk made it clear that he intended to win the Royal Rumble and challenge Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship, but Rhodes won the match and Punk suffered a torn triceps that derailed his road to WrestleMania 40.
Speaking with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Rollins briefly commented on Punk. Barrasso noted that the reigning World Heavyweight Champion confirmed that the plan between him and Punk had been the plan for WrestleMania 40 Night One.
“A match against Punk, that was never on my radar. I believed I would never see that guy again. I thought that until I saw him at Survivor Series," Rollins said.
Rollins then highlighted how the road to WrestleMania 40 has unfolded, with The Rock returning and fans rallying around Cody Rhodes. He noted that, years from now, everyone would look back on what promised to be a special moment.
“We are living in one hell of a timeline. It’s crazy to think about all the people in WWE at the same time. The Rock is back, and all that’s happened with him and Cody and Cody’s fans, it is incredible and I’m still making sense of it. Years from now we’ll look back on this; it’s going to create a moment that lasts forever," Rollins said.
CM Punk recently said that he believed the initial plan was a match between him and Rollins. Check out his comments here.
Click here to see what Punk had to say about how WWE has changed since his previous run.