After the heated confrontation between Roman Reigns and CM Punk on last night’s WWE RAW, The OTC has declared their intent to face off against the top competitor at WrestleMania 42. The rivalry has shifted from camaraderie to outright hostility, with both men reflecting on their history, particularly how Punk initially welcomed Reigns to the main roster.
Their verbal battle concluded with Reigns admitting he chose WrestleMania because he “hates” Punk and still holds that feeling. Reigns’ remarks about comments Punk made during his 10-year absence from WWE have sparked significant discussion among fans.
Reigns traced his issues with Punk back to harsh criticisms the champion directed at him in 2014, recalling, “I’ll never forget when you went on my best friend’s podcast and called me names, making my life even harder.” This refers to Colt Cabana’s Art of Wrestling podcast, where Punk suggested WWE wanted to protect the emerging star Reigns. Punk spoke about WWE’s push for Reigns and his teammates in The Shield, mentioning, “They pushed and protected all three of us, saying, ‘You’re over,’ but they told me I had to make Roman look really strong. I thought, ‘No, I was going to challenge them all.’”
Punk’s remarks highlighted the controversial way WWE handled Reigns during his early solo career—although Reigns found favor with younger fans, many resented the heavy promotion he received, evidenced by the intense boos after his 2015 Royal Rumble victory.
While Reigns confessed to harboring hatred for Punk, he clarified this bitterness is rooted in their conflict from six years ago during an interview on the Complex Sports podcast. He explained, “If you follow wrestling deeply, you probably have some feelings about that guy—I certainly do. He made my job much harder years ago.” However, Reigns added, “I don’t like him, and I don’t know many who do, but I’ll put business first to create compelling content.”
Fans were surprised when Reigns was reminded of these past grievances during the promo, and WWE seems poised to use their real-life tensions to fuel the storyline leading into WrestleMania’s main event. Punk’s implication that WWE aimed to shield Reigns might only be one facet of a layered and believable feud.
Interestingly, Punk once claimed he welcomed Reigns into WWE alongside the rest of The Shield, but the truth may be more complicated—he didn’t want Reigns to be the third member. Chris Hero, formerly Kassius Ohno, revealed that Punk had originally pitched him as the third part of a trio with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, but not under the “Shield” name and as a separate faction.
Reigns eventually debuted with Rollins and Ambrose as The Shield, a mercenary group that supported Punk during his 434-day WWE Championship reign. Reigns established himself as a key part of the team before their split, evolving into the “Tribal Chief” and surpassing Punk by holding the Undisputed WWE Championship for a record 1,316 days.
Fan Take: This storyline is a rare blend of real-world history and compelling in-ring storytelling, which makes it especially captivating for WWE fans. The personal animosity between Reigns and Punk adds depth to their WrestleMania encounter, potentially elevating the sport by proving that authentic rivalries resonate powerfully with audiences.
