CM Punk and Kevin Owens have a historical past that goes approach past their present WWE feud, and one of many largest tales from their previous has been floating round wrestling circles for years. The fundamental model was that the 2 almost got here to blows backstage in Ring of Honor. Owens later defined that’s not what occurred.
In a July 2014 interview with Title Match Wrestling, Owens — then often known as Kevin Steen — stated the entire thing began over his wrestling gear. He most popular working in a t-shirt as a result of he felt extra snug and extra like himself, however on the time he had been requested to wrestle in only a singlet.
“I simply felt just like the singlet wasn’t me. Some individuals would possibly disagree strongly, however that’s tremendous. I simply discover the t-shirt seems higher.”
After a number of months, Owens requested if he might return to wrestling within the shirt. He stated he wasn’t making an attempt to cover something or make a press release. He merely felt higher in it.
“Can I simply wrestle with the shirt on? I simply really feel extra snug. I really feel like I may be myself. After I don’t have the shirt, I simply really feel like I’m this wrestler dude.”
In keeping with Owens, Punk ultimately heard in regards to the state of affairs and made a crack about him wrestling within the shirt earlier than considered one of his matches. Owens didn’t take it as an assault on the time.
“Punk simply made a crack about me wrestling within the shirt, however no matter. I didn’t care. I feel Punk and I have been on good phrases. It was tremendous. To me, I took it as a joke. I don’t assume he was making an attempt to humiliate me.”
The issue got here after the match. Owens stated he got here by way of the curtain exhausted, noticed Punk standing there and determined to joke again by asking if he was pleased now.
“I used to be blown up. I figured I’ll joke with him. I’ll joke again. And I stated, ‘Are you cheerful now?’”
Punk didn’t hear it as a joke. Owens stated Punk acquired offended, yelled at him and accused him of being disrespectful. Even years later, Owens admitted he might perceive how his tone might have come throughout the fallacious approach as a result of he was exhausted.
“He acquired very upset. He yelled at me and stated I used to be disrespectful and all these things. For what it’s price, if I had been in his place, possibly I’d have thought the identical.”
That alternate occurred in entrance of different wrestlers, which is an enormous purpose the story unfold so rapidly. By the following day, Owens stated the web model had already become one thing way more dramatic than what really went down.
“I ended up simply saying, ‘Okay, I’m sorry. You’re proper. I’m sorry.’ That was it. It was no massive deal. However the subsequent day on-line it was being reported we nearly got here to blows, which isn’t true.”
Owens additionally made it clear that he didn’t carry the incident round as some large grudge. By the point of that 2014 interview, he stated he knew Punk significantly better and considered the state of affairs as historic historical past.
“Now I do know Punk lots higher, and I feel he is aware of me lots higher too. Now it’s similar to a far factor. It’s prefer it by no means occurred, actually.”
That outdated story has all of a sudden grow to be related once more as a result of Punk and Owens are actually leaning onerous into their actual historical past on WWE tv. Their SmackDown confrontation felt private, and Owens has already referenced being humiliated by Punk in entrance of a locker room years in the past.
The precise ROH incident, based on Owens, was a lot less complicated: Punk made a joke, Owens tried to joke again, Punk took it as disrespect, phrases have been exchanged, Owens apologized and that was it. No struggle. No close to brawl. Only a backstage argument that grew to become a a lot larger story as soon as it hit the web. Now WWE has two veterans with a long time of historical past lastly working towards one another, they usually don’t need to invent a lot to make it really feel actual.
How a lot of Punk and Owens’ actual historical past do you assume WWE ought to carry into this feud? Tell us within the feedback.
Please credit score Ringside Information if you happen to use the above transcript in your publication.
