Kevin Owens and CM Punk have kickstarted a feud on WWE programming in 2026 with the WWE Championship on the road, with the 2 set to fulfill for the primary time ever in a WWE ring. Of their promos on Friday Night time SmackDown, some references have been made to their prolonged previous and legit hatred, which existed far earlier than their years in WWE. The total story was not explored on WWE programming, leaving followers maybe questioning why these two have such an intense, authentic-feeling hatred of each other. The story dates again all the best way to their respective days in Ring Of Honor.
Kevin Owens & CM Punk Each Wrestled In Ring Of Honor
- Ring Of Honor birthed many future WWE Champions.
- Owens & Punk are each former ROH Champions.
- They first crossed paths within the ROH promotion.
CM Punk debuted in Ring Of Honor again in 2002, rapidly catching hearth as one of the promising performers within the promotion, most partly due to a star-making feud with Raven. He would finally go on to win the ROH World Tag Staff Championships and ROH World Champion, additionally having an all-timer feud with Samoa Joe too. In 2005, Kevin Owens made his approach into the ROH promotion as a brand new up-and-comer.
On the time, Punk was not far off leaving ROH to turn out to be a WWE celebrity, the place he would go on to turn out to be a multi-time world champion, whereas Owens was simply new into his time within the skilled wrestling world. Though Owens would go on to turn out to be a serious participant in ROH after returning in 2007, happening to have all-timer feuds with El Generico and successful titles, issues bought off to a rocky begin for Owens, and all of it got here due to Punk.
CM Punk Allegedly Shouted At Kevin Owens For His Ring Apparel
- Owens has worn t-shirts to wrestle.
- Punk referred to as Owens disrespectful for wrestling in a t-shirt.
- Owens and Punk had a whole lot of points based mostly upon this.
Points started between CM Punk and Kevin Owens in 2005, and it got here due to Owens wrestling in a t-shirt. Owens’ physique kind is much like that of Mick Foley, who wrestled in a shirt, and he has at all times appeared extra comfy with this kind of ring put on. For Punk, who wrestled in tights and holds the historical past {of professional} wrestling near his coronary heart, was allegedly sad with Owens, shouting on the younger identify.
In an interview with Highspots in 2014, Owens delved into this situation, discussing his unique reserving in ROH when he spoke to Gabe Sapolsky about his apparel. Sapolsky didn’t like Owens wrestling in a t-shirt, with Owens then suggesting a singlet. He competed like this for a number of exhibits, earlier than then revealing that he merely requested straight as much as compete in a t-shirt, to which he bought the inexperienced gentle. Nevertheless, Punk took situation with this.
“Earlier than that present, I assume Punk heard of this and he actually had one thing towards a man wrestling in his t-shirt. Me and Punk weren’t associates or something, however we knew one another. It was superb. I assume he took exception to me wrestling within the shirt so he advised me earlier than the present to not put on the shirt. I had already determined that I wasn’t going to put on it however, you already know, when he advised me that, I’m like, ‘Oh, I positively shouldn’t put on the f*cking shirt.’ And I didn’t, and after I bought to the again after my match, I don’t know what occurred, man. I used to be blown up so perhaps it got here off actually impolite however I wasn’t making an attempt to be impolite. Punk was taking a look at me, and I checked out him and I mentioned, ‘Are you content now?’ I used to be actually simply making an attempt to child round with him however he actually took exception to that and reamed me out in entrance of the entire locker room about how disrespectful I used to be, and this and that.”
Kevin Owens Apologised To CM Punk However Pressure Remained
- Owens apologized to CM Punk after the incident.
- He made it clear that Punk shouldn’t be his good friend.
- Punk & Owens are feuding on WWE TV.
On this similar interview, Owens revealed that he apologized to Punk for making a snide remark, however this seemingly didn’t ease any points or result in a friendship. For example, Owens revealed to The Day by day Mail that they don’t seem to be associates.
“We by no means speak. We now have no purpose to speak. We’re not associates. We’re not, we don’t, you already know, we’re simply not, I don’t know. We now have no purpose to speak. If we work collectively, we are going to speak, however simply not a factor we do.”
Owens & Punk are each huge stars in WWE in the present day, and they’re every unimaginable at blurring the traces in rivalries. Their feud in WWE in 2026 can result in private promos, pressure, and good in-ring work, and it’s unlikely that points that have been current over twenty years in the past will come into play in the present day.
