CM Punk and Kevin Owens turned WWE SmackDown into a full-blown personal fight on August 14, bringing up nearly 20 years of bad blood ahead of their Undisputed WWE Championship match.
Owens said their issues started long before WWE, back when they were working the same independent promotion. Punk was already one of the top names while Owens was still trying to make a name for himself, and Owens accused Punk of embarrassing him in front of the locker room and treating people badly for years.
Owens then went after Punk’s WWE comeback, saying Punk only returned because he had burned bridges everywhere else. He made it clear that while other people may have forgiven Punk, he never did and still doesn’t respect him.
Punk fired back by questioning how far Owens would have gotten if Punk had been around during some of the biggest moments of his career. He also called Owens wasted potential and said Owens never put in the work to evolve the way Punk did.
Owens wasn’t buying any of it. He told Punk that he still sees the same guy he knew 20 years ago and accused him of hating what he sees when he looks in the mirror. Then things got even nastier.
Owens admitted he regrets never punching Punk backstage years ago, saying the only reason he didn’t was because Punk could have ruined his career at the time. Now, Owens says he finally gets the chance to beat Punk next week with the championship on the line. Punk ended the segment by promising that Owens will be looking up at him after he puts him to sleep.
This didn’t feel like a normal title match setup. Punk and Owens dragged old locker room issues, personal resentment and years of history into the open, making their upcoming championship match feel less about the belt and more about finally settling something that has been sitting there for two decades.
Who do you think came out looking stronger in the CM Punk and Kevin Owens SmackDown segment? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback in the comments.
