Kevin Owens and CM Punk are supposed to wait until Friday Night SmackDown to settle their issues, but apparently WWE is already having trouble keeping them apart. Owens showed up at the Performance Center ahead of tonight’s NXT, only to find himself being told he needed to get out before Punk arrived.
Before NXT, Owens took to Twitter and uploaded a video of himself confronting Shawn Michaels backstage at the WWE Performance Center. Owens wanted Michaels to explain on camera exactly why he was being asked to leave.
“Tell him what’s happening, Shawn. WWE loves social media, so why don’t we put it out there?”
Michaels attempted to explain the situation, but he barely got started, saying, “The reality is…” Owens quickly cut him off and revealed that he was only at the Performance Center because he needed medical treatment on his shoulders.
“The reality is I’m here to get medical treatment on my shoulders, and you’re telling me I have to leave?”
Michaels apparently didn’t see why the treatment needed to happen on this particular day, especially with Punk also scheduled to be at the building.
“You could’ve picked any other day of the week.”
That was enough for Owens to call out what he believed was really happening. Punk was on his way to NXT for his championship match against Grayson Waller, and Owens wanted Michaels to admit that was why he was being kicked out.
“So you’re kicking me out because CM Punk is about to get here for the NXT title match?”
Michaels didn’t exactly deny it. Instead, he pointed to the obvious problem WWE would have if Punk and Owens crossed paths before Friday, as he said, “My understanding is you two cannot coexist.” Owens had a pretty simple solution for that — make Punk wait somewhere else.
“So tell him to stay in the parking lot!”
Michaels still wasn’t budging. He told Owens that coming back for treatment on another day wouldn’t be a problem.
“Any other day you can do this, I won’t have any problem.”
That really set Owens off. He sarcastically wondered whether he now needed Punk’s permission before scheduling treatment at the Performance Center.
“Are you sure I don’t need to check the schedule with CM Punk? Does CM Punk tell you when you treat people? Holy sh*t, man.”
The timing makes the whole thing even messier. Punk is challenging Grayson Waller for the NXT Championship tonight before turning his attention to Owens on Friday Night SmackDown, where the two are scheduled to square off.
For now, Michaels seems determined to make sure that fight doesn’t happen early. Owens only showed up looking to get his shoulders treated, but Punk being on the way was apparently enough for WWE to decide one of them needed to go — and Owens was pretty damn annoyed that it had to be him.
Do you think Kevin Owens will actually stay away from CM Punk tonight, or could this Performance Center drama be setting up an early confrontation before SmackDown? Let us know what you think in the comments.
