Triple H Explains How His Broken Relationship With CM Punk Was Finally Fixed

CM Punk shocked the wrestling world by making his triumphant return to WWE back in November 2023 at the Survivor Series event. Since then, he has been getting along well with Triple H, and now Triple H has shared how their relationship improved, especially after CM Punk returned to WWE.

While speaking to High Performance, Triple H talked about how things have changed between him and CM Punk since Punk returned to WWE. In the past, they didn’t get along and had bad communication.

There were times they tried to fix things, but it didn’t work. Triple H said that years ago, if someone asked him to sit in a room and work with CM Punk, he would’ve hated the idea, but now, he actually enjoys it and looks forward to it.

“When he came back, he and I had a phone call, and I meant it when I said this to him—because there had been moments in time where we’d tried to reconnect. I think a lot of our disagreements over the years came down to just bad communication with each other. There was a real dislike between us.

Advertising

Advertising

Ten, twelve years ago, if you had said, ‘Hey, I need you to sit in a room with CM Punk for an hour and collaborate with him,’ I’d have been like, ‘Ugh, I’d rather pull my own teeth out,’ right? Now I’m like, ‘Oh, that’d be awesome. He’s gonna be here tomorrow? Love it.’ Now, riffing ideas with him—it’s the best.”

When CM Punk was coming back, they had a phone call. Triple H told him that if they were going to work together again, they had to let go of all the past issues. He said he’s not the same person he was 10 years ago, and if he hadn’t changed, then he wasted 10 years of his life. He hoped Punk had also changed, because if not, then Punk wasted his time too.

“So when this return of his started coming together, we got on the phone, and one of the first things I said to him—because I still felt like there was some underlying mistrust—was this:

To me, if this is gonna work, we have to lose everything else. I’m a different person than I was ten years ago when you were here. And if I’m not, then I’ve wasted ten years of my life. I’m hoping you’re a different person too. If you’re not, then you’ve wasted yours.'”

Triple H also shared a story about a moment after Punk came back. Punk didn’t like a creative idea that was given to him. Triple H heard about it and went to talk to Punk. At first, Punk acted like everything was fine, but Triple H told him to be honest. Punk then explained what he didn’t like, and they sat down to work on a better idea together.

That conversation was a big step forward for their relationship. Since then, Triple H said he really enjoys working with Punk. He said they both see the wrestling business in a similar way, and coming up with ideas together is now one of his favorite parts of the job.

“We’ve had a couple of moments since his return. There was one time when he was coming back, and they had told him something creatively, and then they told me, ‘He doesn’t like this.’ I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll talk to him.’

I went to talk to him and said, ‘What’s going on?’ I told him the creative, and he was like, ‘It’s good, whatever.’ And I said, ‘I know you don’t like it—everyone told me—so let’s just be open.’

So then he started explaining what he didn’t like about it, and I said, ‘Okay, let’s sit down and talk about it. Let’s come up with something good.’ That moment was a paradigm shift for us, relationship-wise.

And now, part of—well, it’s funny for me to even say this—but sitting down and being collaborative with CM Punk is one of my favorite things at TV. Because at the end of the day, he shares a very similar view of the business as I do.”

What used to be a rocky relationship is now a strong and cooperative one. Triple H has changed his leadership style, and CM Punk’s return shows better communication and respect between them. For WWE fans, this behind-the-scenes change makes Punk’s return even more exciting and special and they couldn’t ask for anything more.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.

What do you think about CM Punk and Triple H finally reconciling? Do you think their renewed partnership will lead to something historic in WWE? Share your thoughts in the comments below—we’d love to hear your take!