Seth Rollins and CM Punk took their war of words personal during the main event segment of WWE Raw. Monday’s show saw Rollins come to the ring in the final segment and cut a promo talking about how their match next week is ten years in the making and will be the “self-proclained Best in the World versus the real Best in the World.” Rollins said that the week after, he would still be there and would show up week after week, while Punk might cry and take his ball to go home for 10 more years.
That brought Punk to the ring and he called that “the most industry plant, cliche bootlicker line” he had ever heard. He asked who originally said that and asked if “Stone Cold” Steve Austin or Becky Lynch took their balls and went home. He said that he has no regrets about what he did and Rollins just wanted to cry because Punk abandoned him. He said they both made their choices and he doesn’t want to talk about the last 10 years. He asked how Seth’s neck, knee, and insides were, and pointed out that Rollins didn’t get revenge on Bronson Reed but Punk broke Reed’s ankle at WarGames. He said he was going to make money turning Rollins into a victim and called him “little brother.”
Rollins said that line wouldn’t work on him and said the difference between Punk and the rest was that Lynch and Austin did actually leave. He said Punk wanted WWE to die and tore it down on Colt Cabana’s podcast, and tore WWE down every chance he got. And then he took money to join the competition, asking, “How’d that work out for you?” He said he never felt back about what he did, he stayed because that’s how revolutions were made and not by cowards who abandoned their families. He says they won the war and Punk wants to come in and wave the flag, but he wouldn’t allow it. He said Punk will take 10 years off after next week because he’ll make him do so.
Punk said that you can recognize the pioneers by the arrows on their back and that was him, and that Rollins wouldn’t be here without him. Punk said he loved where he worked but he hated the man in charge, who loved Rollins. He said that Rollins should have had his back but shot arrows in it, and then stabbed Roman Reigns in the back and was now “dressed like an idiot” trying to make a name for himself. He said that he was eventually able to pull the arrows out and heal, and he came back because they chanted his name for seven years, mostly during Rollins’ time on screen. Punk said he should be dead but isn’t, and the arrow throwers are mad.
Rollins countered that Punk has become a cancer to everyone in the locker room and in his brain, and to the business. And cancer doesn’t cure itself, you have to cut it out and that was what he was going to do.