WWE is a big stage where friends are made as tag teams, and enemies are created when a wrestler challenges someone to a world title championship, bringing plenty of rivalry to keep fans entertained.
While not exactly a rivalry, there was a lot of bad blood between Seth Rollins and CM Punk in the past, and with his return to WWE in 2023, it only became more apparent. So, why does Seth Rollins hate CM Punk so much that he referred to him as ‘cancer?’
Seth Rollins, the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, hates CM Punk because back when The Shield was established, CM Punk allegedly wanted them to help him alone since he was the mastermind behind the group’s formation. As Seth Rollins claims, CM Punk only thought about himself without giving anything back to them.
Explained: The Beef Between Seth Rollins and CM Punk
If you’ve been watching WWE since the late 2000s, then you should be aware that CM Punk was one of the best wrestlers of that time, and The Shield, which emerged in 2012, was also heavily influential.
In fact, it gave WWE three of the most prominent wrestlers: Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose. However, later, it was revealed that CM Punk was the one who came up with the idea of establishing The Shield.
So, The Shield team must be seeing CM Punk as their leader, but even after disbanding, Seth Rollins seems not to be a fan of him. Moreover, when CM Punk made his spectacular return in WWE Survivor Games: WarGames after being fired from AEW, Rollins expressed hate towards him.
What could have possibly happened between the two that left the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion hating the returning WWE legend? To determine it, we need to go back to the days of The Shield.
The Shield was formed in 2012 as a group that brought justice to the world of WWE, but only later was it revealed that CM Punk was the one who came up with the idea and put them together.
That said, according to Seth Rollins, CM Punk intended to use The Shield as a way to make himself a more dominating WWE Champion, but it backfired when WWE wanted them to remain individual young talents.
Obviously, that didn’t sit well with CM Punk, and eventually, the members of The Shield came to realize that his ambition was not right, so a feud broke out between them.
Following his return to WWE yesterday after a nine-year-long hiatus, Seth Rollins commented on why he despises the former WWE Champion. In his words,
“Oh, Philly Phil. Stay away. Stay away, you cancer. Get away from me forever. I don’t like Phil. I don’t like Phil. He’s a jerk. Did we just figure that out? I don’t want him back. Go do something else. See you later.”
In another interview with Fox Sports Radio long ago, Rollins even commented on how the beef started between them. Here’s what he said,
“It’s always been about him. He has always taken and taken. He has never returned anything. I am not a fan. He has a lot to give back.”
So, do you believe CM Punk and Seth Rollins will finally face each other and settle their beef inside the ring? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
