Why Did CM Punk & Kevin Owens Have Legit Heat?
Kevin Owens and CM Punk have kickstarted a feud on WWE programming in 2026 with the WWE Championship on the line, with the two set to meet for the first time ever in a WWE ring. In their promos on Friday Night SmackDown, some references have been made to their lengthy past and legit hatred, which existed far before their years in WWE. The full story was not explored on WWE programming, leaving fans perhaps questioning why these two have such an intense, authentic-feeling hatred of one another. The story dates back all the way to their respective days in Ring Of Honor.
Kevin Owens & CM Punk Both Wrestled In Ring Of Honor
- Ring Of Honor birthed many future WWE Champions.
- Owens & Punk are both former ROH Champions.
- They first crossed paths in the ROH promotion.
CM Punk debuted in Ring Of Honor back in 2002, quickly catching fire as one of the most promising performers in the promotion, most in part thanks to a star-making feud with Raven. He would eventually go on to win the ROH World Tag Team Championships and ROH World Champion, also having an all-timer feud with Samoa Joe too. In 2005, Kevin Owens made his way into the ROH promotion as a new up-and-comer.
At the time, Punk was not far off leaving ROH to become a WWE superstar, where he would go on to become a multi-time world champion, whereas Owens was just new into his time in the professional wrestling world. Although Owens would go on to become a major player in ROH after returning in 2007, going on to have all-timer feuds with El Generico and winning titles, things got off to a rocky start for Owens, and it all came thanks to Punk.
CM Punk Allegedly Shouted At Kevin Owens For His Ring Attire
- Owens has worn t-shirts to wrestle.
- Punk called Owens disrespectful for wrestling in a t-shirt.
- Owens and Punk had a lot of issues based upon this.
Issues began between CM Punk and Kevin Owens in 2005, and it came thanks to Owens wrestling in a t-shirt. Owens’ body type is similar to that of Mick Foley, who wrestled in a shirt, and he has always looked more comfortable with this sort of ring wear. For Punk, who wrestled in tights and holds the history of professional wrestling close to his heart, was allegedly unhappy with Owens, shouting at the young name.
In an interview with Highspots in 2014, Owens delved into this issue, discussing his original booking in ROH when he spoke to Gabe Sapolsky about his attire. Sapolsky didn’t like Owens wrestling in a t-shirt, with Owens then suggesting a singlet. He competed like this for a few shows, before then revealing that he simply asked straight up to compete in a t-shirt, to which he got the green light. However, Punk took issue with this.
“Before that show, I guess Punk heard of this and he really had something against a guy wrestling in his t-shirt. Me and Punk weren’t friends or anything, but we knew each other. It was fine. I guess he took exception to me wrestling in the shirt so he told me before the show not to wear the shirt. I had already decided that I wasn’t going to wear it but, you know, when he told me that, I’m like, ‘Oh, I definitely shouldn’t wear the f*cking shirt.’ And I didn’t, and when I got to the back after my match, I don’t know what happened, man. I was blown up so maybe it came off really rude but I wasn’t trying to be rude. Punk was looking at me, and I looked at him and I said, ‘Are you happy now?’ I was really just trying to kid around with him but he really took exception to that and reamed me out in front of the whole locker room about how disrespectful I was, and this and that.”
Kevin Owens Apologised To CM Punk But Tension Remained
- Owens apologized to CM Punk after the incident.
- He made it clear that Punk is not his friend.
- Punk & Owens are feuding on WWE TV.
In this same interview, Owens revealed that he apologized to Punk for making a snide comment, but this seemingly didn’t ease any issues or lead to a friendship. For instance, Owens revealed to The Daily Mail that they are not friends.
“We never talk. We have no reason to talk. We’re not friends. We’re not, we don’t, you know, we’re just not, I don’t know. We have no reason to talk. If we work together, we will talk, but just not a thing we do.”
Owens & Punk are both big stars in WWE today, and they are each incredible at blurring the lines in rivalries. Their feud in WWE in 2026 can lead to personal promos, tension, and brilliant in-ring work, and it is unlikely that issues that were present over twenty years ago will come into play today.
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