'He's The Champ For A Reason' - CM Punk Surprisingly Praises Seth Rollins

CM Punk and Seth Rollins are embroiled in what feels like a never-ending feud that dates back to Punk's nine-year absence from the company. He left WWE in January 2014 after growing disillusioned with life in the promotion, but made a remarkable return at Survivor Series in November 2023.

Rollins, whom Punk had made digs at after leaving WWE, was one of the first to greet him on his return, and the pair have been enemies ever since, doing battle on RAW's Netflix debut in January. Their heated feud reached a fever pitch at SummerSlam when the Visionary cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Punk to become World Heavyweight Champion.

Punk is set to get his rematch in the form of a fatal four-way at Clash in Paris (August 31) that also involves LA Knight and Jey Uso. He hyped up that match and WWE's recent announcement that ESPN had acquired the rights to their premium live events.

The 46-year-old was as scathing as ever of his arch-rival but recalled their relationship by making some surprise admissions (via ESPN's First Take):

"Seth is somebody that I've known the entirety of his career. I could say a lot of really nice things about him, I don't really enjoy saying nice things about him. Hell of a competitor, he's the champ for a reason. I've been in his shoes before, cashing in Money in the Bank on somebody a lot of people wanna see as the champion."

Punk insisted that Rollins was just "another bump in the road", although there seems to be no dead end in sight between the pair. But the Second City Saint's rare praise speaks volumes of the respect he has for the reigning world champion despite their deep-rooted issues with one another.

Seth Rollins Would Rather Feel Pain Than Praise CM Punk

Seth Rollins hasn't always been a heel during his rivalry with CM Punk, as they were both babyfaces ahead of their WrestleMania 41 triple-threat main event. They went to war with one another and Roman Reigns on night one at MetLife Stadium, wit h Paul Heyman turning on Punk and Reigns and aligning with Rollins.

The 39-year-old was given the chance to say something positive about Punk when he appeared on the YouTube show 'Hot Ones' with wife Becky Lynch in February. He preferred to burn away and eat a hot wing, explaining:

"Here’s the thing about Punk. I’m sure there are some nice things to say about him. But this is a game of choice. I would rather suffer through this hot wing than say anything publicly nice about him. Yeah. This one’s for you, Punk. Well here’s one thing I’ll say [that’s] nice about him. He’s a man of conviction, and so am I."

Rollins and Punk's feud is unlikely to end at Clash in Paris, as you'd expect them to square off in singles competition to finally conclude their bitter rivalry. There is talk of having them face one another for the final time at Wrestlepalooza on September 20, should either win the world title in Paris.