Seth Rollins Shoots On CM Punk's WWE Return, Personal Issues | SI Media | Episode 472

WWE Superstar Seth Rollins joins SI Media With Jimmy Traina to discuss CM Punk's shocking return at Survivor Series and his viral reaction to the moment. The World Heavyweight Champion opens up about why he dislikes Punk and whether he will have any issues working with him.
Rollins also discusses whether the quest to end Roman Reigns' lengthy run as the Universal Champion is a talking point in the locker room, what his weekly travel schedule is like and his favorite Royal Rumble memories.
A diehard Bears fan, Rollins breaks down Chicago's season's and NFL draft possibilities, his wife Becky Lynch's recent appearance on "Celebrity Jeopardy!," and much more.
Listen to SI Media with Jimmy Traina: trib.al/S1KYl28
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[@jacqueslafleur5711]

seth is a pr goldmine for wwe. keeps kayfabe alive and lets the moments happen. great dude

[@bluebutterfly4296]

@@Heroesworkshopsince 2019 he’s been calling him out.

[@chriscaine1776]

​@@bluebutterfly4296they actually got into it in 2019 over the fact that seth wanted him to return😂

[@ashtonkusher433]

Definitely not a work

[@chriscaine1776]

@ashtonkusher433 its a work brother, they breifly had a falling out in 2019 over Punk not wanting to return and both said some not so great things publicly about one another, but they squashed that years ago.

[@1217rcc]

It's him being professional and its a work. You all got worked brothers and it's a good thing.

[@SuperMarcoPolo7]

Seth Rollins is your typical “company man” and CM Punk is the anti-establishment persona. Their rivalry is going to be very very interesting and I can’t wait. I haven’t watch wrestling in many many years and have no idea who the newer wrestlers are. For the first time in many years I’m interested in WWE again and it’s all thank to CM Punk.

[@xavierpark5937]

Cm punk is selfish , playing martyr man . And seth is loyal

[@whodatn4l948]

punk is not anti establishment anymore. He is the establishment. He bashed WWE multiple times then ran back to them with his tail between his legs when he wanted a quick cash grab

[@TestTackle]

@@xavierpark5937cool, thanks

[@kamfisher1714]

I bet you came to that conclusion september 2022 but never thought any of that years before. Typical.

[@natman2939]

This is definitely the most I’ve paid attention since Brock came back from the UFC. I’m mostly watching highlights on KZbin but I’m “this” close from actually watching a Monday night Raw I grew up watching but tuned out when attitude era ended

[@brianhopson2072]

This rivalry is going to be a beautiful thing for any wrestling fan.

[@BarryAllenBG]

Yepp

[@TheGarciaKidd]

I can't wait!!

[@JBeck33]

Yup. These guys may or may not have real animosity. But, this whole thing right now is a work. No doubt. And it’s going to pay off huge.

[@am_singh4525]

Crazy thing is I’ve always seen Seth Rollins as a CM punk clone lol. I can’t be the only one that thought the Monday night messiah gimmick was pretty much Preacher CM Punk from like 2009 lol

[@deaareonmorris6536]

This feud bout to be cinema.💯🍿

[@joeg4655]

Absolutely agree

[@eagle1984]

And were gonna be there when they meet face to face on Monday

[@AMPaul01]

Seth Rollins and CM Punk are my two favorite superstars of all time, this feud is gonna tear me apart 😂

[@deankay6680]

The fact that people are debating if Seth's reaction was a work or shoot is a massive success on WWE's part.

[@spencermcdonald1538]

CM Punk brought you into this world Seth and he can be the one to take you out.

[@KevinKrayden]

One interesting thing about a potential Seth/Punk feud is how his career and Punk’s are similar, up to a point of real divergence. They both had successful independent careers before going to WWE. Both were headstrong and set in their ways and told to change how they do things. The difference is that Seth “fell in line” and found success and Punk succeeded despite various forces working against him, all while figuratively banging his head against the wall for years until he got burned out and quit. Which road to success was wiser is debatable, but I tend to like Punk because he stayed true to himself. Still, I also admire Seth for making it work within the WWE system and finding success that way.

[@vlcthefish]

Seth has deep seeded issues with him because he was always in his shadow. -Punk hand picked him to come up from NXT for a stable to 'Shield' him. -Seth use to travel on Punk's bus when he started -They are both Midwest wrestlers who have heavy music as part of their persona(but Punk is first obviously) - Heck Seth is a massive Chicago sports fan and guess who else is a Chicago sports fan and actually lives there? Also CM Punk is a true Indie guy as he owns his name. Seth Rollins is a WWE developmental guy who got signed when his name was Tyler Black. Seth Rollins can never wrestle anywhere else with that name.

[@KevinKrayden]

@@vlcthefish hence why I’m looking forward to a possible feud between them. It’s already built in.

[@Vic_Chaos_]

@KevinKrayden that is a long way of saying Seth is a beta male, but okay.

[@InYourWalls101]

Seth vs Punk has the potential to be the greatest rivalry of both their careers, if only it started way back at maybe Summerslam so it could have an even longer build to Mania

[@jackhughes7637]

Not a chance for Punk. Rollins, without a doubt.

[@mikemayhem39]

@@jackhughes7637it could have the chance for punk too he could nail this whole thing with Rollins revive his career and make the company more money and show he’s changed, either way punks already done everything Rollins has and gave wwe the shield idea

[@jackhughes7637]

@@mikemayhem39 I simply meant that Punk's best feud won't be with a midcard level talent like Rollins imo

[@johnjacobo]

Punk vs reigns

[@jackhughes7637]

@@johnjacobo That's the money

[@1untamedbrain]

This actually made me a bigger fan of Seth. Great interview!

[@ibbixp3boy418]

Seth saying he found out at the time is an instant clue everything beyond is a work as it was reported the people who needed to know were told before the match

[@rw8185]

Anyone with a clinically functioning mind has understood it has been a work from the moment CM Punk was signed and from the second Rollins threw a tantrum at Surivor Series.

[@ibbixp3boy418]

​@@rw8185of course but just wanted to point that out

[@aidanwm7498]

Why is he someone who needed to know

[@dannysprinkle]

I'm sure all of them were told right before they went out for the match. You can tell all babyface guys in the ring basically turned towards the entrance leaning on the ropes, as if they were awaiting his music to hit and watching for him to walk out. It was genius for them to let the internet show the videos of his reaction, as it only adds to the story they will tell with them leading up towards WrestleMania. Seth spoke on one podcast about how Punk helped his career saying he wanted to end it on a positive note lol but he built all this just in case Punk ever came back (including all the WWE Backstage stuff too from a couple years back). Look forward to seeing the first time they are face to face going at it on the microphone. In kayfabe, Punk brought The Shield to the main roster - so will be a good story to tell with not only him and Seth, but also him and Roman whenever they decide to pull the trigger on that as well. Roman/Cody 2 and Seth/Punk will be great main events, wouldn't be surprised to see Priest cash in on the winner of Seth/Punk at Mania too.

[@sbz88]

The WrestleMania 40 match is gonna be legendary 🔥. Can't wait for January. The buildup is gonna be a lot of fun.

[@KevinKrayden]

I’m not a big Seth fan, but I’ll give credit where it’s due: the man is always working.

[@walterspencer7524]

Seth clearly loves this feud and is treating it like a new car.

[@joeyrodriguez7210]

He knows it’s good business

[@alejandro-ur5tr]

Slowly planting the seeds for probably one of the best rivalries in our lifetime

[@santiago4654]

Seth is a professional and he will make this the rivalry of 2024 so if the beef is real then this will make it 10x better

[@juniorstorm4807]

It’s a work. He’s willing to conduct business with Punk. He’s not answering questions directly just what he can say.

[@scottlondon8382]

You don't know that you nerd

[@samaragon2923]

Exactly, they been cooking this feud for years. Punk is the architect of The Shield. Rolling is returning the favor. Gonna be an insane feud

[@kkr434]

LOL CM PUNK IS WRITING SETH PROMO .HIS PROMO WILL BE MIX OF MJF,HANGMAN AND DEAN PROMO.

[@martophrenia]

Didn't expect the interview to be SO much in character)

[@Fuster_Cluck247]

This guy is a truly excellent interviewer, something that is underrated and becoming a lost art. He kept Seth (and the viewer) engaged throughout. Highly entertaining

[@TheStupidVizards]

Punk's got Seth talking like an actual human being, love it.

[@adamschroeder4722]

There is a zero percent chance they didn't tell everyone in that ring about cm punk before hand. He basically just gave away that it's a work.

[@ROCKETS2965]

Pretty sure everybody knew it was a work already... But they're playing it well enough that people are still willing to suspend disbelief.

[@BengalStal10015]

were you under the impression that it wasn't a work until now? Michael Cole restrained him lol

[@nyteowl8069]

And what nobody is talking about is Rollins needed Cole and Graves to hold him back?? That has work written all over it lol

[@joeyrodriguez7210]

It was reported that they were told right before they went out there for the match. He had to lie to make it seem like it wasn’t a work lol

[@Mayonnaisesucks730]

This whole situation got me back in to watching WWE, hoping for the best.

[@pablofr3scobar622]

1:53 cm punk talk

[@mitrisaosefh9610]

You dropped this 👑

[@electro5175]

legend

[@theboxingboy7422]

This feuds about to be a classic if they play it right and might even steal the show this year in the lead up to mania

[@joeyrodriguez7210]

Their promos are gonna be so good

[@kkr434]

@@joeyrodriguez7210 LOL CM PUNK IS WRITING SETH PROMO .HIS PROMO WILL BE MIX OF MJF,HANGMAN AND DEAN PROMO.

[@kkr434]

LOL CM PUNK IS WRITING SETH PROMO .HIS PROMO WILL BE MIX OF MJF,HANGMAN AND DEAN PROMO.

[@joeyrodriguez7210]

@@kkr434 no he’s not

[@kkr434]

@@joeyrodriguez7210 lol his promo is HANGMAN PAGE PROMO .WAIT UNTIL HE REACHES MJF

[@bradneyparle403]

No chance he wasn’t told before he came out.

[@vincentalvarado7058]

It's obvious they all were. You can see them start to line up and look at the titantron right before the static hits.

[@mikeb3963]

Or maybe he wasn't. I think cause you know wrestling is scripted, it's hard to believe anything to be real. And that's what WWE depends on.

[@MohamadMahmoud-vp6yf]

@@mikeb3963there are reports that mention how the talent in the match were told.

[@troystahmann8659]

@@mikeb3963he was told

[@quix99]

They all were

[@jordan12118]

This feud is gonna go crazy

[@officialmattmedia]

This interview will definitely be in their hype video card

[@molefeII]

4:58 Seth has been manifesting this

[@nadiahassan5307]

Seth’s side eye at “anywhere else” at 37:58 is so loaded 😂

[@jolesmusicofficial354]

Seth is a freakin genius. Amazing job at blurring the lines. With Punk and Roman. He makes it feel 100% reel and understandable. Chapeaux 🎩 Can‘t wait to see what happens in the upcoming months.

[@pratieklani9742]

punk & seth are A LOT alike than seth would want to admit, granted punk clears him on the mic, the same way seth does punk in the ring. but, there is still so much resemblance between the two, i get seth' gripe against punk but, these two i feel chemistry wise and all that jazz, would be a treat for the viewers the moment both of 'em are in the ring together.

[@pratieklani9742]

also, i fail to recall punk ever badmouthing seth in public, I am not sure what backstage issues they've had in the past but, outside of that? or am I missing something, y'all?

[@shaheenmall3923]

It’s all a work, but this feud nonetheless is gonna be cinema 💯🍿

[@carlogz]

Im sure that the fences has been mended already and they are good. Seth’s Kayfabe is amazing.

[@wrestlingfan4154]

I am down for punk and rollins

[@user-sx1vl2gn8v]

Respect love match ☝️☝️❤️❤️❤️

[@justinpaige2628]

I thought you was going to mention the Chris Benoit royal rumble when you said you might not be allowed to talk about this rumble moment 😂 I was pleasantly surprised that you mentioned Vince McMahon quad injury instead 😂

[@mo_musashi_284]

Both you guys have a lot history , so knock it out of the park with the feud.

[@punk0101]

Hard to choose between Rollins and Moxley when choosing both is not an option.

[@KlassikPoet]

History repeats itself….with WWE seemingly in its hottest period since The Attitude Era….Seth Rollins vs CM Punk may be it’s Bret/HBK rivalry, Survivor Series once again being a home to controversy

[@michaelyammine269]

This is why he is my Favorite

[@xypa-fr3yx]

Super stuff by Seth here.

[@molefeII]

9:58 I fully agree. Seth Rollins speaking 📠

[@bobsucks9647]

Man I’m really excited for this feud but I keep trying to come back and get into wwe but the episodes seem so dull now, maybe I’m just having bad luck and keep tuning in the weeks where there’s a boring episode? I’m so interested in this stuff and I love Sami and Kevin too it just feels like there’s 2 hours and 45 minutes of boredom and 15 minutes of good everytime I try to watch raw again. Gonna just keep up with this feud on KZbin I guess but it sucks because I really wanna watch the show it’s just not like it used to be when I was younger I guess

[@JellyGoat666]

Boom Boom 💥

[@molefeII]

Seth Freakin Rollins 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@jackedbyjade]

Its a work just as Shawn and Bret was the greatest work in the history of wrestling. Cant believe people still believe anything is real in wrestling and i love it still

[@cmdrdredd]

Nah Shawn and Bret had real beef and fought backstage for real. Bret was an old dog who couldn’t let go of his ego. He did the same thing he complained that Hogan did, not wanting to put someone over and trying to play politics. Clearly McMahon was tired of the games and wanted to move the company forward to a more youthful and over the top bunch of guys and Shawn was his ticket that direction.

[@rachelwalsh6116]

They have real beef but turning it into a work

[@DoctorMooCow]

work or not, he makes some good points

[@molefeII]

8:55 I fully agree

[@WWE2KUNIVERSEELITE]

Everybody buckle up this Seth vs CM Punk rivalry will be generational.

[@WooRidersDg]

Let me talk too ya yeahhhhhhh

[@GrayRedRoom]

It's a work, but it's gonna be a GREAT feud.

[@alesitercrimson24]

Rollins vs Punk at WrestleMania 40 is going to be the best match that weekend

[@gabet1075]

You remember when Sports Illustrated didn't report on kayfabe wrestling angles? Pepperidge Farms remembers...

[@RyanReacts4Ever]

I'm 43 and have been a wrestling fan for 33 years. This Punk vs Rollins feud is REAL. And it was started by ROLLINS. Seth Rollins is the villain of this story. Punk has enough ammo to use against Rollins. To last 3 different rivalries. Bad stuff he's done in his personal life. How he treats fans outside of wrestling. The d*** pics he sent to other women while in a relationship. (BEFORE BECKY) Not to mention he was the main reason why Dean Ambrose left WWE.

[@DanielM96]

Meltzer and Sean Ross Sapp both confirmed all the wrestlers were told he was coming out before the match.

[@Mushtaps]

Yeah because Meltzer is credible 😂

[@rachelwalsh6116]

Meltzler is not credible

[@KingGeorgieIII]

Seth really knows his football

[@FOLAY123456789]

This booking is genius

[@bryanreynolds7460]

Sometimes it takes walking away to find yourself. I think this run for punk will be different

[@terryalan4590]

So the colt cobana interview line was either a shoot or punk is now okay with colt cobana’s name and that situation being mentioned , when in aew he had a hissy fit over colt cobana

[@Bulletno]

Now you know why Vince chose Rollins over Moxley!

[@jackkelso4611]

Vince is no longer in charge of creative, now it's Triple H

[@Vic_Chaos_]

@Bulletno everyone knew why Vince chose Rollins over Ambrose. Ambrose made a point to show it every week after winning the WWE title until he left the WWE...

[@Eddieking]

Just a work

[@scullyplays3992]

No chance, there’s real beef there

[@shadowcolorado3668]

che guevara was a murdering racist marxist scumbag. He was a drain on the world.

[@rachelwalsh6116]

It both real and a work

[@Eddieking]

@@scullyplays3992 stop being a mark!

[@kyleitaliano9079]

The colt Combana podcast is what un did Cm Punk especially the stuff he mentioned about Ryback and Triple H

[@molefeII]

Seth is the best in the world

[@user-kc8ix4vs7q]

He's saying the same things -- "selfish" & all that -- for Cody too!I mean Seth has real life issues with Punk,but C'mon,of course Seth is playing his CHARACTER here & working a storyline with Punk.

[@troystahmann8659]

Seth has his career cuz of CM Punk. They been building towards this since 2019. Punk would have prolly returned to wwe ring that year if not for the pandemic.

[@markplstk]

If Jeopardy needs a ratings pop they need to book Seth, MJF and Osprey.

[@gregdebacker4998]

They wont doing a Monday night Raw on Christmas when are they doing it?

[@joeyrodriguez7210]

It’ll be pre-recorded

[@Madashell1200]

Nobody is better at nosing in and trying to steal thunder than Seth Rollins.

[@shikamondes4068]

Seth is keeping kayfabe alive.

[@RiceCooker-ge2te]

If Seth didn’t know Punk was returning why was he and Sami looking at the ramp after the match?

[@Joshua4658]

The KZbin tv stream lags on football I get spoilers from ESPN notifications

[@williambrannock9211]

I completely agree with Seth 💯💯

[@EazyBackAgain]

Seth loves working people

[@joelestrada997]

It can be the new Hbk vs Bret! DO IT!!

[@mychaeljones7526]

8:38 "Selfish"

[@just_nate_a]

baby go WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[@stanyeeast3508]

Even the term "shoot" has become a work

[@aryan0111]

Fans of that guy for whatever reason - Seth can't hide his frustration 😂

[@yungdrakodademn1379]

On god that’s why I love seth

[@stayhigh3659]

Seth rollins 🐐

[@theLGI93]

For some reason for me genuinely speaking it's like bitter sweet. Because CM Punk is a hero of mine! When i was a little 17 year old teenager kinda lost and insecure. It was around the same year Punk did his famous "pipe bomb" promo! And that inspired me so much to pursue my goals and ambitions in life and knowing my worth! And since that time CM Punk became a hero of mine! He was someone i looked up to and was the main reason i was still watching WWE at that time! Whe. He left in 2014 i kinda started to lose my interest in the product the only thing that kept me watching was the shield! And when the shield split i became a huge Rollins fan! I still to this day think that authority heel seth rollins was the best heel in the last decade! And please don't MJF me this or MJF me that 😅 i think MJF heel personna was based on a narcissistic Rich high school bully with childish insults and below the belt insults! That doesn't screem to me best heel in the business! However rollins authority run was purely amazing! So now with all the rumours that they might end up main eventing wrestlemania for the World Title against each other makes me so excited and interested in the WWE product again.

[@GassedFEIN]

Hope Seth and cm punk can put there differences aside

[@JOK3RC4RDx]

I still and will always believe Seth knew ahead of time and Roman definitely knew I think Cody probably even Randy knew as well you don’t think they would tell Randy in advance when it’s also his return that day as well Seth definitely was acting at the end and now he’s just keeping kayfabe and some people will actually believe it

[@Ryu_Shotokan]

This work is great, people actually believe it lol

[@johandianderas4059]

I know Cm punk is a topic that any interviewer can't let to ask to Seth Rollins, however, asking about that in the beginning of the interview doesn't look good, maybe you can ask first about his reign, feelings and currently things

[@walterspencer7524]

This feud will be the feud that interest people more than Cody vs Roman at wrestlemania 40.

[@Umz808]

I think they’ll mend the fence

[@uzi978]

I just don't know if I believe him... HHH said some of the people in the ring knew he was going to be there, they were told right before the match started, I find it hard to believe Seth wouldn't have been one of those people. And his reaction... just seemed so over the top, and he knows everyone is filming him with their phones.. from some of the fan videos, it looked like Michael Cole and Corey Graves intentionally met him in the front of the ring to "hold him back", and it's not like they could actually do it if he wanted to get up the ramp. The thing is, while Seth has said terrible things about Punk, he's also credited him with getting the Shield on the main roster, and giving Seth lots of advice when they first got brought up. He said in spite of all the bad stuff, he'd love to have a match with him someday. I think Seth is staying in character when it comes to CM Punk, he's going to continue to let you believe the hatred is real in order to sell the match. And it's something that's useful sometimes, totally keeping kayfabe on these podcasts. But I don't believe he didn't know until he heard his music, and that his reaction was an act, meant to build up the feud. I'm cool with it though, it's working!

[@marchofthewillows]

It’s a work. But that’s a good thing.

[@JessicaZane4realz]

Punk could whoop him with one hand tied behind his back.

[@Eddieking]

Mark

[@righteousrawb7225]

​@@Eddieking He's right tho

[@heavenschoppa]

he did , him roman and ambrose

[@TheGarciaKidd]

And THIS LADIES AND GENTLEMAN IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WWE AND AEW

[@rachelwalsh6116]

Punk dint assault the guys in wwe so they would work with hom

[@ThePc-DjHub]

It's a work brother

[@kikiki4592]

So emotional and real, had to get Big Badass Michael Cole to hold him back from killing Phil.

[@gregdebacker4998]

Love that Seth said he didn't know about CM Punk coming back until his music hit after HHH has already said the opposite

[@rachelwalsh6116]

Triple h literally said no one knew punk was returning except for him and khan. So he confirmed the reports that his return was last min

[@christopheraaron8299]

I kinda feel like Seth is guilty of many of the same things he criticizes Punk for. I think he's most afraid of losing his spot.

[@aidanwm7498]

Seth is trying to get cm punk in trouble with all his comments I hope punk keeps it professional and don’t scoot down to his level just take his championship

[@thezoneforonlyyou]

I have so much more respect for Rollins now, it's not like punk and Rollins were never in the ring before, I do hope that I do get to talk at some point and realize that if they do a WrestleMania match it will be massive, me personally, I'd still love to see Stone Cold versus CM punk, I suddenly get the vibe that CM punk versus Rollins at wrestlemania 40 would be like a Shawn Michaels Bret Hart type match, they had their differences so many years ago, yet they still put on an amazing match at wm 12.

[@Mushtaps]

I think Seth is working in general because he has past tweets about how great punk is

[@user-sv1mk8kl9h]

Kinda feel like Romans title doesn't even matter anymore. Or who wins it. World feels more important

[@Am0ment0fB]

Now sports illustrated using the term shoot? I miss wrestling so much. Ha.

[@remelretes360]

Bret vs Michaels new version

[@vLogiicXBL]

Work or not Seth is the absolute biggest hypocrite calling someone else selfish.

[@rachelwalsh6116]

How as seth never left wwe and trashed wrestlling to then return to the place he trashed

[@lilbill15]

Get that money Seth you’ve been holding it down you better represent

[@brianwhitt5331]

Tell em how you really feel seth