Mick Foley Claims CM Punk Was Upset About WWE WrestleMania 29 Match With Undertaker

There were a number of factors that contributed to CM Punk's exit from WWE in 2014, but one thing that at least bothered Punk about his WWE tenure was never having had the chance to headline WrestleMania. The closest he got was heading into WrestleMania 29 armed with a 434-day reign as WWE Champion. However, the John Cena vs. The Rock rematch was slotted for the main event, and Punk would have to settle for challenging The Undertaker's still-alive WrestleMania streak in the undercard. On the most recent episode of his podcast "Foley is Pod," Mick Foley spoke about Punk's issues facing The Undertaker in this spot and his disappointment with not getting that main event recognition. 

"And I told him. I said, 'Phil, you decide the main event. The fans decide.' I think Edge and I [at WrestleMania 22] had a right to say we had the match of the night in 2006 and by no means, shape, or form were we advertised as the main event," Foley explained, offering that he was pretty tight with Punk at the time. "You go out there, and you try to steal the show. And in wrestling and life, we do get to decide what our own great moments are. And so I think if Phil would've been able to do that, he would've been happier."

After leaving behind the wrestling industry for several years following his tumultuous departure from WWE, Punk resurfaced in AEW in 2021. But, according to Foley, he believes that if Punk had viewed his WrestleMania match with The Undertaker through a different lens, he'd still be wrestling on television today, likely with WWE. From Foley's point of view, if Punk could find happiness being the top name on the secondary pay-per-views WWE puts on, then he should have been able to find some degree of satisfaction in having the match of the night at WrestleMania over the main event. He thought it was a shame Punk couldn't get to that headspace.