Seth Rollins Opens Up About Reaction To CM Punk's Return At WWE Survivor Series 2023

On Friday's "WWE SmackDown," CM Punk called out Seth Rollins without ever mentioning his name, referring to the World Heavyweight Champion as "the one bad apple" not happy to see him back in WWE and saying that "he's not even "The Man" in his own household." The promo seemed to further set up the inevitable rivalry between Rollins and Punk, which many believe will culminate with a match at WrestleMania 40.

Unlike Punk, however, Rollins has been a lot more direct in his criticisms of "The Second City Savior," labeling the Chicago native "a cancer" and "a jerk" even before his WWE return. Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Rollins doubled down on his disdain for Punk when asked to comment on the former WWE Champion's comeback at Survivor Series. Rollins claimed he was just as shocked as fans when "Cult of Personality" blared through the speakers at Allstate Arena, suggesting he was not kept in the loop by WWE management.

"Upon reflection, it's easy to understand why something like that will be kept as close to the vest as possible," Rollins said of Punk's return. "I understand why very few people knew what was going on that day, but in the moment, I was extremely emotional." Rollins let out those emotions in real-time by reacting furiously to Punk's return, adding more credence to their alleged real-life heat. "It was a very raw, real, and emotional response," Rollins clarified. "Did I go too far? Maybe. But it was what it was, and I can't take it back."

Now that it's been a few weeks since hell froze over, has Rollins eased into the idea of sharing a locker room with Punk? "Everyone knows how I feel about CM Punk," Rollins responded. "Nothing has changed in that regard, and in that moment, I was extremely emotional. I usually don't get that worked up about much, but you caught me off guard, and there was a lot of real emotion there, so that's probably as much I can say without going too far."

In the heat of the moment at Survivor Series, Rollins let obscenities fly, something he regrets, as he considers himself a role model to younger members of the WWE Universe. "I wish I handled myself with a bit more composure, but I can't take it back," he admitted. "All I can do is apologize to our younger audience and their families if I offended anybody."

Rollins conceded that his spontaneous reaction was rooted in the fact that WWE allowed Punk to return despite his acrimonious exit a decade ago. "I've been with WWE for over 10 years now, so nothing kinda surprises me anymore. I heard rumblings, obviously, and look, surprises are great, especially in the age of social media where everything is spoiled. That wasn't a very nice surprise for me, but it was for a lot of people who are fans of that guy — for whatever reason. And so, it was mostly just, 'Oh man, this is what we to deal with now.' It was an emotional reaction to that compounded with the adrenaline of what we just experienced inside the double cage in WarGames." Rollins' claim to have been kept in the dark about Punk's return lines up with some reports that suggested most WWE Superstars were not made aware of Punk's arrival.