CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns Is the Story the Bloodline Saga Deserves on WWE SmackDown

"A wise man once told me," CM Punk said Monday night on Raw during his first appearance on the WWE flagship show in nearly a decade.

It was a seemingly innocent reference until he mentioned the "Wise Man" a second time.

No longer was it a phrase used by happenstance but rather one woven into an otherwise uneventful return promo that sowed the seeds for what is to come.

It was a reference to Paul Heyman, a hugely influential figure in Punk's career, and a declaration of intent to combat Roman Reigns sooner rather than later.

The match would not only place two of the biggest stars in the industry on a collision course but also provide a story befitting the Bloodline saga.

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Built on History

Punk is a self-professed "Paul Heyman Guy."

He said as much in his infamous pipe-bomb promo on the June 27, 2011 episode of Raw.

Their relationship dates back further than that, to 2005 and Punk's arrival in Ohio Valley Wrestling, one of WWE's developmental territories, where Heyman had taken over as booker and show-runner.

They forged a relationship then that carried over to the main roster when The Wise Man tapped The Straight Edge Superstar to be the face of the newly relaunched ECW, as revealed in the 2012 WWE Home Video release, CM Punk: Best in the World.

History tells us how well that went, but the two revised their friendship in the summer of 2012 when Punk turned heel and brought Heyman on board to be his unofficial advocate. It was a match made in heaven, with the godfather of extreme adding a new element to The Best in the World's character and presentation.

Then, Heyman dropped Punk the moment the former WWE champion suggested he did not need him. The insulted Wise Man returned to the side of Brock Lesnar.

And therein lies the motivation for the Punk vs. Reigns feud.

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A Word of Warning Turns Prophetic

The best part of a proposed Punk vs. Reigns match is that the story does not dictate there be a championship at stake, so WWE could hold off on booking that main event for after WrestleMania 40, where Cody Rhodes will likely defeat The Tribal Chief and end his historic run as undisputed WWE universal champion.

If the company decides it wants to strike while the iron is hot and do Punk vs. Reigns, perhaps at the Royal Rumble in January, it can.

Either way, the story centers on the idea that The Second City Saint has lived what Reigns is living right now. Attitude change, historic title run, Heyman by his side for all of it, advising him on what steps to take...it's almost a mirror image of a run that feels like a lifetime ago.

He knows what The Wise Man is doing, how manipulative and self-serving he can be, and he can warn Reigns that his downfall will be swift and merciless.

The heel, true to his character's unbridled hubris, will refuse to hear it and ultimately talk his way into a match with Punk.

If he's still the champion, he puts the title on the line; if not, the selling point is that another loss for Reigns will be the emphasis for Heyman betraying him in favor of another meal ticket. Should that not be enough of a selling point, there is real animosity between Punk and The Tribal Chief that the two can draw from.

Reigns revealed in a 2021 interview on the Load Management podcast that Punk made it difficult to work with him early in The Shield's run but said that if there is an interesting story to tell and the fans can get into it, he would be down to do business.

It just so happens that there is an interesting story and it would be nearly impossible to imagine a scenario where fans would not be champing at the bit to see two of the biggest stars in the history of professional wrestling do battle on a grand stage.

It fits into the Bloodline saga, which has seen Reigns rise to power while surrounded by his family, "Honorary Uce" Sami Zayn and Heyman, only to see Jey and Zayn depart after bitter splits amid an ominous warning from Cody Rhodes that he would soon be a "chief without a tribe."

Punk being the guy to cause the split between Heyman and Reigns, either by revealing himself to be in cahoots with his former friend or by dealing the heel a loss that leads The Wise Man to realize he needs to do business elsewhere, would be an apropos latest chapter.

For an overarching storyline that has prided itself on getting the details right, the fact that Punk is right there and has a rich history with both Heyman and Reigns, it's a chapter fans deserve and the saga as a whole can benefit from.