The Complete Timeline of Roman Reigns and CM Punk's WWE Rivalry—On and Off Screen
During the latest episode of WWE Raw, Roman Reigns revealed that he plans to challenge CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 42.
The 2026 men's Royal Rumble match was far from perfect, and many fans were disappointed with the outcome. After all, Reigns didn't need the accolade to headline The Show of Shows as he had received the highest honor six straight times without it.
Still, his storied history with Punk offers WWE a blockbuster matchup with plenty of material to build off of. The two have been linked for the past 12 years, and they just scratched the surface during their most recent segment together.
The promo, which has already generated 1.5 million views on YouTube, coincidentally took place in Philadelphia. Longtime viewers will remember it was the same city where Reigns won the Royal Rumble match for the first time in 2015, and got booed out of the Wells Fargo Center.
So, it's fitting that he returned to the City of Brotherly Love this time to confront the man he believes caused the fans to reject him a year prior. As we prepare for their long-awaited showdown, here's a complete timeline of their on and off-screen rivalry.
The Shield Debuts At Survivor Series 2012
1 of 5Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins debuted on the main roster as The Shield to help Punk retain his title at Survivor Series in 2012. The iconic trio attacked Ryback, took him out of the fray, and allowed The Second City Saint to pin John Cena.
The Shield continued to protect Punk for the remainder of the year because he and Paul Heyman paid them for their services. However, they eventually disassociated themselves and became the most dominant and pivotal WWE stable of the last decade.
All three members grew into major stars in their own right, but Reigns stood out and became one of the most prominent Superstars in the company's history. Punk later claimed The Shield was his idea, but he wanted his friend, Chris Hero, instead of the up-and-coming Samoan wrestler from NXT.
"I took the idea to Hunter," Punk said. "I took it to Vince, they agreed. Vince was immediately like 'who do you have in mind?' And I said, 'Ambrose, Rollins, Chris Hero, or Kassius Ohno.' Hunter shot down Hero. They wanted Roman Reigns. They came to me, and they were like, 'What about Leakee?'"
"I didn't. It wasn't my hill to die on. I said 'sure' because it made sense to me. Oh, they want their guy in; he's the pretty guy, but that's good because this guy can learn from working under me. The idea was they were supposed to be my group."
CM Punk On The Art of Wrestling Podcast in 2014
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That leads us to the most prominent point of contention in this rivalry, Punk's infamous appearance on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling podcast in 2014.
The Chicago native left WWE in January of the same year, and the company ultimately fired him on June 13, his wedding day. In November, Cabana released his first post-WWE interview, where he aired his grievances with management and told behind-the-scenes stories about several wrestlers.
The two-part podcast has since become one of the most influential and quoted pro wrestling interviews ever. It's where Punk's claim that The Shield was his idea originated, but more importantly, it's where the phrase "Make Roman look strong" came from.
Yes, the revelation that McMahon and Triple H wanted Reigns in The Shield over Hero drove home the point that he was their hand-picked guy. However, management's insistence that Punk must put him over as much as possible in their three-on-one handicap match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in 2013 was much more damaging.
Although his point seemed to be that he was frustrated with the micromanagement, the quote affirmed many fans' belief that Reigns' ascension was preordained. This, in turn, caused them to reject him and gravitate towards Daniel Bryan.
This is the podcast Reigns referenced on Raw when he said Punk made his life harder than it ever should've been. The second-generation star has expressed resentment towards him in multiple interviews since 2014.
CM Punk Returns To Wrestling in 2021
3 of 5After his WWE exit, Punk remained adamant that he was done with pro wrestling until his run with AEW in 2021.
When rumors of his return started to pick up, Reigns took a few shots at the 47-year-old during his interview with Ariel Helwani. "CM Punk wasn't as good or over as John Cena," he said. "He didn't move the needle like The Rock."
This quote also inspired a popular T-shirt, but the digs at Punk didn't stop there. The polarizing star said, "Tell me when I'm telling lies," during his return from injury on the Aug. 17, 2022 episode of AEW Dynamite. Two days later, Reigns cut one of his greatest promos to date, looked straight into the camera, and emphatically told Drew McIntyre, "You're lying."
It may have been just a hilarious coincidence, but the timing was enough to raise an eyebrow. Nevertheless, WWE's top star hasn't been shy about his disdain for the former AEW world champion since he turned heel.
CM Punk and Roman Reigns Team Up for Survivor Series: WarGames in 2024
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Punk shocked the world when he returned to WWE during the closing moments of Survivor Series: WarGames in 2023.
A moment that had seemed improbable came to fruition at Allstate Arena in his hometown of Chicago. Given his ties to Paul Heyman, fans knew it was only a matter of time before Punk and The Tribal Chief crossed paths.
On Nov. 22, 2024, Punk joined Reigns as the fifth member of his WarGames team in exchange for a favor from Heyman. The two managed to get along long enough to defeat The New Bloodline, led by Solo Sikoa, but they were right back at each other's necks following last year's men's Rumble.
At WrestleMania 41, they faced a common enemy in Seth Rollins in a Triple Threat match to close Night 1. It was a great way to whet our appetite, but the one-on-one bout is the real money match.
Tension Finally Boils Over in 2026
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Reigns teamed up with Punk and Cody Rhodes again last year at Survivor Series: WarGames to take on The Vision.
However, the three clearly weren't on the same page this time, as The Tribal Chief had his sights on championship gold again. As such, most of us assumed he would challenge Rhodes to a third encounter on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
The 40-year-old also hasn't shown much interest in the World Heavyweight Championship. Still, he took offense to Punk raising it behind his back as they walked up the ramp in November.
That seems to be the straw that broke the camel's back, as Reigns referenced it when he challenged the champ to one of the biggest matches of his career. When he said he hates Punk and always has, we believed him.
If you've been watching since his debut in 2012, you felt every bit of contempt for one of the last obstacles in a Hall of Fame run. Even more, you could sense his drive to finally silence the man who ignited a chorus of boos and hindered his greatness.
