Shooting Holes Through a Potential Dream Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk WWE Match

How fast do things change in WWE? 

Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk is now potentially in dream-match territory. 

That's funny for almost an endless amount of reasons. Punk and Reigns brushed shoulders plenty in the past, and the idea of a Punk return to do the same again with the same old Reigns wouldn't exactly drive ratings up and put butts in virtual seats. 

But now Reigns is WWE's most dominant heel and arguably doing some of the best work of his career. 

Oh, and he's the one who brought up Punk in an interview with Complex: 

Reigns was just trying to illustrate the point that he'd work with pretty much anyone, and it's hard not to mention Punk when talking about the modern greats who were so, so popular with fans. 

But boy, if this part doesn't stick out: "If you've watched wrestling for the last 10-15 years and it's in your blood, then you probably have some kind of feelings about that guy. I know I do. Just by doing one of these things, he made my job a lot harder five, 10 years ago."

By now, most fans know about Punk's infamous podcast appearance around the time he walked away from wrestling. Reigns himself took a few strays in that interview while Punk was talking about WWE's booking decisions and the extent at which he had to put over The Shield, and specifically Reigns.

And the story from here would seem to write itself. Should Punk return, his standing as the babyface who wants to put down the heel, rampaging Reigns—don't forget the inclusion of Paul Heyman in this—would work well. 

Or maybe even better, they're both heel and Reigns wants to brutalize the returning hero fans adore, both as a means to get back at him for making his life hell over the last five or so years, and as a means to keep Heyman in line. 

That second option might be the best simply because it blurs the lines of reality so well. Punk's comments on his podcast had a serious real-world impact on Reigns. While Punk was out and Reigns was positioned as the top guy in WWE, fan reaction in part definitely had to do with those comments. That small insight Punk was trying to detail in a candid manner was something the online community, especially, seemed to run with, and paired with forceful booking, it didn't help Reigns in the slightest. 

But there's a problem: Even those ideas aren't all that exciting anymore. 

Punk missed his window—and even fans that have clamored for his return and fantasy booked him into endless Royal Rumbles and everything else would probably agree. The static hitting now and his marching down to the ring would be fun, don't get it twisted, but it wouldn't be as impactful anymore—and that's not even taking into the account the whole scenario would be ruined right now without fully packed stadiums there to celebrate his return. 

And compounding the issue is Reigns himself. This new Reigns is one of the most refreshing things to hit WWE in a long, long time. He's perfect as a heel, so much so he's probably even exceeded the wildest expectations of fans who fantasy booked the heel turn in their heads. If fans were thinking of the perfect Reigns-heel run...this was it. 

Which means all of Reigns' old feuds would be revitalized with a new feel. A Reigns-Bray Wyatt re-encounter just wouldn't feel the same now, as it would be more interesting than ever. That goes for pretty much anyone he's ever faced, from Braun Strowman right on down the rest of the list. 

That's another way of saying a Reigns-Punk showdown wouldn't feel necessary. If anything, it might even feel forced. It seems pretty clear right now as Reigns brutalizes his own family members that he could be headed for a big encounter with The Rock, which given the family storyline, is about one thousand times more appetizing. 

This doesn't mean a year or two from now—after Reigns has really done his damage to the good guys on the roster and had what projects to be a historic run—fans wouldn't welcome a Punk return as a fun opponent. But even when fans start fully packing arenas again, a bout with Brock Lesnar, plus the Heyman wrinkle, seems like a better idea. 

But as they say in the wrestling business especially, never say never. Reigns himself has brought it up now and is clearly willing to make it happen, and to say stranger things have happened in 2020 would be a Strowman-sized understatement. 

For now, though, injecting Punk of all people into Reigns' way, even if he's the one who brought it up, is an idea littered with holes.