There were a lot of reasons to watch the last WWE SmackDown before the 2025 Royal Rumble. One of them was the face off between Kevin Owens and CM Punk. It’s a moment that professional wrestling fans have wanted for years. Even before the two men stepped foot in WWE decades ago. Their animosity dates back to their time in Ring of Honor, and this is a potentially huge feud that WWE must book in the near future.
The minute CM Punk’s music hit while Owens was in the ring, wrestling fans knew this would be a special moment. Yes, this and every other moment in the business, is as scripted as they can go. But those in the know hoped that Punk and Owens would trade shots at each other in a way that would drum up feelings from years and years ago. And that’s exactly what they did.
Back in Ring of Honor, there was a moment in which Punk openly insulted Owens’s look and that he wrestled in a T-shirt. As what tends to happen in wrestling, that would escalate to online jokes and more within the fans that would follow Owens around for much of his career. But what did Owens do with that? He became one of the best wrestlers in the world today. An individual who could carry a promotion if given the opportunity to do so.
CM Punk versus Kevin Owens is one of those feuds that would “feed families” as they say in the entertainment business. Punk and Owens are two of the best talkers in professional wrestling. They can evoke emotions in a way that few can. That’s a priceless skill that is necessary at this level for both aspects of sports entertainment and professional wrestling.
Couple that with the fact that both men can work when the bell rings. Punk may not be in the physical shape that he was in his prime, but he is still committed to going out and wrestling like every big match is his last. He’s done that to varying levels of success during this run across both WWE and AEW and has put on some great matches. Owens can carry anyone. He welcomed Stone Cold Steve Austin back after 19 years away from the business, and that was a fun match and beloved for headline WrestleMania. If he can carry Austinn, he and Punk should have a masterpiece.
WWE has missed out on booking several big feuds throughout the years. Triple H’s slow burn approach makes it seem like he may miss out on a few as well. But he can’t miss with Kevin Owens versus CM Punk. This is one that must happen for the business.