CM Punk Weighs in on Seth Rollins Using His Daughter as a Ruse to Win the World Heavyweight Title at SummerSlam

CM Punk shoots on Seth Rollins for involving his family in his masterplan to fake knee injury and win the world title at SummerSlam 2025.

CM Punk Weighs in on Seth Rollins Using His Daughter as a Ruse to Win the World Heavyweight Title at SummerSlam

CM Punk and Seth Rollins at SummerSlam (via WWE and Becky Lynch's Instagram)

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Seth Rollins has been a constant thorn in CM Punk’s side ever since Punk made his shocking return to WWE at Survivor Series 2023. Footage from that night showed Rollins completely losing his cool as Punk walked out in his hometown of Chicago after nearly a decade away. Since then, Rollins has made it his mission to keep Punk from holding gold and to make sure he is never comfortable.

Whether it was headlining Raw’s Netflix premiere or main-eventing Night 1 of WrestleMania 41, the two have delivered magic every time they have crossed paths. But their rivalry hit a boiling point at SummerSlam, where Rollins pulled off one of the year’s most shocking moments. On Night 1, Punk endured a grueling 30-minute war with Gunther, winning the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in 12 years. His celebration, however, was cut short. 

Rollins, who had been faking a right knee injury for weeks, even posting videos of himself on crutches with his daughter Roux and wife Becky Lynch on social media as a distraction, cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and stole the title to close the show. Speaking on ESPN’s First Take, Punk opened up about the betrayal and the brutal night he endured.

I got the absolute dog cr*p beat out of me by Gunther. Not an enjoyable experience. You wind up not beating him, but surviving Gunther, and now I’m the champion for the first time in 12 years, and I think I’ve made it back to the top of the mountain, and here comes old tiny tim limping out on his crutches. Turns out, it was all phony. He even lied to his daughter. That’s the kind of man I’m dealing with.

CM Punk via ESPN’s First Take

Punk also addressed fans questioning why he didn’t just leave the ring during Rollins’ cash-in attempt.

Why didn’t I just run away is the question a lot of people are asking me, and the simple answer is, I don’t run away. I also don’t think I could at that point, I was too exhausted.

CM Punk via ESPN’s First Take

With emotions running high, Michael Cole termed Rollins’ cash-in as the ruse of the century, which was a callback to his legendary cash-in in the main event of WrestleMania 31, also including Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns. It is safe to say that neither man is backing down as Punk–Rollins are scheduled in a fatal-4 way bout at Clash in Paris for the heavyweight title. Interestingly, the PLE in the French capital will also bring a close to the Peacock era. 

CM Punk expressed his feelings about the WWE-ESPN PLE deal

WWE recently signed a massive $1.6 billion deal with ESPN to exclusively stream its premium live events (PLEs) starting in 2026. However, the partnership is kicking off earlier than expected, with the return of the Wrestlepalooza PPV name from ECW on September 20, going head-to-head with AEW’s All Out event. This shift also signals the end of the WWE–Peacock partnership, with Clash in Paris serving as the final PLE on that platform.

CM Punk at Survivor Series 2023
CM Punk at Survivor Series 2023 (via WWE)

CM Punk recently shared his thoughts on the groundbreaking deal during an appearance on ESPN’s First Take and had nothing but praise for the move.

I’m really excited. You know, we had a great relationship with Peacock, that’s going to continue in the form of Saturday Night’s Main Event. But anytime you can rub elbows and be on the same platforms like with ESPN, Netflix, stuff like that — those are just giant, household, you know, synonymous brand names. Synonymous with excellence, like CM Punk, like WWE. So I think it’s going to be a great partnership. Looking forward to it.

CM Punk via ESPN’s First Take

Punk also reflected on his WWE return, calling it everything he hoped it would be since his departure from AEW was sour and controversial.

For me, yeah, I think it’s been everything that I ever thought WWE could and should be — behind the scenes and in front of the camera. I think [the fans] could agree I did some pretty spectacular stuff with Drew McIntyre. And, unfortunately, I’m currently still a thorn in my side.  Seth Rollins is involved in that whole vortex. But we’re trying to move on from that, we’re trying to get past that.

CM Punk via ESPN’s First Take

Since returning, Punk’s run has been nothing short of eventful, from his heated feud and trilogy of matches with Drew McIntyre to his ongoing rivalry with Rollins over the World Heavyweight Championship.

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