WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins expressed his frustration towards the returning CM Punk during the 2023 WWE Survivor Series PLE by flipping him off and shouting “f*ck you.” This was done in storyline ahead of their feud.
In an interview on the SI Media podcast, Rollins said that he was irritated by Punk’s unexpected appearance but acknowledged WWE’s decision to keep it a secret.
On the moment:
“I understand why very few people knew what was going on that day. In the moment I was extremely emotional… It was a very raw, emotional response. It was what it was, I can’t take it back… I wish I would have handled myself with a little bit more composure.”
On his issues with Punk:
“For a guy (CM Punk) who when I met him, made it seem like he was all about giving back to the business, he really turned into a pretty selfish guy and really wanted to take more from the industry.” He (CM Punk) said some really bad things about me. Talked down about me for years, and the company (WWE), for years. I’m talking some really bad stuff. Called me a bootlicker and crap like that. You don’t know me. You don’t know what I stand for. I’m a loyal person, and I felt pretty insulted by a lot of the ways he treated me, treated the place I work for, treated friends that I worked with. I don’t need to get into any of the stuff with Colt Cabana if you want to look at that kind of stuff, that’s out there.”