During the interview, Rollins explained his intense dislike for the former AEW star.
CM Punk – I want the worst for him. I want the world to crumble around him. [I hate him] because he’s a selfish scumbag. But Punk is the king of narcissism. He’s a guy who’s a gaslighter; he’s a narcissist, and he’s a person who has for years, because he was in WWE for a while; he left. He left and then he came back. He left and when he was gone he just tore this company down, WWE. Took our business, he said, ‘This place is terrible, I want it to fail.’
The Visionary pointed to Punk’s decision to return to WWE only after the company’s renewed success.
And then over the past few years, things started getting good. We start making money, we start getting new fans and somebody decides they want to jump back on. They want to jump back on the ship, they want to ride now that we are doing well.
Royal Rumble Confrontation Sets Stage for Future Clash
This growing tension manifested physically at the Royal Rumble premium live event. After Rollins faced elimination from the men’s Royal Rumble match, he executed two devastating Stomps on Roman Reigns, effectively removing the former champion from the contest.
When asked about his actions on the Rich Eisen Show, Rollins highlighted Reigns’ treatment of others in recent years.
You’ve got to understand the history. He doesn’t know—he doesn’t know. For the last four years, the Tribal Chief has not been very kind to the people closest to him, okay? So, you know, people get what they deserve sometimes. They’ve got to make apologies, they’ve got to make amends, they’ve got to do things right. Roman Reigns gets what’s coming to him. You’ve got to understand that. So maybe this will be a teaching moment.
Reigns has not appeared on WWE television since Rollins’ assault, which included a second Stomp on the steel steps. While preparing for an Elimination Chamber qualifying match against Finn Balor on next week’s Raw, Rollins maintains his focus on both rivalries heading toward WrestleMania 41.