Report: WWE has plans for CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns feud

While it won’t be his first feud, there are reportedly plans for CM Punk to work a program against Roman Reigns in WWE.

Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated reports that WWE has plans for a Punk/Reigns feud. A timeline for when that program is expected to take place was not given, though Barrasso notes that the first feud in Punk’s WWE comeback will be against World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins:

There are plans for Punk to feud with Roman Reigns, Sports Illustrated has learned. But it will not be Punk against Reigns first, as that spot belongs to Rollins. A feud between Rollins and Punk is a massive positive for both men. Punk can still wrestle at a high-level, but his work will only be enhanced in the ring with a world-class wrestler like Rollins. While it is not the current favorite, there is plenty of reason to believe Punk-Rollins could serve as the main event for the opening night of WrestleMania 40. For Rollins, that would simply not be the case without Punk.

Reigns defending his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Cody Rhodes appears to be the leading option for WrestleMania 40.

At Survivor Series last Saturday night, Punk made his shocking return to WWE. It was his first time appearing for WWE since walking out of the company in 2014.

Punk then delivered his return promo on Raw last night, declaring that he’s back home. Punk made a reference to Paul Heyman during the promo but did not mention Heyman by name.

“I wish I could say I never had to leave,” Punk said. “But once upon a time, a wise man told me for me to get everything I need out of this place – I’d have to leave and come back. Hate to say the wise man was right.”

Punk’s WWE return comes less than three months after he was fired by AEW following a backstage incident that took place at All In.

Barrasso spoke with unnamed members of the WWE and AEW rosters about Punk:

Speaking with multiple members of the active WWE roster, Sports Illustrated confirmed there are concerns about how Punk will integrate himself in the locker room. Though his run in AEW was exciting, it was also extremely divisive. Punk had his share of enemies, as well as plenty of supporters. The feeling is reminiscent of the WWE returns of Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall in 2002, when there was a heightened concern about their reputation and actions in WCW. But all three did business in WWE, which is exactly what Punk is expected to do.

Speaking with a handful of AEW talent, the feeling is Punk will be on his best behavior in the beginning in WWE. But historically, multiple people added, Punk’s runs do not end well. Multiple WWE talent noted to Sports Illustrated their belief that the WWE locker room is far more united than the one in AEW, which has proven susceptible to leaks.

Barrasso confirmed that Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Nick Khan engineered Punk’s WWE return, which was first reported by our Dave Meltzer. Meltzer noted that the deal for Punk to return came together about 10 days before Survivor Series.