CM Punk says his 2024 rivalry with Drew McIntyre is the one he expects to be remembered for.
Punk was asked by Dave LaGreca on Busted Open Radio which feud would define him once his career is over. He described himself as “fortunate or unfortunate, depending on what side of the coin you’re on” to have had so many to choose from, and acknowledged that the answer he landed on is a recent one.
“I’m fortunate or unfortunate, depending on what side of the coin you’re on, to have been in a lot of great ones. Ones that people have actually forgotten about. Maybe some recency bias, I think probably the hatred that I had for Drew McIntyre and in turn the hatred he had for me, I think that one will stand the test of time for sure.”
The program ran for most of 2024. It grew out of Punk’s return at Survivor Series 2023 and McIntyre’s open hostility to it, hardened when Punk tore his triceps in the 2024 Royal Rumble, and McIntyre mocked him for it, and turned personal when Punk cost McIntyre the World Heavyweight Championship, and McIntyre began targeting a bracelet Punk wore.
They met three times. McIntyre won the first at SummerSlam 2024, with Seth Rollins as special guest referee, and Punk convinced Rollins was working against him. Punk won the strap match at Bash in Berlin and took the bracelet back. McIntyre attacked him again and destroyed it, which led to the Hell in a Cell rubber match at Bad Blood in October 2024. Punk won that one.
McIntyre is not booked on either night of SummerSlam this weekend. Punk defends the Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes tonight in the main event of night one.
