CM Punk and Kevin Nash have apparently moved past their recent public back-and-forth, as footage from Friday’s WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in Las Vegas shows the two embracing. Punk and Nash were seen shaking hands and hugging following the ceremony at Dolby Live at Park MGM, putting a personal conclusion on a dispute that played out publicly in recent months.
The friction began when Nash, appearing on his Kliq This podcast, criticized Punk’s performance during a December 22 episode of Raw, taking particular issue with Punk wrestling in a t-shirt during a tag team match alongside Rey Mysterio.
“I watched Punk in the main event of that match last Monday. Number one, if you’re the Heavyweight Champion of the WWE and you wrestle in a t-shirt? Ouch. Number two, his punches looked really slow, he looked slow. I think he’s done,” Nash said at the time, also suggesting that Bron Breakker should beat Punk for the title.
Punk later addressed the criticism in an interview with ComingSoon.net, expressing some confusion about Nash’s original remarks while clarifying the context behind the house show shirt incident that had become attached to the story.
“I can say it had nothing to do with him but the genesis of the story is him saying that I wrestle in a shirt and I never wrestle in a shirt. I didn’t really understand what the criticism was, but thanks. You’re right,” Punk said.
Punk explained that wearing two shirts at the house show in question was a deliberate bit of in-ring comedy designed to make his opponent, Bronson Reed, laugh.
“I did that to make people I was in the ring with laugh because when I’m on a house show, to me, that’s what it’s about. It’s about having fun. If the fans see us having fun, they’re having fun. I like to keep it light, I like to make people laugh when I’m on the road and I’m away from my wife and people are away from their families. That’s our family while we’re on the road and I’m the jokey guy. I’m gonna have fun on a house show,” Punk said.
Whatever lingered between the two men after the public exchange, Friday night’s Hall of Fame appearance provided a natural opportunity to clear the air in person. The handshake and hug captured on footage suggests any tension has been put to rest ahead of Punk’s WrestleMania 42 main event on Sunday night against Roman Reigns.
CM Punk and Kevin Nash shook hands and hugged after the WWE Hall of Fame. pic.twitter.com/yxWodvdR4Q
— Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsCo) April 18, 2026
CM Punk and Kevin Nash after the WWE HOF
🎥: AmericanDragon06 on Reddit pic.twitter.com/ylTrYZJh4a
— Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsCo) April 18, 2026
