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[Watch] CM Punk Reunites With Ghost From Past After 2026 WWE Hall Of Fame

By Sridhar Krishnan • Published Apr 18, 2026 15:21 EDT
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CM Punk during the 'Summer of Punk' era in 2011 - Source: WWE.com

CM Punk will face arguably his biggest challenge at WrestleMania 42.

While Punk is not one to shy away from challenges, he has not faced anyone of Roman Reigns’ caliber since returning to WWE in 2023.

Both superstars have butted heads in the past, but that was before and around 2014. Since then, they have been on their individual journeys and have grown beyond measure, which makes their Sunday bout a larger-than-life affair.

Speaking of CM Punk not backing down from challenges, what about his ‘Summer of Punk’ era in 2011?

That was the time when The Voice of the Voiceless had the WWE Universe at the palm of his hands, being cheered by fans despite being the company’s top heel.

At one point, he was also confronted by former world champion Kevin Nash, with whom he had entered a personal feud.

While they were scheduled for a collision, Triple H inserted himself into the storyline, announcing himself as the challenger instead of Nash. It is one of the “what-if” matches that the wrestling industry fans will never get an answer to.

Over time, both wrestlers even took shots at each other, either via social media or podcasts, but it never culminated in a full-blown in-ring feud.

The 2026 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony took place yesterday in Las Vegas, where both CM Punk and Kevin Nash were in attendance.

In a video that has surfaced online, CM Punk can be seen exchanging pleasantries with Big Daddy Cool, hinting at them having resolved their issues for the best, with some fans calling it a full-circle moment.

CM Punk Responds To Roman Reigns’ Dig At Him Ahead Of WrestleMania

In a video shared on X, Roman Reigns criticized CM Punk’s World Heavyweight Championship reign, rejecting the notion that he was a fighting champion.

He also accused Punk of being ‘coddled’ with the WWE higher-ups. Reigns also said that they were not equals inside the squared circle, calling him an embarrassment.

The 47-year-old champion, meanwhile, has been on a media tour to promote WrestleMania 42. While speaking on ESPN’s Get Up, he addressed Reigns’ promo.

My response is, man, I wish he brought that energy the days he actually decided to show up on a couple of Mondays.

Look, I take nothing away from Roman. Tremendous superstar, he has the credentials, he’s a heavyweight, he’s gonna be a tough out for me, but I’m not looking to lose on Sunday. I’m sure he isn’t either.

He then reiterated his sentiment from Monday’s Raw episode, where he said that pro wrestling was not the same as cinema, an area where Roman Reigns has been trying to establish himself.

But this is about pro wrestling versus cinema, and I’m glad that he had four days to shower and think about what he would say to me in a rebuttal and did it in a car while I wasn’t around. But I’m gonna be around and in his face on Sunday. I’m gonna send him to the orthodontist, I’m gonna make his orthodontist a very rich person.