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Seth Rollins is headed to WrestleMania in Las Vegas to settle his scores with both Roman Reigns and former AEW World Champion CM Punk. The Visionary will battle the OTC and The Best in The World in a Triple Threat Match in the main event of WrestleMania 41 Night One.
In the latest episode of SmackDown, Rollins sat cross-legged like CM Punk and cut a pipebomb promo of his own. During the promo, The Visionary referenced AEW several times.
Let's take a look at five instances when Seth Rollins referenced AEW during his promo on SmackDown:
Did you know a top WWE Superstar just wrestled outside the company? More details HERE
#5. "It wasn't a WWE ring"
During his promo, Rollins mentioned CM Punk's absence from pro wrestling between 2014 and 2021. He mentioned how The Second City Saint was absent for several years, and fans still chanted his name.
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Seth mentioned that when Punk returned to wrestling, it wasn't in a WWE ring. He was referring to The Second City Saint's AEW debut in 2021 in the debut episode of AEW Rampage.
#4. Seth Rollins mentioned a current AEW champion during his promo
Seth Rollins came out on SmackDown and mentioned how his career in WWE started as a member of The Shield. He talked about how Paul Heyman brought The Shield to the company to protect CM Punk.
Interestingly, The Architect also mentioned the name of Dean Ambrose, who is the reigning AEW World Champion and is now known as Jon Moxley.
Check out Seth Rollins' version of the Pipebomb below:
#3. "Big, fat check"
While mentioning CM Punk's run in AEW, Rollins went a little personal when he said that The Second City Saint only returned to wrestling because someone wrote the veteran a big, fat check.
Seth was referring to AEW President Tony Khan, who signed Punk and paved the way for the 46-year-old's return to pro wrestling in 2021.
#2. "Tell me when I'm telling lies"
Rollins' promo was filled with personal attacks on Punk. He used The Voice of The Voiceless' infamous phrase "Tell me when I'm telling lies."
The 46-year-old is known to have used this phrase when he returned to AEW in 2023 on Collision. Punk's promo with his boots hanging around his neck is widely considered as one of the best in the company's history.
#1. "Burned that bridge"
CM Punk's rivalry with Seth Rollins dates back to 13 years ago when the latter made his WWE debut. In his promo, The Messiah stated that Punk only returned to WWE because he "burned that bridge like every other bridge!"
Seth Rollins was referring to the Chicago native's AEW departure, which took place after his infamous brawl with Jack Perry at All In 2023.
Fans are eager to see what finally goes down at WrestleMania 41 when Rollins, Punk, and Roman Reigns battle inside the squared circle.
