Kevin Owens' real-life heat with major WWE babyface explained: "We're not friends"

Kevin Owens has opened up about a genuine rift with CM Punk. In a conversation with the Daily Mail, Owens shared that he and the Straight Edge Superstar have not exchanged a word in a while. He remarked:

"We (CM Punk & I) never talk. We have no reason to talk. We’re not friends. We’re not — we don’t — we’re just not… I don’t know. We have no reason to talk. If we work together, we will talk, but just not a thing we do."

The story goes back to a real rift that began during their Ring of Honor days in 2005. Before he took on his current persona in WWE, Owens went by his real name, Kevin Steen. At that point, The Second City Saint was already a big deal, while Owens was just starting as a rookie. In those early days with the promotion, he faced a bunch of challenges that put his determination to the test.

The big challenge was CM Punk himself. He had some beef with Owens about his weight and how he presented himself, especially when it came to Owens wrestling in a T-shirt. While that didn’t spark a full-blown argument, it set the stage for some tension. It certainly created an atmosphere of unease. Things escalated when Owens confronted Punk after a disappointing match, leading to Punk firing back at him in front of the locker room.

Owens admitted in an interview that he had thrown a sarcastic remark at Punk out of sheer malice, igniting a furious reaction from Punk that left him humiliated in front of his colleagues, all because the former Universal Champion preferred to wrestle in a T-shirt.

Nearly 20 years have gone by since that confrontation, yet it doesn't imply they are adversaries. Furthermore, this could just be Kevin Owens laying the foundation for a potential showdown between the two. Who knows what the future holds?

---

CM Punk called out a fan over this incident with Kevin Owens

It’s widely recognized that The Second City Saint had a strong desire to square off against Steve Austin during his earlier stint with the Stamford-based promotion.

Even though he never faced off against the Rattlesnake, Kevin Owens did share the ring with the iconic star during the main event of WrestleMania 38. After the match, a fan on Twitter decided to take a jab at Punk regarding the T-shirt situation, pointing out that Owens got to fulfill Punk's dream by wrestling in a T-shirt.

The 45-year-old reacted distinctively, expressing disbelief that, after all these years, the incident still garners so much discussion, with many still placing the blame on him for Owens' dramatic return to the locker room. He added that he was truly happy for Kevin Owens main-eventing WrestleMania against Stone Cold Steve Austin.