CM Punk reveals the incident that negatively affected his real-life relationship with Paul Heyman for years

CM Punk isn't the first Paul Heyman guy, but he was the first to call himself that. Despite their close relationship, Punk revealed an incident that caused them to stop speaking regularly for years.

Paul Heyman benefited CM Punk's career both on and off the screen. Since Punk's WWE return in 2023, they have crossed paths multiple times. Their first on-screen meeting in years took place on June 21, 2024, just a week before the new Bloodline took Heyman out.

In a sit-down interview with Jackie Redmond on WWE's YouTube channel ahead of the Royal Rumble, CM Punk was asked if he kept in touch with Paul Heyman after leaving WWE in early 2014. Punk said that their relationship was negatively affected by him leaving the company and explained why he needed to be cautious, even when they unexpectedly met at an airport in New York City.

"No. Paul and I would talk to each other intermittently. We actually ran into LaGuardia airport one time and just like...backs to the wall, looking forward, like having a conversation. You got to understand that when I left here, the lawsuit, and all the fun 'extracurricular' stuff going on like...I was advised by lawyers, 'You got to watch what you say to anybody' because it could wind up facilitating its way back. So, I was super guarded. It was a rough time for relationships back then and Paul was kind of no exception." (13:11-14:00)

You can watch the full video below:

CM Punk added that their relationship only truly rekindled when he returned to WWE.

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Drew McIntyre's positive takeaway after losing his feud with CM Punk

In the same interview, The Second City Saint called his 2024 rival Drew McIntyre a "piece of s**t" but also noted that his harsh comments about his injury actually motivated him to recover faster. McIntyre also had at least one positive remark to offer.

While also taking a shot at CM Punk and stating that he was terrible in the past (presumably during McIntyre's first WWE run), Drew McIntyre went on to acknowledge the magic they were able to create together.

"As much as we have certain feelings towards each other, we both are aware we’ve got certain magic with each other. It’s a tale as old as time. The more people have a genuine disdain for each other, people can truly feel it. And if you’re actually good at your job, like we are, it does create magic. And the whole process was magic, and the cell itself was a match that we talked about forever," he said.

It was a rare instance where fans knew they were witnessing a career-defining rivalry for both men. It was the undisputed feud of the year, and even Drew McIntyre, despite losing 2-1, emerged as a bigger star because of it.

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