WWE star CM Punk meets Kevin Owens in a singles match on SmackDown, set to air Nov. 6 from Brooklyn, New York. SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis announced the match at the start of a sit-down interview with both men on the Oct. 23 SmackDown. The grudge dates to 2005, and the two crossed paths in a title match, a title change, and a ladder match in 2026. Here are five things to know before the opening bell.
The CM Punk And Kevin Owens Grudge Started In Ring Of Honor
Owens, then wrestling as Kevin Steen, began working for Ring of Honor in 2005. Punk held the ROH World Championship from June 18 to Aug. 12, 2005, during Owens’ first run with the company. In past interviews, Owens has said the two clashed backstage that year over a T-shirt. Punk left ROH after a farewell show titled Punk: The Final Chapter on Aug. 13, 2005.
Owens said in 2024, “We’re not friends.” On the Jan. 31, 2025, SmackDown, Punk floated a possible meeting with Owens in the WrestleMania 41 main event. Owens answered by hoping Punk would never main-event WrestleMania. Owens announced a neck injury that required surgery on the April 4, 2025, SmackDown.
CM Punk Already Beat Owens Once In Toronto
Owens returned at SummerSlam on Aug. 2 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, after nearly a year and a half away. The comeback included a Fatal Four-Way win over Sami Zayn, Gunther, and Finn Bálor, with Owens pinning Zayn after a superkick and a Stunner. The victory earned a shot at Punk, who had taken the Undisputed WWE Championship from Zayn on the July 6 Raw in Rosemont, Illinois.
The two came face to face on the Aug. 14 SmackDown. According to Owens, Punk berated a young Steen in front of a locker room full of peers roughly 20 years ago. Owens also accused Punk of mistreating people close to the Canadian over the years. Punk fired back by calling Owens a “greenhorn” who had never evolved.
The title match headlined the Aug. 21 SmackDown at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. With the referee down, Owens hit a Stunner and Punk answered with the GTS, but neither cover drew a count. Zayn then drove Punk into the ring post and set up another Stunner from Owens, but the champion kicked out. Owens refused to use the title belt at Zayn’s urging, so Zayn struck the challenger with it instead. Punk hit a second GTS for the pin.
Owens opened the Aug. 28 SmackDown in Ottawa and said the Toronto loss stung more than any past title defeat, because it came in front of family and Canadian fans. Punk interrupted the promo. A later Triple Threat among Owens, Gunther, and Bálor ended in a no contest after Zayn hit all three men, plus Punk, with the title belt.
Owens Played A Part In CM Punk Losing The Title
Zayn ended Punk’s reign on the Sept. 11 SmackDown at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. Punk had the Anaconda Vise locked in, but Candice LeRae distracted the referee, who missed the submission. Owens then swung the title belt at Zayn and struck Punk instead. Moments later, Zayn hit the Helluva Kick and scored the pin for a second reign with the title. On the Sept. 18 SmackDown, Punk cost Owens a title match against Zayn.
Punk and Owens both competed in the men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match on Oct. 10 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Punk qualified on the Sept. 25 SmackDown by beating Gunther and Bálor. Owens took the final spot on the Oct. 2 SmackDown by topping Cody Rhodes and Johnny Gargano. During the 32-minute match, Owens stopped Punk from reaching the briefcase by driving the former champion’s leg into a ladder, then hit a Pop-Up Spinebuster. Penta won the contract.
Nick Aldis Made It Official During A Tense Sit-Down
On the Oct. 16 SmackDown, Punk and Owens each demanded a match against the other. Aldis ordered both men to keep apart until the time was right to book the bout. The general manager announced the Brooklyn match at the start of the Oct. 23 sit-down at Toyota Arena in Ontario, California. Aldis said personal animosity was getting in the way of each man’s professional goals.
Punk called the meeting a waste of time and blamed Owens for the loss of the Undisputed WWE Championship. Owens claimed to have had Punk beaten in Toronto and brought up the Sept. 18 interference. Punk walked out after vowing to pin Owens in Brooklyn. Owens had the final word once Punk left, and Aldis closed the segment.
No championship is attached to the Nov. 6 match, which is the second WWE singles bout between Punk and Owens. WWE.com billed the match as a showdown in Brooklyn. Owens has Brooklyn history, too, after wrestling a final NXT match at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn at Barclays Center on Aug. 22, 2015. Bálor beat Owens in a Ladder Match for the NXT Championship that night.
End Of My CM Punk Rant
Twenty years is long enough. Punk and Owens have traded shots in ROH locker rooms, on WWE microphones, and across a sit-down table in Ontario. Neither man has gotten a clean result against the other in WWE. Toronto went to Zayn’s belt shot, Mexico City went to an errant swing from Owens, and New Orleans went to Penta.
Brooklyn needs a clean finish. No belts swinging, no LeRae on the apron, and no ladders in the way. Punk owns the bigger résumé, with eight world titles in WWE. Owens owns the bigger grudge, plus a comeback from neck surgery that once looked like the end of the road. Each man has a real case, and the Brooklyn crowd deserves a winner nobody can argue with.
The pick is Owens, who has waited since 2005 for a clean shot at the Best in the World. Brooklyn is the right room for it. Punk said in August that being hated by losers is the price of not being one. On Nov. 6, the “greenhorn” gets the last word.
