“A regrettable incident that probably shouldn’t have been on camera,” Punk said, addressing his confrontation with Rhodes from Saturday Night’s Main Event. “There’s cameras in our faces 24/7. They get the good and the bad of all of us sometimes. It’s embarrassing. But you know, I’m not embarrassed by it. I just think sometimes brothers fight, they apologize, and they move on. I think we should just move on.”
Unlike Punk, Rhodes made it clear that he was embarrassed about the backstage situation. He did not, however, feel the need to apologize for it, especially as his annoyance towards Punk’s “brother” remarks continues to grow.
According to Punk, Rhodes’ retort was a sign of paranoia stemming from some past experiences. Punk specifically highlighted the heel turn of John Cena that came at the expense of Rhodes at the 2025 Elimination Chamber premium live event. In addition, Punk brought up the fact that Randy Orton, Rhodes’ long-friend and mentor, turned on him in the lead-up to WrestleMania 42.
In the case of him and Rhodes, Punk promised that their upcoming title clash at SummerSlam would not lead to a personal betrayal, even if Rhodes was talking from his “ego’ in that moment. Rhodes affirmed Punk’s claim, but not without pointing out the element of hypocrisy behind it.
“I do have an ego, but you, there’s so much that’s unsaid between you and I,” Rhodes clapped back. “It is very hard to be your friend sometimes, because don’t talk to me about ego. Last night, your mask slipped. That wasn’t an accident. So I don’t want to hear any of this ego bull****.”
Amidst the crowd’s subsequent chants of “let them fight,” WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque stepped in between them in an attempt to defuse the tension. This ultimately proved unsuccessful, though, as Punk shoved Rhodes’ face with the declaration of “That’s on purpose, little brother.”
Read the full article here
