CM Punk fired back at Roman Reigns less than a week before the two collide in the WrestleMania 42 main event.
The World Heavyweight Champion appeared on ESPN's Get Up on Friday and responded directly to the viral video promo Reigns posted earlier this week, where the Royal Rumble winner ripped Punk's title reign and fighting credentials.
Punk dismissed Reigns' effort as a staged monologue and promised physical payback on Sunday night.
Man, I wish he brought that energy the days he actually decided to show up on a couple of Mondays," Punk said. "I take nothing away from Roman. Tremendous superstar. He has the credentials. He's a heavyweight. He's gonna be a tough out for me, but I am not looking to lose on Sunday. And I'm sure he isn't either.
Punk then took direct aim at the format of Reigns' response, noting the gap between his original promo and the Tribal Chief's reply.
But this is about pro wrestling versus cinema and I'm glad that he had four days to shower and think about what he would say to me in a rebuttal and did it in a car while I wasn't around. But I'm gonna be around and in his face on Sunday. I'm gonna send him to the orthodontist. I'm gonna make his orthodontist a very rich person.
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CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns Set For WrestleMania 42 Night Two
Punk (c) defends the World Heavyweight Championship against Reigns on Sunday, April 19, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. It is the first one-on-one meeting between the two since January 2014, weeks before Punk's original WWE departure.
The verbal war has escalated week over week, with Triple H recently telling Joe Tessitore that the backstage tension between the two is "palpable" and unlike typical professional rivalries. Punk has positioned himself as the workhorse champion against a part-time challenger, a theme he leaned on again during the ESPN appearance.
WrestleMania 42 Night Two streams live at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN in the United States and Netflix internationally.
