CM Punk and Kevin Owens turned Friday’s SmackDown into a direct callback to the Ring of Honor locker room in 2005.
During their August 14 confrontation, Owens revealed that he’s spent the last two decades regretting that he didn’t punch Punk in the face after being dressed down in front of the entire locker room. WWE used the real-life backstory to add fuel to their Undisputed WWE Championship match, set for next week in Toronto.
While WWE framed the story as something that happened 20 years ago, the actual date was April 16, 2005. By the time Punk and Owens meet on August 21, the incident will be just over 21 years old.
Kevin Steen’s arrival in Ring of Honor
At the time, Kevin Owens was still working as Kevin Steen, trying to carve out a spot on the American independent scene.
Steen and El Generico, now known as Sami Zayn, had first crossed paths with Punk and Colt Cabana in late 2004 at a Jersey All Pro Wrestling show. Shortly after, Steen and Generico submitted match tapes to then-ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky and started appearing for the company in February 2005.
Steen’s place on the roster couldn’t have been more different from Punk’s. The Canadian was still working openers and trying to lock down a regular spot, while Punk was already one of ROH’s top names with serious pull in the locker room.
The friction between them didn’t start on the night of the incident, either. Punk did guest commentary for ROH and, working heel, regularly took shots at babyfaces. Steen seemed to be a favorite target, with Punk going as far as renaming the Package Piledriver the “Mr. Peepers Driver.” The heel act explained some of the jabs, but the Canadian already sensed that Punk genuinely didn’t like him.
The t-shirt issue
In his first ROH matches, Steen worked in a singlet at Gabe Sapolsky’s request.
Steen later explained that he had no issue wrestling without a shirt. It was a character decision. He felt the singlet looked generic and that the t-shirt better fit the way he presented himself in the ring.
After his second ROH appearance, Steen went to Sapolsky and asked to switch back to a t-shirt. The booker agreed. By the time ROH Stalemate rolled around, though, Steen had changed his mind again and decided to wrestle in the singlet.
Punk found out about Steen’s original request to wear a t-shirt and chose to address it publicly. According to an account from the time, Punk got on the arena’s PA system and said:
“Kevin Steen, this is God. You’re a pro wrestler. Don’t wear a t-shirt.”
Steen had already settled on the singlet before Punk’s stunt. Still, the way Punk handled it put the newcomer on blast in front of everyone working the event.
The match before the confrontation
The incident took place at ROH Stalemate, held at the National Guard Armory in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Steen lost to Vordell Walker in 8 minutes and 4 seconds. Punk, alongside Dave Prazak, was listed as a commentator for the show. The match is still available in ROH’s official library.
Steen wasn’t happy with his performance. He came back to the locker room gassed and found Punk watching him. That’s when Steen looked at Punk and said:
“Are you happy now?”
According to Owens, the line was meant as a joke about the t-shirt situation. The way it came out, with Steen still catching his breath after the match, may have landed differently.
Punk took it as disrespect. He got up and started dressing Steen down in front of the entire locker room, accusing him of not showing proper respect to someone above him in the company.
Steen initially fired back. He quickly realized, though, that he was getting into it with one of ROH’s top guys while he was still fighting for bookings.
On top of that, Steen had a solid relationship with Colt Cabana, who was Punk’s close friend at the time. To keep things from escalating further, Steen dropped the argument, acknowledged he shouldn’t have responded the way he did, and apologized.
Kevin Owens considered going after CM Punk
In a separate retelling of the incident, recorded with Gabe Sapolsky sitting alongside him, Steen admitted he thought about shoving Punk.
The Canadian recalled that there was gym equipment and a bench near where the argument happened. A shove could have sent Punk falling onto one of those objects, making the situation even worse.
Steen also noticed Homicide wearing a t-shirt in that very same locker room. For a few moments, he considered calling out Punk for not holding the veteran to the same standard.
None of it happened. Steen wanted to stay in Ring of Honor and believed that getting physical with Punk could end his time with the company. Sapolsky, who wasn’t there for the argument, joked during the interview that Steen should have just hit Punk.
That memory explains Owens’ line on the latest SmackDown. When Punk challenged him to finally throw the punch he’d been holding back for 20 years, Owens said he didn’t react in 2005 because he believed the veteran had the power to destroy his career.
Kevin Owens also noted in a Highspots interview in 2014 what happened after that match:
“When I was originally going to be booked in Ring of Honor, Gabe (Sapolsky) told me, ‘Will you wrestle in a t-shirt? That’s the only thing I don’t like.’ I’m like, ‘Well, I guess I could wrestle in a singlet.’ Because even back then, I wasn’t as big as I am now, but I wasn’t ripped or anything. I had no problem wrestling in a singlet, the t-shirt look just looked better on me. That’s all it is. I find the singlet just kind of looked generic, and whatever. So I wrestled in Ring of Honor a couple of shows without my shirt and whatever, and I could see that it wasn’t really working. It’s stupid, like I don’t think the fact that I was wrestling in a singlet was responsible for it not working but I had a hard time feeling like myself out there. Even the way I’m talking about it now, I think it was fcking stupid that I felt that way. Like it’s dumb now that I know better, but I told Gabe, ‘Hey, can I just wear my fcking shirt? What does it matter?’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, fine. Whatever,’ for the next show.
“Before that show, I guess Punk heard of this and he really had something against a guy wrestling in his t-shirt. Me and Punk weren’t friends or anything, but we knew each other. It was fine. I guess he took exception to me wrestling in the shirt so he told me before the show not to wear the shirt. I had already decided that I wasn’t going to wear it but, you know, when he told me that, I’m like, ‘Oh, I definitely shouldn’t wear the f*cking shirt.’ And I didn’t, and when I got to the back after my match, I don’t know what happened, man. I was blown up so maybe it came off really rude, but I wasn’t trying to be rude. Punk was looking at me, and I looked at him and I said, ‘Are you happy now?’ I was really just trying to kid around with him but he really took exception to that and reamed me out in front of the whole locker room about how disrespectful I was.
“Whatever, I yelled back a little and realised, ‘What the fck am I doing? This isn’t my place. I’m new here and he’s a top guy, I shouldn’t be arguing with him.’ Plus, Colt (Cabana) was my friend and him and Punk are friends, so I don’t want any of this sht. So I said, ‘Okay, you’re right, I’m sorry. I apologise.’ And that’s the way it stayed but then that always, you know, resonated in my head, like, ‘Don’t wear the t-shirt.’ All this sh*t, that was always such a problem.”
Did CM Punk get Kevin Steen pulled from ROH?
In July 2005, Steen and El Generico worked a dark match at ROH The Homecoming. Before the bout, Punk approached the pair and told them he wanted to see them do well but asked both of them to “use their heads” during the match.
After one final appearance in August, Steen and Generico stopped being used by ROH for a stretch. Available information does not point to Punk as the reason for that decision. The duo returned in 2007 and went on to become one of the company’s top acts in the years that followed.
Steen eventually made the t-shirt and shorts his permanent look after returning to Ring of Honor in 2011. Wearing that same gear, he beat Davey Richards in May 2012 to win the ROH World Championship, holding the title for 328 days.
The attire questioned in 2005 wound up becoming a defining part of Kevin Steen’s image and, later, Kevin Owens’ presentation in WWE.
The relationship was never repaired
CM Punk and Kevin Owens went in completely different directions after that period. Punk left Ring of Honor in 2005, while Steen stayed on the independents until signing with WWE in August 2014.
Even after Punk returned to WWE at Survivor Series 2023, the two never developed anything close to a working friendship.
In August 2024, Owens was asked about Punk and said they never talked, weren’t friends, and had no reason to stay in contact. He added that he’d speak to Punk if they needed to work together.
That moment has finally arrived.
On the latest SmackDown, Owens accused Punk of using his position to humiliate him and criticized how Punk treated some of his friends over the years. The reference to “three friends” was read as a nod to Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks, who were involved in the altercation with Punk following AEW All Out 2022.
Punk responded by calling Owens a wasted talent, claiming the Canadian never did the work required to reach his full potential. Owens fired back, reminding Punk that he’s still the same guy who got dressed down in 2005, only now he’s standing in the same ring and challenging for WWE’s top championship.
The Toronto match will be the first singles bout between CM Punk and Kevin Owens.