CM Punk is back in WWE for the first time in almost a decade and has a whole host of potential new rivals to face off against. Recent reports claim that the two-time AEW World Champion is set for major feuds with both Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns in the near future, on top of backstage talks on the possibility of making the dream rivalry between Punk and Steve Austin a reality. However, Punk seemingly has his sights set on one star in particular following his return: Dominik Mysterio.
In an Instagram Story posted yesterday, Punk appeared to target the NXT North American Champion. Punk posted a screenshot of a 2010 SmackDown segment where he can be seen pointing menacingly at a 13-year-old Dominik while the wider Mysterio family, including Rey and then-8-year-old Aalyah, watch on with concern.
Now Mysterio has replied with an Instagram Story post of his own. A few hours later, Dominik posted the same screenshot but with a party hat added on top of Punk’s head and clown emojis covering the faces of his father, mother and sister. Dominik also added what seems to be a direct response to Punk’s tease: A middle finger emoji just below the image.
Over the last three and half years since his WWE debut, Dominik has found the most success in NXT where he has been North American Champion almost exclusively for the past four months. Dominik has successfully defended the title against the likes of Dragon Lee, Sami Zayn and Butch, though he temporarily lost the belt to Trick Williams at NXT No Mercy before regaining it three days later. Dominik most recently faced Randy Orton in the main event of Raw in what was Orton’s first singles match since returning from injury at Survivor Series: WarGames
Should Dominik Mysterio be CM Punk’s first opponent following his WWE return? If not, who would you have Punk face first?