"I seriously resent you for not putting me over" – When Triple H was confronted in a heated WWE backstage exchange
Triple H is widely viewed as one of the most respected people in the wrestling industry, both as a WWE in-ring competitor and behind-the-scenes executive. The 14-time world champion's backstage power has not always been welcomed by his co-workers, though, particularly CM Punk.
In 2014, Punk told several stories about his time in WWE during an infamous appearance on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling podcast. The Straight Edge Superstar made it clear that he disliked his booking at Night of Champions 2011, where he lost to Triple H. He also had significant reservations about working with The Game again.
Punk suffered a concussion during the Royal Rumble match on January 26, 2014. The following night, he confronted HHH and Vince McMahon backstage at RAW before dramatically walking out on the company:
"And I turned to Hunter [Triple H] and I said, 'All due respect, I do not need to wrestle you, you need to wrestle me. I do not want to wrestle you. I seriously resent you for not putting me over three years ago when you should have. That would have been best for business but you had to f***ing come in and squash it,'" Punk said. (H/T Cageside Seats for the transcription)
On this day in 2011; Triple H defeated CM Punk at Night of Champions.
This was the worst thing they could have done and did it anyway. https://t.co/YZVALvkU8u
The former WWE fan favorite's walkout came ten weeks before WrestleMania 30, which was supposed to feature a match between himself and Triple H. Daniel Bryan, ended up facing – and defeating – The King of Kings instead. He then won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event against Batista and Randy Orton.
How Triple H reacted to CM Punk's brutally honest words
A legend of the wrestling industry, Triple H has battled the likes of Brock Lesnar, John Cena, The Rock, and The Undertaker at WrestleMania events.
#FlashbackFriday: to the time when Triple H confronted CM Punk during their contract signing ahead of their match at Night of Champions.
#WWE #CMPunk #TripleH #SmackDown https://t.co/PgnqRmZnDk
According to CM Punk, Vince McMahon's son-in-law was visibly annoyed about his lack of enthusiasm ahead of their WrestleMania match-that-never-was:
"I said a lot of s**t in there," Punk continued. "I told them again and Hunter, he was gritting his teeth and I knew, he never liked me. It's one of those situations where you always hear those stories in the dirt sheets about 'Hunter says this about Punk' and all this negative stuff, but me and him in a room together? Never any good vibes."
WWE fired Punk on June 13, 2014, the same day he married former Divas Champion AJ Lee. He also claimed on the podcast that the timing of his firing was "very calculated and very deliberate."
Where do you stand on CM Punk's issues with HHH? Let us know in the comments section below.