CM Punk Says Finn Balor Deserves More Respect, Why Roman Reigns Is His Ultimate Opponent

CM Punk is putting his WrestleMania match on the line against Finn Balor this weekend, and he recently explained why and how Roman Reigns is the ultimate match for him since he returned to WWE. Punk has a World Heavyweight Championship match with Reigns looming at WrestleMania 42, but first he needs to get through Balor at Elimination Chamber. A loss to Balor would leave him off the WrestleMania card as it stands, making it a high stakes match.

Punk appeared on ESPN’s Elimination Chamber preview and discussed his bout with Balor. He explained that he had to be on a Chicago show and thinks Balor gets more respect than he deserves. He also noted that Reigns is his ultimate opponent since he returned, likening the situation to a Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James matchip. You can see the highlights below:

On Potentially Risking His WrestleMania Match For Balor:

“I think every match that — my next match is the biggest match of my career at this stage. Do I think I’m jeopardizing anything? Maybe a little bit, but I wouldn’t be CM Punk if I wasn’t trying to throw a monkey wrench into somebody’s plans. I think people are not giving Finn, what he deserves and he deserves respect. He deserves a beating obviously but like, I put Finn up there with a lot of people that — and look, if you don’t agree with me, that’s fine. But I’m the champ and I do have a little bit of clout. I do get to call a shot or two.

“And why am I doing it? Well you know, ladies and gentlemen, we’re in Chicago. There’s absolutely no way I’m missing a show in Chicago. We need to sell that place out. We need to sell some tickets and we need to send people home happy. And the only way to do that when you’re in Chicago is have CM Punk on the show.”

On If Reigns Is His Ultimate Opponent For His WWE Return:

“Yeah, I think so. I think it’s fair to say. You know, that Roman didn’t exist when I left. He likes to say that they called him, they said, ‘Save this place, yada yada yada.’ There wasn’t that Roman Reigns when I left. So, my absence allowed him to grow into what he became and who he is now. So, yeah, in NBA terms, imagine if you could see MJ versus LeBron in a one-on-one game.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit ESPN with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.