Did CM Punk and Cody Rhodes ever feud against each other on AEW? All you need to know about their history

CM Punk's WWE return has been highly touted. His merchandise and social media numbers are breaking records, and fans can't get enough of their returning hero. As exciting as his return has been, his appearance on SmackDown may have been even better.

The Straight Edge Superstar cut a promo addressing many of the ongoing stories and stars of WWE. While he specifically made a point to address the likes of Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, he also referenced Cody Rhodes. He called Rhodes a friend but noted that he intended to finish his own story by main eventing WrestleMania.

This led to the two talking backstage. While there was tension due to their goals conflicting, the pair ultimately shook hands. Still, seeing the former All Elite Wrestling stars together on WWE television was surreal.

It also has many curious if the pair worked together while in the Jacksonville-based promotion. The answer to that question is, at least on screen, the two didn't interact much at all.

Cody Rhodes was one of the founders of All Elite Wrestling and arguably the most influential of the upper management. CM Punk came into the company in mid-to-late 2021. Cody was gone at the beginning of 2022. This means they only shared a few months together on the roster.

During that time, they never stepped into the ring together. In fact, the last time they had a singles match on television was all the way back in 2008. Of course, just because they weren't together on-screen doesn't mean they weren't friendly behind the scenes, but the extent of their relationship off-air isn't known.

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CM Punk also ran into Kevin Owens backstage at WWE SmackDown

CM Punk running into Cody Rhodes backstage was exciting, but it was another one of his encounters that may have been the most interesting. With Rhodes, there was a clear sign of respect and friendliness despite some competitive tension. With Kevin Owens, however, the other man he also bumped into, that friendliness didn't exist.

Owens had a look of annoyance, if not borderline hatred, after coming face-to-face with The Straight Edge Superstar backstage.

They didn't exactly say much to each other. Punk asked for directions to Nick Aldis' office. Owens laughed at him and said he hadn't seen it. Punk sarcastically thanked Kevin for the help, and the two went their separate ways.

While the interaction was lowkey, you could cut the tension with a knife. Kevin Owens is friends with many of CM Punk's real-life enemies from All Elite Wrestling, so the animosity between the former World Champions felt very real.