CM Punk’s Ad-Libbed Stephanie McMahon Remark Changed Major WWE Plans

Kevin Nash has shared a new behind-the-scenes story about one of WWE’s most talked-about booking changes, explaining how CM Punk’s unscripted remark about Stephanie McMahon in 2011 massively altered plans.

Back in 2011, Nash made a surprise return at SummerSlam and interfered in CM Punk’s WWE Championship match. The expectation was that this would lead to a one-on-one match between Nash and Punk at Night of Champions.

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However, WWE suddenly changed direction. Triple H replaced Nash and went on to beat Punk in a No Disqualification match. The decision was heavily criticized at the time.

Kevin Nash Explains Why WWE Changed CM Punk Plans in 2011

Speaking on his podcast Kliq This, Nash said that WWE’s sudden change of plans had nothing to do with long-term creative plans. Instead, it came down to something CM Punk said during a promo.

According to Nash, Punk made an off-script comment involving Stephanie McMahon that seriously upset Triple H. The line wasn’t cleared beforehand.

“When I was supposed to wrestle CM Punk after I cost him the belt, he said something that pissed off Paul about something with him and Stephanie. And it wasn’t on script, and it pissed Paul off, and Paul came back and basically said, ‘You’re not wrestling Punk. I am. I’m beating that motherf**ker.’ He was that hot,” Nash explained.

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Nash described Triple H’s reaction as driven by pride and locker-room hierarchy. “Paul [Triple H] isn’t a b*tch. It was like, ‘Oh, okay, motherf**ker.’ Basically, like, ‘Oh, okay, Kliq rules.’ Like, ‘You want to pull them out, measure them. Here we go. Suck on that,” Nash said.

The planned Nash vs. Punk match was dropped completely. Triple H beat Punk at Night of Champions 2011, while Nash later had a feud with Triple H himself, which ended in their Sledgehammer Ladder Match at TLC that year.

Punk has taken many personal shots at Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. So, it’s not exactly clear which line caused the blowup.

Nash also noted how fast real-life tension can disappear when business becomes the priority.

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“That’s what people don’t understand, that aren’t in the business, is you can have that kind of f*cking heat with somebody 10 years ago, four years ago, three years ago. But, when you got to make money and make music together, f*cking how quickly that dissolves,” he said.

Since Punk returned to WWE in 2023, both he and Triple H have spoken positively about each other.

Read More: AEW’s MJF Unleashes Profanity-Laced Rant on WWE’s CM Punk

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