Randy Orton Addresses Relationship With CM Punk During His Initial WWE Run

On the latest edition of "WWE Playback," Randy Orton and CM Punk sat down to react to their WrestleMania 27 match from 2011, where both wrestlers addressed their relationship as well as their personal issues with one another earlier in their careers. Orton specifically went into detail about not seeing eye to eye with Punk, stating that he didn't "hate" him, but felt that his own insecurities impacted their relationship. "I don't think we hated each other ... hate's a strong word. I've never hated you, I think I was the kind of person that had a backstage gimmick ... I think I was just insecure." 

Punk also admitted to having some animosity towards Orton, but explained that part of the reason they butted heads so often, was due to being so much alike. "We did not get along ... but I think a lot of it is because we're probably very similar. I think because of that, I think we created some magic. Unless we watch this and we both think this sucks." 

Punk continued to speak about his performance with Orton in their WrestleMania match, explaining that he did not necessarily feel like he needed to win, but just wanted to showcase that he could hang with "The Viper." "To me this match is one guy goes over, one guy gets over. This is your win at WrestleMania, which I didn't need, I just needed to prove that I could hang at that level and I think I did it." Orton and Punk were both featured on WrestleMania 40 Night 2, as Orton did battle against Kevin Owens and Logan Paul for the United States Championship, while Punk was on commentary for the World Heavyweight Championship match between Seth Rollins and Drew Mcintyre.