Seth Rollins does not like CM Punk.

He's talked trash on the “Best in the World” when he was still a member of AEW, chastised fans for chanting his name in the lead-up to and fallout from Survivor Series, and even attempted to charge Punker after his WarGames match, even if he was held back by two of WWE's toughest operators, Michael Cole and Corey Graves.

So what gives? Is WWE approaching an incredible fallout between the duo, with the promotion being forced to split them up a la Punk and The Elite with Collision? Or can Rollins and Punk co-exist, whether that means working a program together or just not fighting with each other backstage? Well, Rollins was asked that very question on the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast, and needless to say, he had a lot to say about his feelings towards the “Second City Saint.”

“A lot of it is personal. A lot of it is stuff I don't really want to get into. For the most part, I just think he's been really selfish when it comes to his perspective on the industry. I think he's been extremely self-serving, has played the martyr role to a tee, and has, for someone who, when I met the guy, and look, I have a lot of good things to say about parts of my relationship with him. He helped me in places when he didn't have to, whether that was for his own good or not, I'm not entirely sure. Regardless, it helped me get where I needed to go and do the things I needed to do,” Seth Rollins said via WrestleTalk.

“For a guy who, when I met him, made it seem like he was all about giving back to the business, he really turned into a pretty selfish guy and wanting to take more from the industry. Look, he said some really bad things about me. Talked down about me for years, and the company, for years. I'm talking some really bad stuff. Called me a bootlicker and crap like that. You don't know me. You don't know what I stand for. I'm a loyal person, and I felt pretty insulted by a lot of the ways he treated me, treated the place I work for, treated friends that I worked with.

“I don't need to get into any of the stuff with Colt Cabana if you want to look at that kind of stuff, that's out there. Just the way he treated people. The way I felt like he's only looking out for himself, and then the way he talked about me and my friends and the people who are here putting the hard work in at WWE, trying to make this thing as good as we possibly can because we love the industry, truly love it, not just what it can do for us, we actually love it and want to give back to it and make it the best it could possibly be. I also felt like he's a fraud in that sense, or at least turned into one at some point in the last decade. That's the long of it. It's a deep-rooted, I wouldn't call it hatred, but there's animosity there.”

Goodness gracious, that's a lot, but it does lead to one question that needs to be answered: Will Rollins be able to work with Punk moving forward? Well, the “Visionary” was asked that question, too, and his answer was fascinating.

Seth Rollins is open to working with CM Punk, even if he doesn't like it.

Asked the question at the forefront of everyone's mind, if Seth Rollins would accept a match with CM Punk in the future, the “Visionary” noted that he has worked with plenty of people he doesn't like in the past and still did a good job because of the mutual respect the duo shared. If he and Punk can come to a similar resolution, then they could make something “magical.”

“Of course, and if you're working with him on essentially intimate levels, the two of you trying to put a story and match together or whatever it may be, it's not like you can just go out there and wing it. You could, but it's not going to go too well, most likely, but you have to work with somebody. You figure it out,” Seth Rollins said. “Sometimes it's like pulling teeth. We'll cross that bridge when we get there, luckily we haven't had to do that yet. I assume it's only a matter of time, whatever venue it's at, I don't know, that's not my decision to make, I just show up and do the work. It is what it is. You don't like everybody you work with, I certainly haven't liked everybody I've been in the ring with over the years, but I've always found a way to make magic out of it. If it is Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk, somewhere down the road, one way or another, it's going to be magic.”

And last but not least, Rollins was asked if he had the ability to turn down a program with Punk if he didn't think it could work for one reason or another. While Rollins didn't answer the question explicitly, which is a shame, he did note that any feud is a negotiation, and he, as a businessman, is open to talking to anyone.

“It's a negotiation. It's a conversation. No one is forcing something on you, but I'm a businessman, for sure, I'm hoping to do business, if it's there to be done. I'm open to mending fences, if that's even possible. I know that might sound crazy, but I'm open to it. I'm almost 38, and I ain't got time to hold all these grudges,” Rollins said.

“I think it's a lot of energy to hold that negativity in, and I'd like to put that energy somewhere else and make it positive. I'm open to all different facets of what this could be. There are certain conversations that go on, it's not a cut and dry, ‘you have to do this.' Sometimes, it is. I've been in positions where it's like, ‘This is your job, I pay you the check. This is what I want you to do,' and that's just how it is. That's okay, too. If you don't like it, you can skip it, and we don't have to do business.

“I'm pretty open-minded when it comes to stuff like that. I think there will be a way to make it work for everybody. He says he's the Best in the World, that ain't the case, I'm the Best in the World. I'll make anything work, no matter who it is.”

Will it happen? Will Punk and Rollins work together at some point in the future, say at WrestleMania 40? Or will the duo find a way to avoid each other for much longer, as there are plenty of options for both performers to keep them busy for the foreseeable future? Fans will have to tune into the next SmackDown and RAW to find out.