While much of, if not the majority of the WWE Universe was excited to see CM Punk make his surprise return at Survivor Series, one such name that fell into the minority was one of the promotion's biggest stars, Seth Rollins, who stared angrily at the “Best in the World” before cursing out the returning Superstar as the… physically imposing(?) duo of Michael Cole and Corey Graves held him back from making a scene.

Was this all a work that WWE was trying to cover up, with it only becoming public knowledge because some fans recorded it ringside? Or was this all part of a bigger plan to use Rollins' very real words about Punker being a “cancer” to kick off a very real feud with the “Second City Saint” for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship?

Well, as it turns out, Rollins addressed the situation the following night at the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois, as part of a house show, and needless to say, it was illuminating for more reasons than one.

“Did you guys watch WarGames last night? You already know how I feel about that, I said as much last night,” Seth Rollins told the crowd. “I'm not going to waste any more breath on somebody that has been gone for eight years, has done nothing but try and tear this place down. Instead, I'm going to take my time and use my breath on talking about the people who have been here all along. That's everybody in the back who has made WWE the hottest ticket in town. That's every single one of you who are here tonight. I could end this on a sour note like that, but I don't want to. You guys have some beautiful singing voices.”

Alright, so this is definitely a work, right, as WWE wouldn't be leaning into it, especially when they know fans will be recording whatever Rollins' says on their phones? Well Dave Meltzer certainly thinks so, as he noted on Wrestling Observer Radio.

“As far as the Seth thing goes, that was all an angle,” Dave Meltzer said via WrestleTalk. “That was 100% an angle. Playing off the fact that months ago, when somebody asked Seth Rollins, it's like ‘He's a cancer, we don't want him', which later by the way, he said if the company wants him and it's the right thing, he doesn't have a problem with it. But because he made that statement, they figured they could do a ‘shoot angle' with it, and it makes sense.”

Say what you will about Rollins, about how his gimmick is goofy, about how he's a better chaser than champion, or even that he's only recently become good again after a few years of bizarre undertakings like the “Monday Night Messiah,” but calling the “Visionary” anything but a company man would be anything but disingenuous, as few performers have been as willing to work with pretty much anything WWE has given him – have you seen his current moniker – than the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. If WWE wants him to work an angle with CM Punk, especially one where they don't like each other, Rollins will likely do the job, especially considering he won't have to work particularly hard to find his motivation.

Drew McIntyre addresses his own reported issues with CM Punk.

Despite drawing the majority of the headlines and reactions in the moment, Seth Rollins wasn't the only performer who seemingly took issues with CM Punk's return, as Drew McIntyre reportedly walked out of the arena before the “Best in the World's” re-debut because he was “p*ssed.”

Now, according to Sean Ross Sapp, McIntyre did very much know that Punk was returning when he took the ring for the main event of Survivor Series, even if some initial commenters didn't know that at the time, the question still persisted about what upset the “Scottish Warrior” on that fateful night outside of Chicago.

Well, as it turns out, McIntyre addressed what is shaping out to be the most important house show in years on Sunday and let it be known that his issues were with his WarGames team, not a wrestler he hasn't wrestled since all the way back in 2011.

“I didn't win the World Title match recently, WarGames last night. My stupid team lost the match for me. You've heard things probably on the internet. Not in a great place, but there is one thing that can turn frown upside down, that can change things for me, and it's getting that World Title,” Drew McIntyre told the crowd via Fightful. “I can't think of anywhere better than for Big D to finally raise his first world title in front of live fans than right here in Peoria, Illinois. Cheap pop. I have a game plan. I'm going to take Shin's [Shinsuke Nakamura's] head and kick it like a field goal. I've learn a lot about American football recently. With Seth, I'm going to break his back, make him humble, kick his arse, and take that World Title. Then, we're having an afterparty, it's going to be huge.”

Unfortunately for McIntyre, he still isn't the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, as Rollins retained his title in Peoria and will enter RAW with the title still around his waist, even if he's potentially a marked man considering his forthcoming feud with CM Punk. Still, if WWE wants to lean into multiple performers having issues with Punk, they can likely lean into this one too, as what better way for the “Best in the World” to return than have him feud with babyfaces and heels alike?