​Over a decade ago, CM Punk voiced his disapproval of The Rock's sporadic WWE appearances, especially during The Rock's Hollywood pursuits, while Punk maintained a grueling schedule of nearly 300 days on the road as a full-time performer.​

In a recent interview with Inside The Ropes, Punk was asked about The Rock's return to WWE on last week's SmackDown and its potential impact on ongoing storylines.​

Reflecting on The Rock's 2013 return, during which The Rock won the WWE Championship from Punk at the Royal Rumble and again at the Elimination Chamber, Punk shared his evolved perspective:​

"I am sure it will. I am sure it is going to trickle down and affect everybody. I think one of the difficult parts of this being so big and there are so many moving parts, and you are seeing it with [John] Cena now. Definitely, I have a different perspective now than I did ten years ago, when I was working with The Rock. It was easy for everybody to say, 'You are not here. We are grinding, we are doing this.' The schedule now is so much limited than it was ten years ago. I cannot point a finger at somebody else now and say, 'Well, you are not here.' Plus, a guy like John Cena, to me, he is a busy dude. He has earned that right. He has stated that he is retiring. This is going to be his final run. So I am less inclined to say, 'You should be here doing this, doing that.' Sometimes, the tickets sell themselves when we are in these international markets, and you hear 'John Cena retirement tour,' that is going to put butts in seats."​

Punk continued, highlighting the potential locker room sentiment:​

"John Cena does not necessarily need to show up every week. He is busy filming a movie, and I understand that. But there is a flip side to that coin where there is still a locker room full of pro wrestlers, and they will get a chip on their shoulder, and there will be resentment because there are people that feel, 'Oh, I am here every week. I am doing this, I am doing this.' But really at the end of the day, I think everybody just wants to rise to that level, and along the way, yeah, we are going to poke, we are going to prod. We are going to say, 'Hey, Rock. You showed up here. How come you are not here? Why are you not doing this?' I think the fans do that too. I think they enjoy it when they see us do it, too. There is no denying what a giant box office star The Rock is. I think peeling back a little bit and him being 'Final Boss' instead of being happy-go-lucky Rock, I think that is a character that can say, 'Yeah, I am not here all the time. Yeah, so what? I will show up for eight minutes every six months, and it will still be the biggest.' I think there is freedom, and there is an air to play with that a little bit, and it makes it better and more real and more exciting for everybody. But yeah, piss off for not being here every week, guys. Come on [laughs]."​

Over time, Punk and The Rock have developed a friendship. Notably, The Rock called Punk a few years ago after Punk's departure from WWE, standing in the middle of the ring following a Raw event. Currently, Punk is slated to compete in the Men's Elimination Chamber, while The Rock is expected to appear at the event to address Cody Rhodes' alliance question.

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