Restraint has not factored into the rivalry between CM Punk and Roman Reigns so far on the road to WrestleMania 42. Ever since Reigns won the Men’s Royal Rumble and chose to challenge for Punk’s WWE World Heavyweight Championship, the two haven’t held back, with the two making reference to things such as Punk’s statements about Reigns on Colt Cabana’s “Art of Wrestling” podcast a decade ago to Punk bringing up the death of Reigns’ father, Sika, two years ago.

But one report is suggesting that there was one subject that was too far to be brought up during Punk and Reigns’ most recent “WWE Raw” exchange. Bodyslam+ reports that Reigns’ line about Punk being old, leading to Punk decking Reigns with a right hand, was not originally supposed to happen. Instead, Reigns was supposed to get even darker than Punk’s reference to Reigns’ father by bringing up Larry, Punk and AJ Lee’s late dog.

A staple of Punk’s life since he and Lee first rescued him in 2015, Larry had become synonymous with Punk, who included him on his merchandise and attire, and even brought Larry with him to events. After a decline in health in 2025 that led to him requiring surgery, Larry passed away in December, with both Punk and Lee taking the death hard.

There was no indication given regarding the line about Larry being changed at Punk’s request, or if WWE decided to scrap the line for other reasons. At the moment, Reigns is scheduled to make three more “Raw” appearances in the lead up to WrestleMania, leaving open the possibility that Larry could still be incorporated into the storyline.