CM Punk Enters Royal Rumble, Takes Shot At AEW On SmackDown
Highlights
- CM Punk announces his decision on which brand to sign with on Monday Night Raw.
- He hints at entering the Royal Rumble and finishing his story to become the main event at WrestleMania.
- Punk takes a subtle shot at AEW and Kevin Owens, referencing backstage altercations and emphasizing the importance of not randomly punching people.
CM Punk took center stage on Friday night as WWE honored the military with their Tribute to the Troops show. While he cut a promo a bit more familiar to fans who like the version of Punk that is turned way up and not afraid to ruffle feathers, The Greatest in the World dropped names and news like he was trying to get years of being away into one segment.
Punk noted that he was going to be on Monday Night Raw next week, where he would make his decision as to which brand he was going to sign with. Noting Adam Pearce wants him on Raw, he'll officially make his decision. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go after Roman Reigns and The Bloodline, battle with Cody Rhodes, tag with LA Knight and/or Randy Orton, or go after Seth Rollins. One thing he did seemingly make official, he was entering himself into the Royal Rumble.
Saying everyone's got their own story to finish, he wants to finish what he started and his story involved being the main event at WrestleMania.
Saying he wasn't going to hold back, Punk did take a subtle shot at AEW during his promo. While talking about possibly battling Kevin Owens, he said he might have to put that one to the side. Those two might be a bit too much alike because 'Who wants to work with someone who goes around and randomly punches people in the face backstage? This is 2023 and you just can't do things like that. That's insane!'
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins Goes Off On CM Punk During Interview
During a Sports Illustrated interview, Seth Rollins kept building up his eventual WWE feud with the returning CM Punk.Fans will likely understand the reference as Owens punched Austin Theory and Grayson Waller in the face a couple of weeks ago and Punk was fired from AEW for his alleged backstage altercation with wrestlers on the roster. First, it was Kenny Omega and the members of The Elite. Then it was threatening Tony Khan before the company finally released him.
This Was The Punk Fans Were Waiting For
Unlike the first promo Punk cut where he catered to WWE and the fans, Punk still played the babyface role but had more of an edge on Friday night. He wasn't afraid to call out certain stars and then after the promo, backstage he rang into a number of the people he name-dropped.
Monday will be very interesting as it could be the starting point for his rivalry with Seth Rollins.
