23-year veteran to headline WrestleMania 40 after CM Punk's injury? Exploring the possibility

CM Punk delivered an excellent performance during the 2024 men's Royal Rumble match. It was his first televised bout following his infamous WWE exit in 2014, and fans were excited to see him in action.

Unfortunately, The Second City Saint suffered a significant injury during the multi-man contest. On RAW, Punk announced that he tore his right tricep on Saturday and will need to undergo rehab. Drew McIntyre eventually interrupted him and attacked his injured arm after a war of words.

McIntyre has stopped Damian Priest from cashing in his Money in the Bank contract more than once on Seth Rollins and has been eyeing the World Heavyweight Championship for a while. Hence, he can replace CM Punk in the rumored title feud against The Visionary at The Show of Shows.

WWE's next major premium live event is Elimination Chamber. If McIntyre emerges victorious in a potential Chamber match, he can become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. Last year, the 23-year wrestling veteran failed to dethrone Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship, but this year, he might finally be able to secure singles gold.

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Former WWE employee shares his take on CM Punk's latest RAW segment

When CM Punk announced his injury on RAW, he choked up. However, it did not sit well with former WWE head writer Vince Russo.

On Sportskeeda Wrestling's Legion of RAW, Russo spoke about how several male stars had cried in the ring recently.

"I'm getting a little tired of every freaking male wrestler crying in the ring. Like seriously? When I talk about the marks that made it to the ring, this is what I'm talking about. He's crying, Cody's [Rhodes] crying. Guys, get over it, bro. This is make-believe BS."

The veteran further mentioned how it was okay for a performer to occasionally break down in front of the audience. However, he claimed that WWE stars were consistently "crying" on television:

"Once in a while, you will see an athlete break down in a press conference, once in a while. Guys are crying every freaking week on RAW. Punk's crying, and then Cody comes back later on, and he's choking up. My God," Russo added.

Currently, it's unknown who Seth Rollins' next challenger will be. However, The Visionary asked Cody Rhodes to challenge him for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 40 over Roman Reigns.