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CM Punk was one of the favorites to win the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble. He made it to the end with Cody Rhodes but fell short against The American Nightmare.
Even if The Best in the World had won, he would have missed his WrestleMania moment due to suffering an injury during the contest.
It's a year later, and Punk is again one of the favorites to outlast 29 other WWE stars. He should finally get the honor of winning this year's Royal Rumble for the next five reasons.
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#5. Winning in 2026 is likely off the table
WWE announced that the 2026 Rumble will take place in Saudi Arabia. Since the partnership began, certain shows, like Crown Jewel and Night of Champions, were better suited to the country.
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Having one of its Big Four PLEs in the controversial country is a move to up its international game. The problem is that other shows take place there.
WWE should have booked next year's Rumble in either London, Paris, Canada, Mexico, or a different international locale that doesn't frequently host PLEs. Certain stars have refused to work shows in Saudi Arabia in the past due to political situations.
Punk was vocal about the partnership before joining WWE. His outspoken nature means he would likely reject participation in 2026. If he doesn’t win this year, it’s likely he won’t win (or even compete) next year.
#4. A teased feud with The Ring General
One reason CM Punk should win the Royal Rumble this year is because he has already teased a match with Gunther. After winning his feud with Drew McIntyre, Punk tried to move on to the title scene. He was interrupted by Seth Rollins.
Rollins then engaged in a feud with The Best in the World, with Punk winning their showdown at RAW on Netflix. He tried to state his title aspirations again but was cut off by The Visionary.
WWE has already teased Punk going after Gunther and the World Heavyweight title. Since the two sides haven’t faced off despite a few teases, Punk winning and facing The Ring General at The Show of Shows would make sense.
#3. Father Time is undefeated
A big reason CM Punk should win this year‘s Royal Rumble is that he’s 46 years old. He’s not getting any younger and has suffered several injuries since returning to the ring a few years back.
His tenure in AEW was riddled with injuries after big wins. Punk even suffered an unfortunate triceps injury during last year's Rumble contest. It cost him WrestleMania and six months of action.
The former AEW World Champion is healthy at the moment. WWE should take advantage and strike while the iron is hot with Punk. He's moved seamlessly between feuds because of his promo ability. There aren't many stars who can do that.
#2. Revisiting a blockbuster feud teased before both Royal Rumbles
The best thing going with CM Punk is his ability to have a feud with anybody. While a lot of fans are rooting for Roman Reigns to win simply because he’s a good guy now, he does little work to sell his feuds.
Paul Heyman does 90% of the work, and Roman does the other 10% when he shows up. Punk's also a part-timer but appears much more frequently than The Head of the Table.
Before the 2024 Rumble, Rhodes and Punk had a tense confrontation. The two stars closed the go-home RAW ahead of this year's contest. They were the last two competitors last year and could eventually settle the score at WrestleMania.
Roman has already confirmed that he only cares about the WWE Championship, so his winning provides no intrigue. WWE tries to paint some idea of who the winner will target ahead of The Showcase of the Immortals.
#1. He'd be a first-time winner
One big reason for CM Punk winning the Royal Rumble is that he hasn’t won it already. Many of the names who declared for the match have already won it.
John Cena has two Rumble victories. Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Drew McIntyre also have a Rumble win on their resumes.
Despite being away from WWE for a decade, Punk competed in the match seven times during his career. The fact that he doesn't have a Royal Rumble win on his résumé is shocking.
WWE should try to have different winners each year rather than handing the honor to someone who's already outlasted 29 other stars before.
