Seth Rollins and CM Punk's promo battle on RAW heavily praised by WWE veteran

WWE Superstars Seth Rollins and CM Punk tore each other apart verbally on this week's Monday Night RAW. The segment on the red brand drew the attention of wrestling veteran Dutch Mantell, who expressed significant admiration for it.

The Second City Saint and The Visionary are set to clash on the RAW's Netflix premiere on January 6, 2025. However, before their encounter, the two former WWE World Champions engaged in a heated promo battle on the December 30, 2024, episode of the red brand.

CM Punk promised to bring his "fistful of arrows." Whereas Seth Rollins vowed to bring "his eyes of fire, a heart full of hate and rage" to burn his opponent to the ground.

Speaking on his Story Time with Dutch Mantell podcast, the former WWE manager stated that the Punk-Rollins verbal exchange was one of the most impactful segments he had seen in recent years. He emphasized the palpable chemistry between the two performers. Dutch Mantell voiced his desire to see this heightened aggression translate into their in-ring bout:

"I think of the better interviews [segments] I've heard in several years. I think those guys [Seth Rollins & CM Punk] work well together," he said. "I think CM Punk though, he cut to the quick as they say, and I think he brought blood first and that made me want to see the first. So I want to see if they can put this intensity that they had in that promo [battle] if they can put that in their match, it'd be worth seeing," he added. [From 37:24 to 38:23]

Check out the full episode below:

Former WWE star comments on CM Punk and Seth Rollins ahead of their match

Among many others, reigning TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth (fka Dolph Ziggler) also shared his thoughts on the promo segment between The Revolutionary and The Best in the World. The former WWE star discussed this on a recent episode of the Busted Open podcast.

Dolph Ziggler acknowledged the responsibility placed on CM Punk and Seth Rollins to successfully utilize their words to entice viewers and generate excitement for the premiere of RAW on Netflix:

"Think of how important you are to a show when they make the two [CM Punk and Seth Rollins] of you the go-home piece. There's no physicality, there's no blood and guts, there's no pyro. It's on you and your words to talk everybody into the building of Netflix," he said.

It will be interesting to see if the tension between the two former WWE World Champions will be resolved on the historic episode of the red brand or if it will escalate to a climactic showdown at WrestleMania 41.

Please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.