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CM Punk got a lot off his chest when returning to RAW in his hometown of Chicago. The latest edition of RAW had two contrasting promo segments featuring top stars.
Cody Rhodes and The Rock had a silent exchange on RAW, with The Great One simply whispering something into Rhodes' ears. However, it got physical at the end of the show. CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, and Seth Rollins traded verbal barbs in one of the better exchanges of 2024.
Punk started things by addressing what he would be doing for WrestleMania 40. He was interrupted by Drew McIntyre after mentioning him. Seth Rollins then came out since the conversation involved the World Heavyweight Championship.
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All three stars unloaded references galore, including the tidbits you may have missed from RAW.
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#5 Drew McIntyre's contributions
If you know CM Punk, you know he's infamous for sitting cross-legged on the ground. It could be in the middle of the ring or anywhere else in an arena.
Drew McIntyre has repeatedly done this since Punk's injury. He did so again on RAW as he sat atop the announce table for most of the segment. As Punk left the ring, leaving Seth Rollins alone, McIntyre started to mutter some lines about how Punk is Drew's biggest 'stan.' and how he's kept Punk relevant.
The words referred to Eminem's hit song 'Stan' about a fan who idolized the rapper and wrote him letters. McIntyre has claimed that while Punk's been injured, Punk has been Drew's biggest fan. The reference could also be how many people looked up to Punk as a hero, but after meeting him, their viewpoint changed.
#4 Punk referenced his feud with The Rock
Punk rattled off a few stars talking about him, including Rollins and McIntyre. However, one person who hasn't been speaking about him was The Rock.
The former AEW Champion mentioned why he thought The Final Boss didn't address his return. Punk used the line 'his arms were too short to box with God.' The line comes from James Weldon Johnson's poem, which references two sons.
It parallels how everyone has to confront someone better or stronger in their lives, and sometimes that person is their mortality. The line has been used in songs, TV shows, and other realms of pop culture.
Due to how both stars are known for their promos, Punk was likely to claim victory in verbal spats from 10 years ago.
#3 CM Punk's quick hits on RAW
A few of Punk's references on RAW were relatively quick and could have gone over some heads or been completely missed.
One was that he likes to handle business 'live and in living color.' The band Living Colour provides Punk's theme 'Cult of Personality' and has done so for years.
He also mentioned April and Netflix when referencing that his mouth still works despite being injured. April is his wife, AJ Lee (Mendez), and the reference is that he can still have fun with his spouse despite his arm injury. The PG Era will likely end when RAW moves to Netflix in 2025.
#2 Seth Rollins' contributions
With the conversation turning to WrestleMania 40 and the World Heavyweight Championship, Rollins interjected himself into the conversation.
Since Punk and McIntyre were trading barbs, Rollins dislikes both men for different reasons. When he entered the ring, a few of his comments referenced how The Scottish Warrior and Punk were acting like a couple of children.
That could have been a backhanded comment about how Tony Khan let things go off the rails at the All Out scrum. It started Punk's eventual departure from AEW after several other instances of grown men acting immaturely.
#1 Who chose The Chosen One?
One moment that garnered sounds of shock from the Chicago audience was a quick exchange between McIntyre and Punk. McIntyre claimed that he was always The Chosen One, and he'd be just that after winning the World Heavyweight title in front of Punk at WrestleMania 40.
Punk wasted no time yelling, "Who made you the Chosen One? Who? What paragon of good virtue made you The Chosen One?" McIntyre smiled, and the segment went on.
That line concerns Vince McMahon, the former head of everything in WWE. Recent lawsuits and revelations have unearthed how unsavory some things were under the former chairman.
