It’s a fairly big RAW In A Nutshell, with the looming question of the day being…where will CM Punk land?
Punk, once thought to be never able to return to WWE, has indeed done just that.
And, as a free agent in WWE terms, he’s been on a bit of a whirlwind tour.
Last Friday he was on SmackDown and delivered a good and proper promo, without fear of the show fading to black.
Then, he put over NXT by appearing during that brand”s premium live event, Deadl1ne.
Now, tonight, he comes once again to RAW, where a contract signing awaits. Given who we expect his first feud to be against, it seems likely that Pearce will get his man.
But, there is more than just that.
Shinsuke Nakamura has it out for Cody Rhodes, and tonight, maybe the two catch up?
Jey Uso has a bone to pick with Drew McIntyre, so there’s that, too.
And then there is The Man, who has a years-old receipt for Nia Jax just waiting to get cashed in.
Report On Nia Jax Since Returning To WWE
So, it’s a pretty loaded RAW, all things considered.
Which means then that it is time for…
RAW In A Nutshell: Where Will CM Punk Land?
Let’s see how this Nutshell unfolds!
Best Match of the night:
Would it be bad for me to put two segments in here, instead of matches?
Punk and Rollins, hands down, was the segment of the night.
Becky and Nia was not bad either.
Worst match of the night:
Rhea Ripley versus Maxxine.
Ripley wanted and got a squash, and any casual fan knew that Maxxine wasn’t a threat just yet (if ever).
But it left me thinking less of Dupri, and she had been on a nice little run.
As much as both Cody and Shinsuke can go…their main event clash just didn’t hit for me.
Crowd Chants of the Night:
Yeet
CM Punk
Star of the Night
Definitely giving a nod to Drew McIntyre. The slow turn has been nice to see.
But this one belonged primarily to CM Punk and Seth Rollins.
At the end of the day, they finally said the quiet part out loud. No sense in ignoring the 800 pound elephant in the room.
Everyone knows what happened, everyone knows what the story is, so embrace the drama and go make money.
Spot of the Night:
Really not going to run with a spot tonight.
I mean, red mist? Sure maybe.
Otherwise, nothing really.
Jobber of the Night:
Sorry Maxxine, but this is yours tonight.
Upset of the Night:
Mami is upset.
Judgement Day showing signs of fracture?
I am going to throw this out there…could we see them in a big match at WrestleMania, and the group implodes?
Attacks Dom, and Rey runs out to save his son? I mean, that’s where this all goes, right?
Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:
Not a total shock really, after he actually returned…
And with that official stuff out of the way…
Botch of the night:
Not a botch per se, but this was the worst I think Maxxine has looked.
It was kept short, but perhaps she should be one that gets some extra time down in NXT should the opportunity arise.
LOL Moment of the night:
I hope happy CM Punk sticks around for a while, because this was funny.
But Truth needs some love too…
Noteworthy Moment:
Jey got his Yeet back, apparently.
Folks in WWE learned, not putting Punk on last without enough time.
And, they were rewarded, because that promo with him and Rollins? You could hear the money being printed.
2024 feud of the year and we haven’t even wrapped 2023 yet.
Nice six man tag. Curious to see how long a Miz run as a face goes, because if you’ve watched his show at all, he can be very entertaining and likeable.
But, he also is an excellent, if underrated, heel.
Overall lowlights:
I suppose the Maxxine/Rhea match. Adding an Ivy Nile stare at Rhea doesn’t help, because right now neither woman is in Ripley’s class.
Cody Rhodes and Shinsuke Nakamura should get me more excited than it is.
Overall highlights:
After the All Out brawl, many fans and pundits said that AEW fumbled.
As in, if you have smart people and cool heads, you turn real life drama into ratings.
Perhaps there was too much legit bad blood, and perhaps no cool heads there (maybe, maybe not, I don’t know).
But what WWE did with Rollins cutting the promo on Punk? That is what AEW could have and should have done with him a year ago (injury depending) and they failed to do.
That’s a failure on the Bucks, on the Elite, on Tony Khan, and anyone else involved who couldn’t come to some peace to make it happen.
I have a lot more faith in the execution of this here with WWE, and perhaps part of that is because it’s poking fun at the drama that didn’t unfold in their own locker rooms…but whatever it is, this should be gold.
After the final bell:
Really strong RAW. And we now know the answer to where will CM Punk land (not that there was much doubt).
The one knock would be that Punk and Rollins should have gone last, but I’d imagine that everyone involved was like…not going to repeat the abbreviated return promo.
But that was the segment of the night, and if we wind up with Punk and Rhodes leaving Philadelphia with the top titles, I would not be that upset.
