After a weekend deliberation, the controversial figure CM Punk decided what show he would be on moving forward. The self-proclaimed “Best in the World” chose the flagship Monday Night Raw brand. But why would he choose to do so?
The move makes sense for three reasons: storyline purposes, network negotiating, and WrestleMania 40.
STORYLINE PURPOSES
When CM Punk shocked the world by returning to the WWE at Survivor Series, he appeared on-screen approximately 10 minutes behind Randy Orton’s return from an injury that put The Viper on the shelf for 18 months. Instantly on the road to WrestleMania, you gained two mega-stars in your lineup. But their returns left a question: where would these stars end up?
Randy Orton sealed his allegiences to SmackDown with an RKO to General Manager Nick Aldis. Now with Orton on Fridays, could Adam Pearce and Raw really lose out on two big stars in the new General Manager era? It would only make sense SmackDown gets one, Raw would get the other.
Then flashback to January 2014. It’s Monday Night Raw in Cleveland… and Punk takes his ball and goes home. CM Punk walked out on Monday Night RAW, not SmackDown. Then almost ten years later, CM Punk says he’s returned home. CM Punk, back in Cleveland, decides to officially return to the same show he left, Monday Night Raw.
Storyline wise, it makes sense.
NETWORK NEGOTIATING
We mentioned SmackDown got Randy Orton and Raw got CM Punk. There’s more of a science to this than you think.
WWE’s television deals expire next year. The WWE has already announced SmackDown would return to the USA Network in Fall 2024. They also announced NXT and The CW have agreed to terms, bringing WWE’s third brand to The CW for the first time.
There’s only one show without a deal announced for next year… Monday Night Raw.
With ongoing negotiations to put your show, WWE is trying to maximize their profits where nothing is off the table, even moving Raw away from its traditional Monday night. So while WWE is trying to secure the best deal for Raw, they need to put every chip on the table.
Raw needs a big name to dangle in front of these networks. CM Punk, love him or hate him, is that big name. Punk draws ratings. Who wants CM Punk? You’ll have to pay big money for Raw featuring CM Punk, much more than if Punk had sided with another show.
WRESTLEMANIA 40
The biggest WrestleMania in WWE history is just a few short months away. In the first WrestleMania under the TKO banner, all eyes will be on the product to deliver in a big way. We’ll have dream matches and one of them will involve CM Punk.
From the last week, we can gather CM Punk did not come back to WWE to take a backseat. On SmackDown, he said main eventing WrestleMania was his story to finish. On Raw, he went face-to-face with the World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. That tells you WWE has decided their main event.
Cody Rhodes was never the option for Seth Rollins at WrestleMania. Rhodes going after the World Heavyweight Championship would be seen as the “consolation prize” rather than the “story’s happy ending.” Rhodes might be the backup plan for Roman Reigns if WWE can’t secure The Rock for Philadelphia. So that leaves Raw’s world title picture without a challenger.
Could Damian Priest cash-in and main event WrestleMania? His performance the last year proves he would put in his best effort (see Backlash versus Bad Bunny in Puerto Rico). Could the likes of Drew McIntyre, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, or Gunther put on a 5-star match for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania? Absolutely!
But none of those names are CM Punk. None of them have a dream match against Seth Rollins. None of them have legitimate beef that has built the marquee match. And unfortunately for them, a part-timer has come to take their spot, a critique of CM Punk ten years ago.
The money match is CM Punk versus Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship. They will main event Night 1 of WrestleMania, the first in CM Punk’s controversial career.
WHAT COULD’VE BEEN
With the clear direction of Punk and Rollins at WrestleMania, this takes every fan’s mind into the “what if.”
WHAT IF CM PUNK HAD SIGNED WITH SMACKDOWN?
The big money match there still exists: CM Punk versus Roman Reigns in the battle of the Paul Heyman Guys. Punk even referenced this on his promo last Friday. The story is there. Who would Paul Heyman choose? We won’t get our answer anytime soon.
We won’t get this at WrestleMania this year. If anything, Punk’s decision to move to Raw (for now) suggests we could see Roman’s title reign continue after WrestleMania 40 and we eventually see this showdown in 2024. Adding this wrinkle into the Bloodline and Roman Reigns story would add another notch in the belt of Roman’s historic title run. It would be a great “Road to WrestleMania” story, but just not now.
IT IS WHAT IT IS
If you’re skeptical like I am about CM Punk’s return, you might be disappointed CM Punk is taking a WrestleMania main event spot away from a full-timer. This is why a lot of fans sided with CM Punk, didn’t they? Punk was there 365 days a year, held the WWE Championship for 434 days in his prime, and got put on the backburner when part-time legends would return for WrestleMania. Now Punk returns the favor.
We likely won’t see Damian Priest, Sami Zayn, Drew McIntyre and company in a marquee match at WrestleMania this year. We certainly won’t see either of those guys main event. But this is a reminder WWE is in the money-making business.
Simply put, CM Punk versus Seth Rollins makes money.
