Tag: CM Punk

WWE Raw results 01/22/24: Punk, Rhodes have a classic showdown, Priest upended

Seth Rollins also vowed to fight on to WrestleMania on WWE Raw from New Orleans.

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There’s a big time moment of truth that will lead off tonight’s episode of WWE Raw from New Orleans.

(From the Smoothie King Center, one of our favorite venue names anywhere.)

Seth Rollins is advertised to open the show, which isn’t unusual for Raw. As World Heavyweight Champion, the Visionary is pretty much The Man on this brand.

That would normally suggest he’s in line for a big time match at WrestleMania, perhaps even one that fans have been clamoring for ever since a certain Chicago native made his return to WWE.

But there’s been a complication: Rollins is hurt, and we don’t know at the moment how it might affect his availability over the next few months.

Might another segment on tonight’s show offer a clue? CM Punk and Cody Rhodes are going to be face to face in NOLA, which should be an entertaining exchange. While no one knows exactly what will happen next, the most popular theory is that Punk will win the Royal Rumble (he’s the betting favorite at the moment), positioning him to challenge Rollins, while Rhodes has to jump through one more hoop to try to finish his story against Roman Reigns.

But what if Rollins says he’s too injured and relinquishes his title? That isn’t what we expect to happen, but if it does, that would potentially change everything less than a week out from Royal Rumble.

These are the kind of intriguing nights wrestling fans live for, and we’re anxiously awaiting it as well. Off we go!

WWE Raw results from New Orleans:

(please scroll down for full details on any match or segment in bold)

  • CM Punk and Cody Rhodes are shown walking into the arena earlier today, hyping up their “confrontation” later in the show
  • Seth Rollins is determined to stay the course for WrestleMania, but Gunther’s sights are set on Seth’s world championship
  • The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) vs. Imperium (Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser) goes to a no contest after they end up in a wild brawl that ends up with all four men going through tables together out in the crowd
  • A trailer is shown for WWE 2K24, which was officially revealed today
  • The Judgment Day has a little tension going on, with Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley especially heated, and Finn Balor says he’ll do Rhea a favor and display his vicious side tonight
  • Maxxine Dupri says Ivy Nile is ready for her match tonight … which happens to be next
  • Ivy Nile def. Valhalla by pinfall
  • Jey Uso daps up The New Day, who tell Jackie Redmond that if people think they can’t stand on business just because they’re entertaining a lot of the time, they’re sadly mistaken; to that end, Kofi Kingston challenges Gunther to a title match next week on Raw
  • Nia Jax, Becky Lynch and Bayley all explain why they will win the Royal Rumble
  • A Royal Rumble “By the Numbers” package is shown
  • Lynch gets briefly taunted by Ripley backstage

  • Dominik Mysterio def. The Miz by pinfall; not only does Balor assist in the victory, he attacks Miz after the bell, but #DIY comes to the rescue
  • Priest is about to talk about his match with Drew McIntyre when he has to stop and tell R-Truth that this isn’t the right time; Priest then turns back to McIntyre and says he will receive his punishment tonight
  • Bronson Reed warns Jey Uso that their paths are eventually going to cross, so they might as well get it out of the way, and he challenges Jey to a match next week
  • Ivar def. Chad Gable by pinfall, thanks in part to some assistance from Valhalla
  • Cody Rhodes and CM Punk discuss the past … and the uncertain future that starts this Saturday
  • A video package features Hulk Hogan talking about the birth of Hulkamania and how he sees some of it in current stars, and he also discusses the Royal Rumble matches and his favorites in each one
  • Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark def. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell by pinfall; after the bell, the Kabuki Warriors attack tag team champs Katana Chance and Kayden Carter, who were watching from ringside
  • Drew McIntyre has nothing to say about the Rhodes-Punk confrontation, but he does have some tough talk for Priest, who he says isn’t ready to be world champion
  • Damage CTRL is feeling good, but Adam Pearce stops by and has to intervene when Natalya and Tegan Nox take exception to them, and Dakota Kai says if he has a problem with them, Pearce needs to take it up with Nick Aldis; Pearce turns and sees Indus Sher behind him, and he agrees to have a chat with Jinder Mahal
  • A second Royal Rumble By the Numbers package is shown with more fun tidbits and stats
  • Drew McIntyre def. Damian Priest by pinfall, aided largely by some very unfortunate timing on the part of R-Truth

Seth Rollins isn’t missing WrestleMania, but that might mean dealing with Gunther

The World Heavyweight Champion is serenaded by fans as usual as he heads to the ring, though there’s something unmistakably different about him: the brace on his left knee. It’s over his dress pants, though, which seems like a bit of a show, and the fans deliver a loud “thank you Seth” chant.

Rollins shows his appreciation for the love he’s receiving before going into an explanation of when he hurt himself a week ago facing Jinder Mahal. Seth says while doing a moonsault, he felt his knee “go in” in a way it’s not supposed to, but it took until he got to the back to sink in that he might be seriously hurt.

The champ goes on to say that it made him feel like a bit of a liar that he says he is always better and stronger, and he also says it crossed his mind that it was a real possibility that he might miss WrestleMania. Rollins says his MRI results were not great: grade 2 MCL tear and partially torn meniscus. It will mean four months off if he gets surgery, so he’s taking it day by day for now.

While that’s sinking in, Gunther’s music hits and Imperium makes its way to the ring, with the Ring General joining Rollins. Seth says he doesn’t have time for this and Imperium should just get an attack out of the way if that’s the plan.

Gunther says no, and that he’s really just out there to tell Rollins what he thinks of the world champ. As Gunther puts it, Seth has been in a tough position right from the start, expected to be a workhorse and living up to the ideal of a champion everyone can be proud of — just like Gunther.

It kind of pulls on Gunther’s heart strings seeing Rollins like this, he claims, and even saddens him to think Seth might not make it to WrestleMania. Rollins says Imperium should have let him finish, as he insists he will take the title to Mania and do everything in his power to leave that way too.

Gunther says he admires that, saying that as one great champion to another, he plans to win the Royal Rumble and choose Seth as his WrestleMania opponent. After he does that, the Ring General will target Seth’s knee and his back on his way to becoming World Heavyweight Champion.

Rollins replies that he appreciates the honesty, and both men say they better remember who is coming for them. Also Gunther said the Rumble is Sunday, so a graphic and Michael Cole quickly remind us it’s really Saturday.

Nia Jax, Becky Lynch, Bayley make their Royal Rumble cases

Jax asks for a mic so she can point out that the first time she went one on one with Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch, she squashed both of them. Nia says she understands why the two of them want to fight at WrestleMania since neither of them can beat Jax.

So this Saturday, Nia plans on killing both of their dreams. That boast brings out Lynch, who tells Jax to shut up. Becky says she knows she has a target on her back in the Royal Rumble match … but not as big as the target on Nia. After all, the locker room never agrees on anything, but they do agree that no one likes Jax.

Lynch says she’s not sure what she will enjoy more, winning the Rumble match again or watching Jax lose. That brings out Bayley, who says “both of you idiots are going to lose.” The Role Model was looking for Ripley but says this is almost better.

Bayley wants to make it clear: She’s winning the Rumble and will be the one to point at the WrestleMania sign. Both Lynch and Jax start beating on her, then throwing hands with each other. Lynch hits a Manhandle Slam on Bayley but gets thrown out by Jax, who drops a leg on Bayley.

Will Cody Rhodes and CM Punk still be friends after the Royal Rumble … or even after tonight?

Punk suggests they take a second to enjoy the moment, as even though they’ve taken very different paths to get here, they’ve done it. He hopes they will still be friends come Sunday morning.

Rhodes asks both the crowd and Punk what they want to talk about, and the latter says he wants to talk about Cody’s dad. He says this is a story he’s never told, one about Dusty asking Punk to keep an eye on his son. Punk says he didn’t know Cody or think he needed a guardian angel, but when the American Dream asks for a favor, you say yes.

The job was easy, as Cody didn’t fall into any vices or get into much trouble, and Punk says he was proud of Cody. Alas, that means Saturday he’s going to feel like he’s breaking a promise, as in the Royal Rumble he’ll be looking for Cody and do whatever he needs to do to win.

Cody responds that Punk is hardly alone among people who are talking to him but thinking of Dusty. It’s a very large shadow, but Cody says he’s done everything in his power to be the light in that shadow and subvert expectations. He remembers his OVW days and appreciates Punk treating him like a peer, and later a friend.

That makes it bittersweet that in the Rumble, there are no friends. What about Sunday morning, Punk asks, wondering if Cody can separate business from personal. And he goes a step further suggesting that with his electrician dad, he’s more of the American dream than Punk.

Cody responds by bringing up the famous Pipe Bomb interview, saying that when Punk left after that, he picked up the ball and lived what CM talked … so he’s more CM Punk than the man himself.

Punk hints at a much bigger superstar coming to take Cody’s story away, but sadly he means himself and not The Rock. The American Nightmare says the only way he can go from here is forward, meaning through Punk. When Cody goes to leave, CM grabs him and spins him around, and the two men are literally nose to nose for a few tense moments.

Fans chant loudly for both men until they finally separate, with Cody leaving the ring and Punk on the other side of it.

Damian Priest gets some Truth at the wrong time against Drew McIntyre

Considering they are snarling at each other before the bell even rings, it’s no surprise that it doesn’t take long for them to lock up. An evenly fought opening few minutes finally leads them to battle on the floor, where Priest is able to run McIntyre into the post. A Broken Arrow onto the announce table is next, leaving the Judgment Day stalwart in good shape going into a commercial break.

Priest is still knocking McIntyre around after the break, scoring a near fall after a running lariat. A chinlock keeps the Scottish Warrior grounded for just a sec, but simultaneous big boots leave both men on the canvas.

McIntyre kips up and hears some cheers as he looks for a Claymore, but Priest sidesteps it only to be caught by a spinebuster for a two count. Priest responds with a flatliner of sorts that gets him two right back.

A series of kicks from Priest is answered by a Glasgow Kiss. McIntyre heads up top but gets caught by a kick to the back of the head, and Priest turns some counters into a Broken Arrow and another near fall.

Priest hits his feet on the top rope but still pulls off a somersault plancha, but R-Truth shows up and distracts him at a critical moment. That allows McIntyre to hit the Future Shock, and he lines up again for a Claymore attempt.

Truth is on the apron now, and takes a right hand from McIntyre. Priest hits the South of Heaven, but the ref is occupied with Truth and the money scattered all over the ring.

You know what’s coming next: a Claymore from McIntyre, giving Scottish Warrior the win.

WWE Raw preview 01/22/24: Cody Rhodes, CM Punk go face to face

Tonight’s WWE Raw will also kick off with Seth Rollins addressing what’s next in the wake of injury reports.

We’re now just five days away from the 2024 Royal Rumble, and to say the anticipation is building would be an understatement. Heck, there might be more entrants with a decent chance of winning that at any time in recent memory. There’s plenty of business to take care of first, however, and that’s what has our attention for tonight’s WWE Raw from New Orleans.

What will CM Punk and Cody Rhodes want to talk about?

As it stands right now, CM Punk is the betting favorite to win the Men’s Royal Rumble match. Right behind him? Why it’s WWE 2K24 cover boy Cody Rhodes, of course. And only one of them can actually be the last man standing in St. Petersburg to punch a ticket to WrestleMania.

That’s going to be an issue, because both men really want to win the Rumble. For Rhodes, it’s the most direct way to try to finish his story. For Punk, it’s a way to catapult himself right back into the main event scene just months after returning to WWE.

The thing is that each of them knows that about the other as well. It should be really interesting when the two of them are in the ring together, especially considering the next item on our list of things to watch for …

Is Seth Rollins going to be able to fight through injury?

Seth Rollins is hurting. That’s nothing new for any top level wrestler, but the World Heavyweight Champion is reportedly nursing some serious knee ailments. The question is whether he will be able to work through them, and that’s likely what we’ll find out tonight.

The guess here is that Rollins will gut it out for a few more months if at all possible, with WWE using him sparingly in the ring if need be. Then he’ll take time off to have surgery or rehab, whatever is needed.

There’s a lot of hope for a Punk vs. Rollins match at WrestleMania. If Rollins says tonight he’s out, that changes things considerably — and may even call for him to relinquish his title.

Can Drew McIntyre get some satisfaction by defeating Damian Priest?

While Drew McIntyre has been doing some of the best character work of his career the past few months, we didn’t see Damian Priest getting drawn into his web of people blamed for his current status quo. Like everything else McIntyre has done, though, it makes perfect sense.

The only way the Scottish Warrior has been able to reconcile some of his misfortune is by taking it out on the people responsible for the perceived wrongs. Will Priest be like Rollins and fight McIntyre off, or will be end up a victim?

Also advertised for WWE Raw from New Orleans:

  • Ivy Nile takes on Valhalla
  • Chad Gable faces Ivar
  • The Miz goes up against “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio

The last Raw before Royal Rumble heads our way starting at 8 p.m. ET tonight, and we’ll be recapping it live as always here at Wrestling Junkie.

WWE Royal Rumble 2024: Breaking down the official entrants and their chances of winning

Who has the best chances to win the Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumble matches in St. Petersburg?

Year after year, the Royal Rumble remains one of the most highly anticipated events on the wrestling calendar.

But despite its usual buzz and attention, the match itself hasn’t always delivered. When I say that, I’m not just pointing to the execution of the match (2014 and 2015 being prime examples), but for the purposes of this piece, I’m also looking at the lack of quality storytelling leading up to it.

Heading into the 2024 edition of the match, however, I believe WWE has actually done a good job of creating a lot of intriguing options and stories for both the men’s and women’s matches. So much so that you could make the case for anyone that has officially declared for the match as of this writing to win.

Who will earn a championship match at WrestleMania? Let’s break down the official participants’ chances:

Cody Rhodes

If we’re going to have this discussion, we must start with the winner of last year’s men’s Rumble, Cody Rhodes, who has a story he really needs to finish. 

An easy path to completing said story would be to have Rhodes win the Rumble, challenge Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, and defeat him to win back the title that was taken away from his father decades ago.

Image credit: WWE.com

Because of that, I’d say Rhodes’ chances of repeating as the last person standing — a feat only Hulk Hogan (1990-91), Shawn Michaels (1995-96), and Steve Austin (1997-98) have accomplished before him — are pretty high.

With that said, it is not necessarily required for Rhodes to win the Rumble to get a shot at Reigns, as February’s Elimination Chamber could also present opportunity if WWE chooses to go that route.

Also, you’ve got the elephant — or should I say rock — in the room known as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who could easily usurp Rhodes for that main event position against Reigns at WrestleMania. 

But until that comes to fruition, Rhodes would be a safe pick.

CM Punk

Outside of Rhodes, the person most people will tap as their winner of the 2024 men’s Royal Rumble is CM Punk.

Image credit: WWE.com

Punk is back after nearly a decade of being gone, and a quick and easy way to put him on the forefront of WWE programming heading into WrestleMania is by having him win the Rumble. As of right now, it remains one of the few milestones Punk has yet to reach in his illustrious — and controversial — career.

What also makes Punk a logical choice to win is the fact that Rhodes already won it last year. Although WWE has had three people win back-to-back Rumbles in the past, it also hasn’t happened since 1998. To me, that could clear the way for Punk to take home the win this year.

Would Punk’s opponent be WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins? It sure seems like that will be the case, but with Rollins’ recent knee injury, that could change.

Shinsuke Nakamura

Despite being in some high-profile feuds as of late, Shinsuke Nakamura has come out on the short end at pretty much every turn. For me, that rules the 2018 Rumble winner out as the potential last person standing in 2024.

Image credit: WWE.com

However, I can foresee a scenario where he finally gets one over on Rhodes by eliminating the American Nightmare from the Rumble. It won’t make up for all of the losses Nakamura has taken up to this point, but it would serve as an easy way for the former Intercontinental Champion to regain at least some of his heat.

Bobby Lashley

I don’t think picking Bobby Lashley to win the Royal Rumble in any other year would be a bad choice. But there are exceptions to most rules, and I feel like 2024 is one of them.

Lashley is certainly worthy of being in the main event picture on Smackdown and maybe he will re-enter that stratosphere in due time, but he is currently embroiled in a faction war with Karrion Kross and the Authors of Pain, who are now collectively known as The Final Testament.

At the moment, Lashley and the Street Profits feel like they are being used as a vehicle to get the new group over, which would obviously require Lashley to take a little bit of a step back. If the plan for the time being is for Lashley and the Street Profits to get The Last Testament over, I don’t see how Lashley wins the Rumble.

Drew McIntyre

Is it me or is Drew McIntyre doing tremendous work as a heel? Unfortunately, the timing isn’t quite as tremendous.

In any other year, I think McIntyre would be a lock to win. However, with so many stars and unfinished stories at the top of the card, I don’t feel like 2024 will be the year for McIntyre to win his second Rumble match.

With that said, I think he will have a quality performance before ultimately being eliminated from the match.

Gunther

Before CM Punk arrived, I firmly believed Gunther was going to defeat Rollins at WrestleMania and become the new World Heavyweight Champion. Granted, he’d probably lose the Intercontinental title first, but you could not tell me otherwise.

Apr 2, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; Gunther during Wrestlemania Night 2 at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

But Punk did, in fact, return to WWE and is now seemingly on a collision course with Rollins. So what now for Gunther? Well, a strong showing in the Rumble would be cool.

A win? Unfortunately, I don’t see it in the cards. However, I do believe Gunther will be in the world title picture at some point in 2024. 

Bayley

Let’s flip over to the women’s side where fewer people have declared, but it is still a strong group of contenders.

Bayley is at the top of a lot of people’s lists, and for good reason. Bayley has never won a Royal Rumble and looks to be on her way out of Damage CTRL. 

What better way for her to gain revenge on her possibly soon-to-be former friends than by challenging IYO SKY for the WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania?

I’m not a betting man, but if I were, I’d consider putting some credits on Bayley to win.

Nia Jax

Another person that has never won the Royal Rumble is Nia Jax, who has enjoyed what has been a pretty successful run since returning to WWE last year.

Jax’s run includes a pin fall victory over 2019 women’s Royal Rumble winner Becky Lynch, which is not something a lot of people on the roster can say.

However, I believe that victory will leave the door open for Lynch to gain a measure of revenge and eliminate Jax from the match.

Becky Lynch

But how far does Lynch go after that? Pretty far, I believe.

Nothing has been confirmed, but it sure looks like Lynch is being primed for a match against WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania. A logical way to get there would be to have Lynch win her second Rumble match.

But like Rhodes, winning the Rumble isn’t required to get Lynch and Ripley to that point. Plus, if my prediction of Lynch eliminating Jax comes true, I’d imagine Jax would not take that too kindly and literally knock Lynch out of the match.

Bianca Belair

Whenever Bianca Belair is involved, you can never rule her completely out.

WWE has pushed her to the moon pretty much since 2021 and she has delivered at every step of the way. In my eyes, she’s a made woman on the roster as a result. So I understand if there are some out there who will predict Belair will win her second Rumble match.

Apr 2, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; Bianca Belair during Wrestlemania Night 2 at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

With that said, I’m not sure how much sense it would make for Belair to win this year’s women’s Royal Rumble. I’m basing that solely off the stories WWE has been telling the last few months. It simply feels like WWE is moving in different directions.

That is not to say Belair will not be involved in any major storylines. Like I said, WWE seemingly has complete faith in her ability and will keep her figured in. But I just don’t think it’s her turn to win it all this year. 

Next year could be a completely different story.

[lawrence-related id=42212]

Seth Rollins knee injury looms over potential dream match at WrestleMania

If you’re hoping to see Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk at WrestleMania, the update on Seth’s injured knee is worrisome.

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Sometimes WWE books WrestleMania matches months in advance. Often it does not, and there’s something to be said by waiting until the Showcase of the Immortals draws a bit closer. One advantage? If injuries strike, WWE doesn’t have to switch gears on the fly.

There’s also the need to let events like Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber, which are often key to finalizing some prominent WrestleMania matches, play out. But even when it seems clear WWE is headed in a particular direction, holding off on announcing even a highly anticipated match can be the cautious course of action in case something unfortunate happens.

This is relevant now because of what’s befallen World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. Though the path to getting there wasn’t entirely clear, it’s looked for all the world that Rollins was being positioned for a dream match against CM Punk at WrestleMania 40. It’s one of the reasons Punk is the betting favorite to win the Royal Rumble, which would set their big money showdown — and potential Mania main event for one of its two nights — in straightforward fashion.

That would be a no brainer except that Rollins appeared to injure his knee while defending his title against Jinder Mahal earlier this week on Raw. He was reportedly helped to the back and was taken off house shows where he was advertised over the past few days, replaced by Randy Orton.

While Rollins seems to have avoided the big fear of an ACL tear, Fightful Select (subscription required) cited source saying he instead tore his MCL and partially tore his meniscus. His path to recovery, as well as how WWE will address it on TV, is unclear.

However, it is not known as of yet if he’ll require surgery, though the hope is that he can avoid it. We also aren’t sure how WWE will play things on television, or if the injury will be downplayed or embellished.

It’s possible to recover from a torn MCL through physical therapy depending on the severity of the injury. Part of Rollins’ personal narrative as champion has been a willingness to battle through physical adversity, usually framed around ongoing issues with his back.

So maybe Rollins sports a knee brace for the next few months, guts his way to WrestleMania and faces Punk coming off a Royal Rumble victory. Or perhaps he needs surgery and WWE is forced to create a different path for Punk.

Either way, by not announcing or even doing more than hinting at a Punk-Rollins WrestleMania meeting, WWE has bought itself some time to figure out what Rollins can handle and if he can still play a big role at WrestleMania. That’s just good business, even under less than ideal circumstances.

[lawrence-related id=43922]

WWE announces CM Punk for Elimination Chamber in Australia

WWE announced CM Punk will appear at the Elimination Chamber premium live event next month.

Despite the upcoming WWE Royal Rumble in two weeks, anticipation is rising for the Elimination Chamber premium live event. This show, which will take place at Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia, is the biggest in the history of this PLE, not including how it’s the final major event before WrestleMania 40 in April.

Entering Saturday, there was no announcement for Elimination Chamber, understandably so with Royal Rumble yet to happen. However, that changed when FOX Sports Australia reported that CM Punk will appear at the show happening on Feb. 24.

WWE later confirmed the news on X.

The FOX Sports Australia article mentions tickets are still available for Elimination Chamber, so the announcement of Punk may have been a strategy to boost sales within five weeks until the show. It promotes the PLE while WWE continues building Royal Rumble for the rest of January.

Punk’s plans at Elimination Chamber will depend on the outcome of the Royal Rumble, as he is set to compete in the men’s match of the same name. Last month on Raw, there were hints of a potential match between him and Seth Rollins, which could potentially take place at WrestleMania 40 if Punk wins the Royal Rumble and earns a title shot for the World Heavyweight Championship.

There’s also the typical Elimination Chamber match that’s been used to determine a number one contender for a world title bout at WrestleMania in the past. If someone, say Cody Rhodes wins the Men’s Royal Rumble match, it opens the door for the Elimination Chamber match to include Punk. Of course, he could also do something entirely different.

Whatever the case may be, Elimination Chamber will feature Punk. It’s just a matter of what he does and which other big-name WWE stars will join him down under.

CM Punk on his ‘amazing’ WWE in-ring return: ‘I just got to have fun in a relaxed atmosphere’

CM Punk reflected on his WWE in-ring return that took place at a live event in December.

Six weeks into his WWE return, CM Punk has been featured plenty on the microphone on Raw, SmackDown and even an NXT premium live event, but has yet to wrestle a match on television. For now, it seems his first match will not take place until the Men’s Royal Rumble match on Saturday, Jan. 27.

However, Punk wrestled at a live event on Dec. 26, facing Dominik Mysterio at Madison Square Garden in his first match since August at AEW All In, against Samoa Joe. He followed that up with another bout against this member of the Judgment Day at the Kia Forum on Dec. 30.

During the WWE 2024 Preview Special, Punk reflected on returning to a WWE ring and described it as an amazing experience in a loose atmosphere, something that will change once he competes at the Royal Rumble later this month (h/t Fightful for transcription).

It was amazing. We call them live events now, which is how old I am. They were house shows to me, probably always will be. They were my bread and butter. TV is one thing. TV is a whole nervous ball of energy. Everybody is worried about sticking to times on television and you have a lot of bosses. When I’m on house shows, I don’t have a boss; I just have fun. It brings me back to starting wrestling in the first place. The reason why you do it, for some reason you’re drawn to do this, and I just got to have fun in a relaxed atmosphere in front of people who were excited to see me and I got to punch Dirty Dom in the face. All in a day’s work.

It seems Punk enjoyed his return, competing in a low-pressure environment compared to the bigger stages he’ll be at over the next few months. He’ll the higher stakes just fine, so the focus will be on watching him wrestle at a televised WWE event again, which was once thought impossible.

WWE Raw results 01/08/24: Cody might finally be done with Shinsuke

CM Punk also had a showdown with Drew McIntyre on WWE Raw from Portland.

While we all ponder where we might be watching Raw come this fall, we know where to catch it tonight: on USA, as per usual. The show comes to us from Portland, where one matchup has our attention.

That would be Cody Rhodes vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. Everyone expects that Rhodes will be in position to “finish the story” later this spring, but he keeps getting roadblocks thrown in his way in the meantime. Nakamura has been an especially persistent one, showing his full sadistic side during this program.

Would defeating him again help end it? Probably couldn’t hurt, and with Rhodes looking forward to the Royal Rumble match later this spring, he really needs to put Shinsuke in the rear view mirror if at all possible.

Portland will also see CM Punk make an appearance, though it looks like it may just be to talk in the ring. That’s fine since he’s one of the best at that, but you figure that sooner or later, WWE will want him to actually wrestle on Raw. Probably.

We’re ready for these segments and everything else thrown our way tonight, so off we go.

WWE Raw results from Portland:

(please scroll down for full details on any match or segment in bold)

  • Cody Rhodes is all smiles as he enters the building ahead of tonight’s main event
  • Drew McIntyre has something to say, but so does CM Punk
  • Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano walk out toward the ring, and Ciampa calls this a “must win” match that will lead to #DIY becoming tag team champs in 2024
  • Tommaso Ciampa def. Finn Balor by pinfall
  • Becky Lynch says she thought about the bad things that could have happened in the match with Nia Jax, and she’s taking the positive view since she didn’t end up in the hospital, and that maybe this is just the beginning of a run for her
  • Kofi Kingston vs. Ludwig Kaiser goes to a double countout, much to the dismay of the fans; they decide to keep fighting even after the bell, and Kaiser throws one of the announcer’s chairs in Kingston’s face and then dropkicks his head into the steel steps
  • Asked backstage about his attack, Kaiser screams and says it’s Kofi’s fault he is carrying the weight of Imperium alone
  • Nia Jax and Rhea Ripley have a face to face confrontation and sling some barbs at each other
  • A replay of The Rock’s appearance on last week’s episode of Raw is shown
  • Shinsuke Nakamura assaults Cody Rhodes backstage while he’s trying to be interviewed, and Adam Pearce and officials have to hustle to pull them apart
  • Kayden Carter and Katana Chance def. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven by pinfall to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
  • Due to their earlier brawl, the Rhodes-Nakamura main event is now a Street Fight
  • R-Truth explains why The Judgment Day is a “real family” now that he’s in and JD McDonagh is out, heh
  • The Judgment Day argues again about Truth, and Ripley tells McDonagh he needs to “handle” The Miz
  • The Miz def. JD McDonagh by pinfall, and R-Truth celebrates the win afterward, as confused as ever
  • Ripley goes to talk to Pearce about “our plans for next week,” and Balor and Priest agree that “this needs to end”
  • Seth Rollins is in the house, and he gets a visit from Jinder Mahal
  • Ivar def. Otis by pinfall
  • Jey Uso is asked if he has any plans for the new year, but Bronson Reed warns Jey not to get in his way
  • Cody Rhodes def. Shinsuke Nakamura by pinfall in a Street Fight
Image credit: WWE.com

Drew McIntyre and CM Punk have a heated discussion about leadership

The Scottish Warrior says again that last Monday was all or nothing, and that he cost himself the match. He’s been thinking about it all week, and perhaps it is Drew McIntyre who is holding Drew McIntyre back.

If that’s the case, he needs to get his head screwed on straight and step away from WWE for a while. But … he didn’t lose straight up! It was because Damian Priest tried to cash in his MITB contract during the match, and due to that, he screwed McIntyre and himself.

Or maybe he can leave the company for nine years and get a hero’s reception when he returns. You know who did that? CM Punk, that’s who, and he does indeed get a great reception from the fans as he joins McIntyre in the ring.

Punk says it’s Piper Country and questions whether McIntyre is known for talking like Roddy was. If Drew has anything to say to CM, he can say it to his face, as he makes himself comfortable in the corner.

The Scottish Warrior mocks Punk for making it a month into his comeback while also suggesting he knows the “real” CM Punk. At one point in his career, McIntyre says he needed a leader to show him the way, but Punk was never that person and still isn’t. Indeed, Drew suggests he’s the one who is a leader now.

Punk retorts that he’s always led by example — including when he left the company, suggesting that gave McIntyre a blueprint to make himself better. He also disputes Drew’s assertion that he’s a demon, saying instead that he’s a nice guy but can be “Satan himself” when pushed too far.

McIntyre says what he did before, he did for the fans, but when he eliminates Punk from the Royal Rumble and heads to WrestleMania, it will be for him. Punk says the only person who can stop himself from accomplishing his goals is him, and not Drew, Seth Rollins or Cody Rhodes can prevent him from winning the Rumble. He claims he’ll throw McIntyre out last before he leaves the ring.

Image credit: WWE.com

Tommaso Ciampa outwits Finn Balor with a little help

Apparently R-Truth was responsible for this match, calling Balor a “scaredy-cat” and goading him into this matchup. There are high stakes too, since #DIY will get a title shot if Ciampa wins.

Both Damian Priest and Johnny Gargano are ringside to support their respective teammates, with Priest staring down Ciampa when they find themselves face to face outside the ring. Balor sends Tommaso crashing down into the announce table right before commercials.

Ciampa’s DDT right after the break gets him a near fall. A stomp to the chest is Finn’s answer, but he takes a running knee and Project Ciampa and has to kick out at two again.

Balor rallies but sees Ciampa roll away from the Coup de Grace, and then gets rolled up for another near fall. Priest is up on the apron, and Gargano nearly finds disaster when he gets involved.

Will Ciampa pay for halting to help his partner? He does not, as he’s able to capitalize on Gargano grabbing Balor’s foot after a suplex to get a quick three count. Turnabout is fair play, as they say.

Nia Jax has a Mami problem, or is it the other way around?

Michael Cole gets a word in the ring with Jax, who scoffs at the idea that it was “shocking” that she defeated Becky Lynch. But when she gets to the part about running through the Royal Rumble, Rhea Ripley joins her.

Rhea says the people know what’s up and they know how Nia loves to talk a good game. She reminds Jax who threw her out of last year’s Rumble (it was Rhea) and warns Nia not to walk around like she owns the division, because she doesn’t.

Ripley says it’s best to keep Rhea’s name out of her mouth; Jax fires back that she’s too scared to face off one on one. But once she squashes everyone else in the Rumble, she plans on choosing Ripley. “See you soon, unstoppable champ.”

Image credit: WWE.com

Kayden Carter and Katana Chance retain after friendly fire downs the former champs

Wade Barrett suggests that even with the gold, Carter and Chance feel like underdogs coming into this title defense. Many other members of the women’s roster are shown watching backstage.

The champs go for some quick falls, trying to keep Green busy and isolated. Green finally sends Chance headfirst into the turnbuckles, and Niven tags in and treats her to a cannonball for a near fall.

After commercials, Carter gets her first chance for some extended offense, including a near fall on Green. A springboard legdrop is good for another. A top rope Frankensteiner by Chance forces Green to kick out yet again, but the champs are really rolling.

Green finally scores with a Roughrider on Carter and her own near fall. Niven tags back in, using a senton on Carter that means Chance has to save her partner. A uranage sends Carter down, but Chance pulls her partner out of the ring, and Niven hits a Vader Bomb on her own partner. Oh dear.

After getting Niven out of the ring, the Keg Stand on Green seals it up for the champs.

Image credit: WWE.com

Seth Rollins fights off Jinder Mahal … no, really

The World Heavyweight Champion reminds Portland that Royal Rumble is close and after that, we are on the Road to WrestleMania. While Seth says his Mania record is pretty good, he says he’s never taken a world title into the event. He’s never been on the marquee, but he says that will change this year.

But the question is who he’s going to beat on the Grandest Stage of Them All? That starts a somewhat unorganized CM Punk chant, to which he responds by saying “in his dreams, maybe.” Instead, Jinder Mahal comes down the ramp.

Mahal suggests he was more of a Visionary in five minutes last week than Rollins has been his whole career. He also gripes that Seth is giving out opportunities to others less deserving than him, which … not sure that’s true but OK.

Seth says Jinder is right and that he’s been overlooked — but it’s been on purpose, until last week when he showed up “and The Rock put your balls in a vice.” He does admit that Mahal was able to rebound from that and show back up, but he’s not crazy about Jinder coming out and interrupting his segment.

The champ tells Jinder to take a swing, but he chooses to take a cheap shot instead. Rollins easily repulses his attack, however, and is the one standing tall in the ring.

Image credit: WWE.com

Cody Rhodes might finally be done with Shinsuke Nakamura after winning a Street Fight

It doesn’t take long for these two to fight up toward the stage, then back toward ringside where Rhodes is fully in charge. He bounces a water bottle off Shinsuke’s face as the crowd chants for tables.

Rhodes goes up top but sees his foe escape, then pop back up using a broom as a weapon. A kendo stick is next to be brought to bear, and Rhodes has to head for the floor for a respite.

Nakamura is bossing things after a commercial break, paintbrushing Rhodes and toying with him a bit. He kicks Rhodes in the face, then the back of the neck.

Shinsuke switches gears, looking for a half crab. More kicks land too, but Rhodes fires himself up with a forearm shot off the ropes and a powerslam. A Disaster Kick follows and earns a near fall.

Nakamura gets some nunchaku out and puts them to good use over by the announce table. But his attempt to spray his mist misses Rhodes and hits the timekeeper right in the face instead. While Cody asks for help, Shinsuke attacks him with a steel chair, and more ads arrive.

He’s still going to town with that chair when we return, though now both men are back in the ring. Rhodes is able to turn the tables with the fans urging him on, and he meets Shinsuke for an exchange of strikes that he wins with a pair of Bionic Elbows.

The American Nightmare sets up a table but is greeted by a headbutt. Rhodes ends up on the table and takes double knees to drive him through it. Nakamura covers but only gets a two count.

Shinsuke gets another table out from under the ring, smiling as he goes about setting it up. They battle into a corner, and Nakamura hits his sliding German suplex. Off the second rope comes Nakamura with a knee strike, yet Rhodes manages to kick out again.

In the middle of the ring, Rhodes delivers a Pedigree for his own near fall. A Cody Cutter is next, but it’s still not quite enough to end it.

Nakamura counters a Cross Rhodes attempt and looks for a Kinshasa, but Cody sends him into the corner table. Cross Rhodes doesn’t miss this time, and the American Nightmare is triumphant.

WWE Raw preview 01/08/24: What will CM Punk say next?

Tonight’s WWE Raw from Portland will also see the rematch between Cody Rhodes and Shinsuke Nakamura.

Now that we’ve all had a chance to get accustomed to the idea that it’s 2024 in earnest, it’s time to turn our attention to the next big milepost on the WWE calendar: the Royal Rumble, which is coming up fast. And before that, we’ve got tonight’s episode of WWE Raw from Portland.

What’s next for CM Punk?

To say that CM Punk has settled in nicely since his shocking return to WWE late last year would be a bit of an understatement. He’s looked extremely happy with the reunion, helped draw a big crowd to MSG for a house show over the holidays and likely is moving merch at an insane pace.

He’s also stirred up hope for a feud with Seth Rollins, which seems likely to happen for WrestleMania. What happens until then? We know he’s going to be in the men’s Royal Rumble match, but as for beyond that, we’ll probably get an inkling tonight.

Cody Rhodes vs. Shinuske Nakamura, round 2

Another superstar who is undoubtedly looking forward to Royal Rumble and WrestleMania is Cody Rhodes, but unlike Punk, he’s embroiled in something that just won’t let him go in the meantime. Or more precisely, someone: Shinsuke Nakamura, who has the American Nightmare in his sights and won’t let him go.

This is wrestling, though, and maybe Rhodes can simply beat his problem into the mat. He’ll get a chance when the two men have their rematch on Raw. Watch out for the mist is all we’ll say.

Former tag team champs challenge current titleholders

The party probably hasn’t stopped for Kayden Carter and Katana Chance since they won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship, especially since that’s part of their gimmick. Now it’s time to get back to work, however, and against the team they won those titles from, Chelsea Green and Piper Niven.

A thought, however: Green and Niven are doing such great character work that they really don’t need the titles now. Carter and Chance would benefit more from keeping them, in our opinion, but we’ll see what happens in Portland.

Also advertised for Raw tonight:

  • Finn Balor vs. Tommaso Ciampa, with #DIY earning a tag team title shot if Ciampa wins

We’re set for Raw tonight even if we’ll admittedly be keeping one eye on a certain college football game at the same time. Join us back here at Wrestling Junkie at 8 p.m. ET tonight for live results and more.

AEW World Championship history: Every title change to date

See the full AEW World Championship history, including every title change from when it was first awarded on Aug. 31, 2019 to date.

The AEW World Championship has only been in existence since 2019, but it’s already become one of the most prestigious titles in pro wrestling. The rapid ascent of All Elite Wrestling has something to do with that, but it’s also due to the high caliber and pedigree of the wrestlers who have held the championship.

So far, the men who have called themselves AEW World Champion include former world champs from other promotions, a man who made his breakthrough to main event status since his arrival in AEW, and a couple of all-time greats.

Let’s take a look at the complete AEW World Championship title history from August 31, 2019 to date.

Most recent update: Dec. 31, 2023

The biggest professional wrestling stories of 2023: CM Punk, TKO and more

From WWE to AEW and beyond, here were the things that stood out most in an eventful year in pro wrestling.

Take a deep breath, wrestling fans. The year 2023 is almost over.

It is understandable if you haven’t done that a whole lot over the last 12 months, as the industry has not provided many opportunities to take in a soothing sigh of relief.

There were many ups, quite a few downs, but all in all, 2023 was a banner year for professional wrestling that in hindsight will be fondly remembered as one of the most impactful in the history of the industry.

But before we look ahead to 2024, let’s take one last look back on the year’s biggest stories in professional wrestling.