WWE Raw results, recap, grades: CM Punk signs on with Raw and declares himself for the Royal Rumble
After signing with Raw, Punk came face-to-face with world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins
The wait to see whether CM Punk signs with Raw or SmackDown is over. On Monday night's edition of Raw, Punk officially signed on to be a Raw superstar.
After making his decision, Punk was confronted by world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins. Rollins and Punk exchanged words before Punk declared himself for the Royal Rumble and made it clear that he intended to not only win the match, but use that win to challenge for Rollins' title at WrestleMania.
CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland.
CM Punk signs on to be a Raw superstar and declares for Royal Rumble
CM Punk made his decision on which brand to sign with, taking little time to make it clear he would be a Raw superstar going forward. Punk talked about being back in Cleveland, the city where he left WWE nearly a decade ago and apologized if any fans felt let down by his decision, though he doesn't regret it. Punk then declared himself "home" on Monday nights.
As Punk celebrated his decision, Seth Rollins emerged from the back and made his way to the ring. After a lengthy staredown, Rollins told Punk to never call WWE his home because this is Rollins' home while Punk ran off and spent 10 years badmouthing WWE and it's wrestlers. Rollins then said that he hates Punk, but he's glad he's in WWE where he'll be the first to slam the door after Punk screws up like he always does. Punk told Rollins he was giving him his one pass to speak that way before declaring himself for the Royal Rumble and telling Rollins that when he wins, maybe he'll come for Rollins' world heavyweight championship. Punk had several more interactions with superstars backstage throughout the rest of the show.
Punk finally had an antagonistic interaction with another wrestler, which was desperately needed. Punk's promos are still missing something, however. It's all too happy and dull, which has never been an issue in Punk's career, from the indies through WWE and AEW. There needs to be something at the heart of what Punk is trying to do other than saying "I'm back. I love all of you. I'm home." Someone of Punk's talents deserves time to find his footing, especially if WWE isn't entirely sure of what to do for nearly a month and a half. But nothing has hit the way you expect from Punk so far. Grade: C+
What else happened on WWE Raw?
- Drew McIntyre def. Jey Uso via pinfall with a Claymore. McIntyre set up the finish by digging a finger into Uso's eye. Adam Pearce later confirmed that McIntyre would challenge Seth Rollins for the world heavyweight championship on the New Years Day edition of Raw.
- Rhea Ripley def. Maxxine Durpi via submission with a Prism Lock. Ripley dominated an awkward match before getting the submission. Ivy Nile finally stepped in after the match as Ripley refused to release the hold. Before the match, Ripley and Finn Balor were furious over JD McDonagh and Dominik Mysterio losing to The Creed Brothers last Monday.
- Bronson Reed def. Ivar via pinfall after a superplex.
- The Creed Brothers ran off Judgment Day after Judgment Day attacked R-Truth. R-Truth was still confused in thinking he was a part of Judgment Day, leading to Damian Priest unleashing the hounds on him until the Creeds made the save.
- Nia Jax refused to fight Becky Lynch after the two came face-to-face. Jax and Lynch argued over the time Jax blooded Lynch after punching her in the face, with Jax claiming she made Lynch's career. Lynch said she didn't come to talk, she came to fight but Jax left the ring saying Lynch needed that fight more than she did.
- DIY & The Miz def. Imperium via pinfall when Miz hit Giovanni Vinci with a Skull-Crushing Finale. Miz was DIY's mystery partner for the six-man tag match. Later in the show, Miz confronted Gunther backstage and demanded another shot at the intercontinental championship. Gunther agreed on one condition: that Miz could never challenge Gunther for the title again if he loses.
- Cody Rhodes def. Shinsuke Nakamura via disqualification after Nakamura sprayed Rhodes in the face with red mist. Nakamura continued to attack Rhodes after the match. Nakamura grabbed a chair after his attack but The Creed Brothers ran in to make the save before Nakamura could use the chair on Rhodes. However, Nakamura ran in with a Kinshasa as officials were helping Rhodes out of the ring, leaving Rhodes lying as the show went off the air.
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