CM Punk To Drew McIntyre: ‘I’m Gonna Make You Bleed’

When “Playboy” Budy Rose or Rody Piper were wrestling in Portland, the ‘draw’ was significant. Even though the territory days are long gone, tonight’s Monday Night RAW live from the Moda Center was one of the year’s best shows. It spoke to a better overall product since the “Triple H” era began—leading to the belief that wrestling’s ‘best era’ is potentially on the horizon.

Without Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, it is difficult to move the casual audience, but tonight’s RAW showcased the depth of both storyline and roster for the ‘red brand’ considering that the ‘Wyatt Sicks’ were given only a brief video vignette and, still, the show felt jam-packed with terrific action.

CM Punk

It was fitting that CM Punk, a superstar that experiences the same kind of fanfare in Chicago as Piper did in Portland, kicked things off on RAW with the opening segment. The promo was passionate, and he said if the upcoming Hell in the Cell match against Drew McIntyre is his final match, then he is prepared for “all of this to be over with.”

“I’ve had a great career, and if this is the end, so be it,” CM Punk said in his promo live on RAW. “I’m prepared for this to be the end of CM Punk,” the ‘Best in the World’ claimed before asking the same question of Drew. He ended his promo by telling Drew he would see him “in hell.” CM Punk dug deep and delivered, claiming that his wife, former WWE DIVAS/WOMENS champion AJ Lee, and his sister asked him not to go through with the cage match made famous at the ’97 ‘BAD BLOOD’ event. He vowed to make McIntyre bleed, which certainly forces thoughts of ‘how far will it go.’ Coming off the heels of one of the best blood-feud cage matches this year a few weeks back on PPV, you have to assume there is a reasonable desire to compete.

Damien Priest Forcing Dominik To Atone For Sins… But Is It A New Day?

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Tonight’s ‘Terror Twins’ vs. Judgement Day narrative was set up with mostly quick backstage shots and video packages recapping the feud’s biggest and most recent moments. However, there was an interesting moment when Jey Uso approached Priest and Rhea to let them know he would be watching his match with Dom later in the night and would have his back, considering Judgement Day’s tendency to schmoz it up. Xavier Woods entered the shot and had a briefly awkward exchange with Priest stemming from the New Day’s past issues with a Priest-led JD. However, Woods made it clear that it was in the past, and ‘face’ Priest agreed there were bigger fish to fry.

It was not odd for Woods to be seeking backup ahead of his title shot with Kofi against JD for the tag titles, but with all of the issues that appeared to be dividing Woods and Kingston, the idea of going to Priest with an Uso of all people feels more telling. In fact, Woods issue has been with Kofi’s insistence on seeking help since Big E is unable. Woods was clear that he wanted to go at it alone with Kofi, but would it be the right move?

Main Event: Damien Priest vs. Dominik Mysterio

This was a great TV match to cap off an action-packed RAW. In the end, Jey could not keep his promise thanks to Bron Breakker (read below), and Judgement Day utilized the numbers in a schmoz ending. They held Rhea down and made her watch as they dismantled Priest in the lead-up to his ‘BAD BLOOD’ feud with Finn. Balor and Rhea had a great interaction earlier in the night, but the chaotic ending gives Liv and Finn the momentum as we close in on the title shot. It also continues the awesome trend of showcasing Balor, but deep down, he knows that a loss to Priest means he may need the help of a Deamon.

Tag Title Match… New Days Never Like The Old Again?

Later, in the tag title match, The New Day felt like they were in their prime, and the audience responded in the same way. They were on fire and dominated much of the second half of the match, certainly with the best offensive action. There were some close calls, and to JD’s credit, they hung on—it was interesting seeing the “Freebird Rule” that The New Day re-popularized in WWE being used against them—but ultimately, the rest of Judgement Day came out, and then the LWO to even the odds. Kofi dove to the outside to shut it all down, but he did it at the cost of the titles.

Woods had JD down for the count at one point, but the ref was busy gaining control of the outside ‘interference’ (it was weird to see the ref preoccupied with something OUTSIDE of the ring). However, the champs were able to take advantage of Woods’ attempt to refocus the ref’s attention. Judgement Day retained the titles, but the aftermath of this match was maybe the biggest plot of the night coming to fruition after weeks of terrific storytelling. When we came back from break, and after an attempt to interview Kofi, we saw Woods verbally berating LWO for ‘interfering’ in their match. Kofi got in the middle to cool tensions, and that is when he revealed that he requested the backup to neutralize the numbers threat— you could feel the betrayal in Woods’ face.

Woods asked specifically why Kofi needs backup when New Day has never ‘needed’ help. That is when Kofi admitted the vulnerability he has felt since the loss of Big E (or ‘E’ as he was affectionately referred to). You could sense that Woods has known for some time, and he saw Kofi’s need for backup as a direct reflection of his own inadequacies. This storytelling was beautiful, and in an era where men’s mental health is incredibly important to implement into the social consciousness, the WWE and New Day have successfully executed simultaneously one of the most heartfelt stories and important narratives in this millennium.

Bron Breakker Brings Out The Dog

It feels like anyone challenging for the IC title these days is simply Breakker’s next victim, but things feel a bit different after tonight’s exchange between champ and challenger—Jey Uso.

Jey started his promo, but the segment did not catch real fire until Breakker came out sporting a ‘single’s career’ Rick Steiner-inspired black leather jacket complete with ‘graffiti style’ block lettering. It is a great look for Breakker and a meaningful nod to Pops, but Breakker came out to hurt someone with his fists or with his words; he did not seem to care which. Breakker reminded Jey he’s been on the roster 14 years compared to his six months, and, in all that time, he has never won a single’s title—unappreciative of the legendary achievements on Jey’s resume as one half of “The Usos,” a surefire HOF team.

Yet, Jey was able to spin Breakker’s narrative and took a shot at the champ’s short-lived NFL career. That exchange led to two things: first, it caused things to get physical as Breakker lost his cool and attempted a cheap shot only to have it turned around on him. Second, it showed that Breakker’s naïve youth compared to Jey’s calm and collected demeanor is what truly separates the two regarding Jey’s 14-year tenure. Breakker thinks winning a singles title before Jey despite his decade and a half in the WWE proves he is better, but the only guarantee is that it proves Jey has the experience advantage—regardless of Jey’s single title success, he still maintains the ‘champion’ mentality.

They could’ve ended the build for the night there, but later in the main event, Jey Uso came to aid Priest and Liv against the rest of JD. Then, out of nowhere, Breakker came darting in the shot to sphere Jey, preventing him from helping and perhaps returning the favor on the NFL comment by showing him his explosive American football abilities.

Braun Woah-Man!! ‘Big Time’ Bronson Reed

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These two men achieved something very special tonight. They tore up the ring, and the building, as well as sheetrock walls and tables, were not safe after these two giants put on a show. The fans in the building responded, and, unlike past moments like these, it was given even more importance when GM Adam Pierce was ‘forced to tend’ to what would be a big kayfabe issue.

This segment was as good as these kinds of segments get, and then it raised the bar. The way Reed has been booked is impressive and interesting, but seeing Strowman be so giving is cool and shows just how good he continues to get. Knock the guy for his past shortcomings if you want, but not acknowledging his effort makes you the hater. We have seen everything on SmackDown and RAW, from rings breaking down from Big Show and Lesnar to spots like ECW’s Bigelow-TAZZ, but witnessing the turnbuckle give out when Strowman threw Reed into it felt surprising. You must look forward to what happens next in this feud and ask how much more can they destroy? The answer should be fun.

Other Tidbits/In-Ring Action

• The Miz heel turn could be on deck after an exchange with Strowman. Strowman said sometimes it takes a ‘monster’ to beat a monster. Even after Strowman acknowledged Miz’s accolades, The Miz still appeared irked as he remarked that ‘he was no monster.’ Monsters do not have to be big, however, and The Miz’s heel work is always his best work, even though his time as a face with R-Truth has been terrific.
• Zayn came out to promote his match with Gunther, highlighting his WrestleMania moment this year when Sami dethroned the longest-reigning IC champ of all time. But instead of Gunther coming out, Ludwig Kaiser came out to play the same old ‘hype man.’ Zayn attempted to reason with Kaiser and explain to him that he could be more, and it seemed like he was listening after Gunther came out. But the contemplation was all a setup to take out Sami. He eventually turned the tables, but Gunther refused to give him the title match. The build for this could be longer.
• Bianca Belair showed up to work today feeling like she needed to remind everyone just how good she is, and she did that against Iyo Sky tonight in a fantastic match. Sky is always the goods, but Belair, one-half of the women’s tag team champs, displayed strength and agility in her offense tonight. She did things in the ring tonight that most in her division cannot do, and she is showing her value as a locker room leader by taking Jade Cargill, someone WWE has sunk tons of money into, under her wing despite her ability to dominate in single’s action. The only problem for Jade/WWE is allowing Belair to do what she does best, which only highlights the difference in ability between her and Jade. But if you stifle Belair at the behest of Jade, then who really wins?

Mario Mungia

Mario Mungia Jr. has a decade worth of experience as a combat sports journalist and correspondent which began with ThaBoxingVoice (TBV) as a podcast co-host, writer and editor-in-chief. Aside from his online resume, Mario spent a fair portion of his early career working for Spanish/English magazine Premier Round and the Mexican website Izquierdo. Mario has also contributed to NYFights while simultaneously working for MIC Sports Network as part of the broadcast crew covering local high school sports. Since then, he has launched his own podcast/live stream (Infighting/Work In Progress) and is covering pro wrestling for FightsATW.

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