WWE RAW: Seth Rollins & CM Punk Reignite Feud & Bron Breaks Jey Uso

It was not going to be a proper go-home angle for CM Punk, who was victorious over Drew McIntyre this past Saturday at Bad Blood in Atlanta, GA until he gave a curtain call. Having him open the show to cap off his latest WWE run was smart because it made ‘RAW after’ the PLE feel special, but did the ‘Hell in a Cell’ match this weekend, Punk’s first since facing Ryback 12 years prior, have a bigger negative effect than positive if Punk will need a lengthy recovery?

While Wyatt Sicks has been feud-free since putting American Made to bed, we received a few easter eggs in the form of technical difficulties. Though this show was the return of 2-hour programming for RAW, it felt a bit sloppier, and the number of commercials stood out more. In a 3-hour show, the commercial break can be welcomed as a pee break.

Sexy Red was in the St. Louis arena to promote being on NXT tomorrow on CW—further capitalizing on the hip-hop crossover.

Heavyweight Title Match

Gunther and Sami Zayn delivered a memorable segment at Bad Blood to promote tonight’s match. RAW saw a shocking title change a mere couple of weeks ago when Jey won his first single’s title. Tonight, however, WWE did well in giving the lure of ‘anything can happen’ as Zayn caught up with Cody Rhodes in the house to promote the Crown Jewel match between champion and champion of both the blue and red brands.

Zayn said he planned on facing Cody but also asked if Cody wanted to talk about the recent turn from Kevin Owens after Bad Blood faded to black. Later, when promoting the Saudi show, WWE production showed the poster with Cody and Gunther, replacing Gunther with Sami to acknowledge the potential changes based on the main event.

The match was a high-level affair and kept the trend of terrific TV title matches. Sami got close after delivering back-to-back Helluvakicks only for Gunther to kick out and deliver a devastating clothesline. Gunther was able to put Sami away by choking him out and forcing the ref to call the match. As Gunther walked to the back following his second successful title defense, Cody’s music hit, and the two stared each other down on stage in front of Gorilla with titles in hand and the Crown Jewel as the backdrop.

CM Punk Opens The Show

CM Punk delivered a promo thanking everyone, including his haters but offered no obvious hints as to what is next other than a well-deserved break. Punk acknowledged that he did not know when he would be back following the many injuries (nothing serious acknowledged) suffered in the ‘Cell,’ and he made a point of commenting on the uncertainty of his return timetable.

Seth Rollins Back In Black?

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Seth Rollins timed his theme music so that he would be coming out of Gorilla when Punk would be heading to the back, and in that passing moment, Seth still managed to shoulder-check the avid hockey fan in Punk. Rollins said he wanted Punk to get well soon so that he could beat and retire him for good. That line that Rollins delivered revealed Rollins’s infamous laugh, but he was not wearing his traditional ‘fashion week’ style of dress. He wore black again and essentially recapped his run-in with Reed.

As Rollins was gearing up for farewells, the IC champ’s music hit, and Jey Uso cut short Rollins’ exit by overstaging him. It was a curious move showcasing three faces back to back to back with hints of animosity bridging the gap between stars. This might be some potential future programs, but unlike ‘long-term booking’ that encompasses a feud during active and inactive times, this is more ‘down-the-road’ storytelling. The difference is that the ‘hinting’ we got is not based on planned creative and is subject to never happening at all.

Jey Uso Defends IC Title; Lost In The Woods

In the best example of ‘long-term booking’ on the show, Xavier Woods received the IC title shot procured by Kofi Kingston last week against Jey Uso. Woods went into the match with a lot of hope, and he was certainly competitive. The match gave hints to the tag team feud that re-established the division between The New Day and USOS, but this single match showed both men’s single potential.

In the end, Jey succeeded, but the plot continued after the bell. Jey attempted to shake Woods’ hand after first shaking Kofi’s, but Woods wasn’t having it. He declined to shake and walked out of the ring in frustration, followed by a concerned Kofi. Woods yelled at Kofi about shaking Jey’s hand as the two bickered up the runway.

Breakker Of Word

As Jey was getting his flowers, Bron Breakker came out and speared Jey after appearing to turn face last week. Kofi tried to get Woods to go back to the ring to aid Jey, but Woods refused. Kofi ended up trying to help but would get speared as well. After Woods pulled Kofi from the ring, Breakker, on the other side, ran around the outside and delivered a spear to Woods with all of the momentum. Breakker looked strong at the end, and Jey will have to gear up to keep the title around his waist.

No Judgement… Day

It is difficult to say where the Judgment Day-Rhea Ripley feud is headed after Rhea delivered a video promo while Liv Morgan, Dominik Mysterio, and the returning Raquel Rodriguez received a backstage segment. Raquel arrived with the couple as she drove them into the building but seeing her as the chauffeur to Dom and Liv sitting together in the backseat was odd. Raquel did not talk (or wasn’t allowed to) when asked direct questions about her decision to realign with Liv.

In a two-hour show with this much action packed into programming, you don’t need to force them on screen, especially if you don’t quite have a plan.

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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