CM Punk may be “The Second City Saint,” but after his promo on Raw, he could soon be known as “The Sin City Savior.”
With less than two weeks until WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Punk cut a scathing promo on Roman Reigns that raised both the personal and professional stakes in their rivalry.
But he didn’t stop there.
Punk also went after Pat McAfee, whose involvement in the Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton match has drawn criticism from fans. In doing so, Punk positioned himself as a looming factor in a potentially
larger post-Mania storyline that raises the stakes between Orton and Rhodes.
Punk cast McAfee as an outsider, taking issue with his views on WWE and wrestling. He referenced McAfee’s agent, Ari Emanuel, the CEO of TKO, WWE’s parent company. He accused Emanuel of “shoehorning” McAfee into WWE. In response to McAfee criticizing Mania ticket sales, Punk fired back by telling him to have his agent lower the prices.
It was a sharp piece of mic work that framed WWE as the good guys and TKO as the villains, while saving WrestleMania by elevating the importance of the Rhodes-Orton match, because if Rhodes wins, McAfee said he’ll leave WWE forever.
But what if Rhodes loses — then what?
Whether that leads to support for Rhodes, whom some fans have turned on, remains to be seen. But it creates a clear dynamic: Punk and Rhodes defending the promotion, while Orton and McAfee align with the corporation.
The Corporation.
Hmm. Where have I heard that word before?
As, yes. It was during The Attitude Era. The same Attitude Era McAfee seeks to bring back.
And here’s a twist: The Rock was a central figure of that era. He’s also someone whom McAfee mimicked during his promo, is close with Emanuel, has a deep history with Rhodes, and was referenced by Punk as someone who was a Hollywood star and serves on the TKO board.
I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that on Monday during his show, McAfee said, “Just know, we got some things cooking, and you’re gonna want to be in Las Vegas.”
You know who’s famous for their cooking?
You don’t think…
It doesn’t matter what you think!
Well, yes, it does matter.
What do you make of it, Cagesiders? Did Punk save Orton and Rhodes and, by extension, WrestleMania? Are you more interested in Mania now after Raw than you were after SmackDown? Is a WWE vs. TKO feud, and maybe The Rock’s return, on the horizon? Sound off in the comments.
