Crossroads
CM Punk’s mic work and mind games are very on point right now. So much so that I really wish Roman Reigns were on the other end of that fire. I did all of that last week though and I promised myself not to walk down that path again. As of now, it’s all about Punk and Finn Balor. Finn hit the ring during Punk’s promo but he didn’t come alone. JD McDonagh & Dirty Dom tagging along became
the point of everything Punk said. This program continues the story these two started telling several weeks ago: Is Finn still the guy he used to be or does he need Judgment Day now? It’s fun watching wrestler invert a trope.
I expected a beatdown courtesy of Judgment Day but instead I got the champ playing mind games so effectively that the challenger canceled the beatdown. That segment segued into a dustup between Finn and JD as the latter took issue with the former letting Punk get into his head. To that idea, Finn relayed the very relatable nugget that he needs to prove to himself he can do this without anyone else’s help. Is it an effective round of mind games from the champ? Of course. But it’s also part of a slow burn character evolution for Finn. The first ever Universal Champ said 2026 is his year. Thankfully, he’s walking the necessary steps to make that vision a reality.
B-Sides
- Nice of them to tease the next L on Rusev’s record. He ran into Oba Femi after The Ruler’s conversation with Adam Pearce. Oba is, of course, thinking over whether he comes to Raw or SmackDown, as is a good storyline move. But I gotta say seeing Oba take on Rusev does nothing for me. Maybe if they can bring out the old Rusev or put out a BOLO for The Redeemer, I’ll change my tune. I miss when Rusev was a threat. Le sigh.
- We’re one step closer to the battle between Americanos and Dirty Dom defending his Intercontinental Championship against Penta. New El Grande Americano lost his shot at the Intercontinental title after Penta defeated him in a number one contender match. And he took that L partially because Original Recipe El Grande stopped him from cheating. Dom’s days as champ might be numbered? Not sure. But this Grande Americano feud is fun.
- Stephanie Vaquer made Liv Morgan cry! That and Dom doing live translation during an interview segment stood out to me here. I really need to dust off my Spanish. I caught some of what Stephanie said but not even close to enough to grasp the gist or exactly why it elicited that response. Either way, I think we’re getting closer to Liv making her choice; the only choice she could make. As an aside, Michael Cole said the segment is on their socials fully translated. As of this writing, I didn’t see it. If you find it, please elaborate in the comments!
- Very sneaky, 2K. I saw you showing the 1998 Raw is War ring and ‘98 Kane in the background this week. I’ve wanted that ring in this game for years so thank you for listening to me and only me.
- As for the Elimination Chamber itself, we got two new entrants tonight courtesy of two very fine triple threat matches. Asuka defeated Nattie and Bayley, with Bayley taking the pin, while Je’Von Evans Mr. Bojangled his way into the men’s chamber. As fitting with the rest of the show, these were solid. Bayley getting pinned after lamenting missing last year’s WrestleMania doesn’t seem like it bodes well for her but hopefully this is part of a larger tale. As for Nattie? Well, Maxxine Dupri showed up post match to extract some flesh, if not the entire pound. Je’Von pinned Dirty Dom after Dragon Lee interfered in the triple threat and struck GUNTHER with the ring bell. The most confounding moment though came when Dom grabbed the ring hammer and refused to use it. He actually did his best to hide it from the ref and GUNTHER. Why, my man? It’s a no DQ triple threat match. Use the hammer! It looked especially weird as it came moments before Dragon Lee came flying into the picture with the actual bell in hand. Je’Von is the right call here as the other men have business elsewhere. Although I do question letting the Intercontinental champ the same night they established a new contender for his title.
- A big crate showed up on Raw with instructions not to open it until Elimination Chamber. Throw those guesses in the comments as to what or who is in the box. Extra points if you get that reference.
- The opening segment with The Usos, The Vision, and LA Knight didn’t grab me. For one, I am still irrationally upset that Jey Uso still tells the production team to hit his music while his brother stands right beside him. Then we got Logan Paul taking over the mic and doing his usual schtick about being rich, which turned into The Vision wanting to wrap their hands around the masked man’s neck. Ah yes, the latest masked man mystery. LA interrupted the Scooby Doo gang’s hunt for the truth as he bragged about getting into the chamber, then prayed that Bronson Reed qualifies so he can beat him in the steel hellscape. This evolved into a six-man tag where The Vision got the W but it was really all about forwarding the masked man tale. He struck Logan Paul, again, post match. Meanwhile LA and The Usos disappeared from the show after that despite the former making it his mission to wreck The Vision, and the latter being tag champs.
- Another fun segment with Becky Lynch and AJ Lee. AJ got the upper hand, as per usual, and Becky was flustered into overthinking everything. These two always sports entertain me.
Like I said, this was a fine show. It was meat and potatoes booking before Chicago in two weeks. It progressed feuds, established more stakes, and even got me seeing how Punk vs. Finn isn’t merely a placeholder until Mania.
What say you, Cagesiders? Does Finn have an actual shot here? Or is this setting up him doing something drastic, like leaving his crew?
