World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk is still fuming over Finn Bálor’s attack two weeks ago on Raw and is willing to risk his WrestleMania main-event spot to get his hands on him. That tension boiled over this week in a segment where Bálor baited Punk into a match at Elimination Chamber in Punk’s hometown of Chicago.
Amid the back-and-forth, Raw GM Adam Pearce and Michael Cole voiced concern that Punk, determined to prove he is a fighting champion, was jeopardizing WrestleMania’s main event, which sees
Roman Reigns challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship.
And there lies the problem.
Two, actually.
First, the main event isn’t truly in danger; it would simply shift to Reigns vs. Bálor instead of Reigns vs. Punk. But by hammering home the idea that WrestleMania was at risk, WWE effectively said, “Dear God, not Finn.”
The indirect slight comes just a week after Punk and Reigns set up their clash in a heated segment that devalued Drew McIntyre as both men bragged about dominating the Undisputed WWE Champion in past encounters.
By dismissing Bálor, WWE makes him seem like a weak Mania fallback and questions why he deserves a title shot — or why fans should care about his match at Elimination Chamber, especially with the outcome feeling inevitable in Punk’s backyard.
The real concern, though, is injury, which brings up the second and most important issue: if Punk gets hurt and can’t make Mania, what’s the backup plan?
It’s something to think about as injuries plagued Punk’s AEW run and cut short his early return to WWE. Fair or not, Punk’s injuries birthed the “Fragile Phil” label from fans and rivals alike. With Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker also questionable for WrestleMania, WWE’s creative team would be wise to have contingency plans for Roman Reigns if disaster strikes at Elimination Chamber.
At the very least, WWE should position Bálor as a credible fallback because if reality intervenes, plans may be forced to change.
