CM Punk Signs w/ Raw and Declares for WWE Royal Rumble

After a weeklong trek across WWE’s three brands, CM Punk has officially planted his flag on Monday Night Raw. Punk signed the contract in the ring, presented by general manager Adam Pearce. Punk stated despite reasonable offers from Nick Aldis (SmackDown) and Shawn Micheals (NXT), the offer from RAW was head and shoulders above the rest.

Punk exclusively on Raw could significantly impact the pro wrestling landscape. Many Television deals expire next year, and everyone wants to extend their current deal or find a new network to call home. Punk could be the key for WWE.

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CM Punk Cuts Return Promo on WWE Raw

CM Punk made his first appearance on Monday Night Raw in almost ten years (1/20/14) and cut a highly anticipated promo to close out the show. The first hour of Raw was commercial-free as WWE pushed Punk’s promo hard throughout the show.

Thanks to timing issues in the Randy Orton/Dominick Mysterio match, Punk didn’t appear until two hours and fifty-two minutes into the three-hour broadcast. Depending on who you talk to, some felt his words hit the mark, while others believe the transition to “PG Punk” is complete.

“Looks like hell froze over,” proclaimed Punk, saying he’s felt more like himself since his return at Survivor Series on Saturday and everyone is happy to see him back.

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CM Punk Returns to WWE at Survivor Series

In one fell swoop, WWE took Chicago from AEW. CM Punk made his earth-shattering return to WWE at Survivor Series on Saturday in Chicago. Rumors of Punk’s arrival started from the moment AEW fired him in August due to a backstage fight with Jack Perry at All In.

WWE trolled the audience all evening with whether Randy Orton would show up for his team in the WarGames main event. Some wondered if Orton would not show up due to teaming up with the man who injured him in Jey Uso.

After a brief delay, Orton arrived for his team, disappointing those who thought Punk would be the surprise partner.

Orton’s Team celebrated their victory as the show was about to go off the air. The copyright graphic appears on the screen, signaling an inevitable fade to black. After all, there is no way WWE would overshadow Orton’s return…It was all a ruse.

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WWE: 10 Greatest Survivor Series Teams

The loaded gun Vince McMahon used to scare cable networks out of airing rival NWA’s Starrcade pay-per-view is called Survivor Series. Originating in 1987, the show’s theme consisted of multi-person teams battling it out in one of WWE’s “Big Four” events.

What became known as the traditional Survivor Series elimination matches have fallen by the wayside in recent years. The inclusion of WarGames, two connected rings surrounded by a steel cage, has replaced the original concept.

The elimination matches made for some of the best teams ever assembled. It was Marvel Team Up in a wrestling ring. Superstar wrestlers who don’t usually cross paths join forces to right a wrong and reign victorious.

Nostalgia is strong in professional wrestling. Many fans miss the elimination matches when looking back at some of the great teams of yesteryear. Champions, legends, and future superstars made for some classic matches and memorable moments.

Some teams made sense, while others worked well despite their atypical pairing. Over thirty-five years, there have been 181 traditional teams since 2021. Here are the best of the best. The 10 Greatest Survivor Series Teams.

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Who Is the Devil of AEW?

“No one is on the level of the Devil,” declared AEW World Championship MJF when he returned last year under the guise of a white face, black-horned devil. In recent months, someone allegedly stole MJF’s mask and has attacked wrestlers who are either feuding with or are close to the champion.

MJF says it’s not him, but history makes it hard to believe. It’s the big mystery heading into Saturday’s Full Gear pay-per-view event.

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Sting Announces Retirement Set for 2024

The end is near for the man called Sting.

Sting announced Wednesday on AEW Dynamite that his final match is set for Revolution 2024 next year.

The icon called to his AEW in-ring debut at Revolution 2021 and said in closing, “The only thing for sure about Sting is that his retirement is for sure.”

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NXT Beats AEW in Tuesday Night War

The Tuesday Night War has ended, and we have a winner. NXT beat AEW Dynamite head-to-head in the ratings.

NXT averaged 921,000 overall viewers on USA, with AEW Dynamite averaging 609,000 viewers on TBS.

It was NXT’s highest rating since September 2019 and Dynamite’s lowest-rated episode since June 2021.

NXT drew a 0.30 rating in the 18-49 demo, with AEW drawing 0.26 in the demo.

AEW was forced to move Dynamite from its regular Wednesday spot due to the MLB playoffs and went straight up against NXT in their usual Tuesday time slot.

Things got interesting throughout the week as both promotions started promoting their shows.

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Adam Copeland is All Elite

WWE Hall of Famer fka Edge, now using his real name Adam Copeland, is the newest signee to AEW. Copeland debuted at WrestleDream in Seattle, Washington, on Sunday evening following the main event, where Christian Cage defeated Darby Allin in a two out of three falls match to retain the TNT title.

Christian, Luchasaurs, and Nick Wayne, who turned on Allin, laid out Allin and Sting. Christian was about to deliver a conchairto to Sting when the lights went out, and a Grindhouse video played of a man in a leather jacket driving down the highway and over the words “Rated R Superstar” as fireworks emerged from a nearby stadium.

The familiar “You think you know me” followed by the iconic Alter Bridge song ‘Metalingus’ blasted from the speakers as Copeland emerged and did his WWE entrance and pyro deal on the way to the ring.

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‘All Out’ Goes All Out!

Wrestling relies on the build from one show to the next. It gets the masses interested in the drama surrounding an angle and the main event matches.

The uninspired booking over the last several weeks suggested AEW was so concerned with the 81,035 fans that packed Wembley Stadium that they forgot about the 9,495 fans in the United Center.

While All In was a tremendous spectacle, All Out was the better professional wrestling event.

All Out was a last-minute purchase in the Ringside Logic household. In fact, it was ordered 10 minutes into the show as the pre-show was as uninspired as the build-up to the show.

It was going to be an early night until the sudden urge of “Why not” took control of my hand and pressed the order button on the remote control.

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AEW Fires CM Punk with Cause

The odyssey of CM Punk in All Elite Wrestling ended where it began in Chicago.

AEW has terminated CM Punk’s contract following a week-long investigation over a backstage incident with Jack Perry at last weekend’s All In pay-per-view.

AEW released a statement Saturday afternoon.

CM Punk and Jack Perry had an altercation shortly before Punk’s match with Samoa Joe at All In at Wembley Stadium last Saturday.

Reportedly, the altercation occurred over a comment Perry made during his match with Hook on the All In Pre Show. A spot involving a limo saw Perry slap his hand on the windshield and shout, “It’s real glass. Go cry me a river!”

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