6 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (16 Dec - Results & Review)

1. A Brawl For (It) All

The last time CM Punk and Seth Rollins came to blows, it was an underwhelming exchange that didn’t match the intensity of the verbal hatred they spewed at each other. They made up for that in spades on Monday night.

Punk opened Raw and admitted that he has been thinking about Rollins more than he preferred, and acknowledged that it was “only a matter of time until we lock up” in the ring. He mocked Seth’s typical getup, called himself the bad guy in this feud, offered a free wrestling lesson, and then compared him to Drew McIntyre(!).

This finally drew Rollins out, who flatly called Punk an “a**hole” and repeated his stance that he held down WWE when Punk abandoned the company. But when Seth pointed out that he’s main-evented more WrestleManias than Punk, that’s when “Phil” lost it and charged into the crowd, triggering a wild brawl that spanned the entire arena, with both men breaking free of the officials multiple times to clash at ringside, in the ring, and in the crowd.

This was a tremendously hot start to the show and was the brawl that was needed right before their big money match was made official. The fact that it was Rollins holding his 'Mania main events over Punk that finally set him off was a great touch – Punk famously held a huge grudge against WWE brass for never allowing him to main-event a WrestleMania.

Despite Punk’s constant put-downs, the truth is that Rollins has done something Punk never has, and that certainly is a huge sore spot for the Voice of the Voiceless. Their match is primed and ready to go for the Netflix debut next month.