6 Ups & 6 Downs from WWE Raw (2 June - Results & Review)

3. Punk Wants A Title

Let’s pretend CM Punk did not invoke the phrase “Summer of Punk” on Monday night. It still brings back a lot of bad memories from 2011.

That said, Punk’s show-opening promo was on-point for a couple reasons: he firmly established that he’s done being happy to be in WWE and wants a title while calling out John Cena (“b*tch”) and The Rock (“bald fraud goof”) in one fell swoop. A Punk singularly focused on being the top guy and holding gold generally makes for a better Punk, even if he gets sidetracked along the way. Sometimes, you have to remind fans that your goals haven’t changed.

Punk’s laser-focus on a world championship also set the tone nicely for what came next. Sami Zayn joined him to note that he shared that same ambition, but Money in the Bank wasn’t in the cards. Zayn begged Punk to focus on his MITB qualifier and not worry about Seth Rollins’ group. Sami also said that, should Punk be successful, Zayn would be back to challenge for that title.

All of this nicely set the tone and laid a more obvious foundation for this rivalry: both men want to be world champion. Both profess to be the current champ Jey Uso’s good friend (Punk said it, Sami danced to the ring and tagged with Jey), and both ultimately were screwed out of their opportunities for Money in the Bank.

Ultimately, something will give and these two will collide. Ego and ambition can be powerful motivators, but they also can rip friends apart. Watch this space.