8 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE Raw (16 Sept - Results & Review)

1. Punk Gets Raw

During the past several weeks, Drew McIntyre and CM Punk have managed to resuscitate a feud that seemingly had passed its peak and was going to have time of death called on it.

Following their excellent strap match, McIntyre’s brutal assault two weeks ago sent the rivalry to new heights… or depths, depending on your perspective. The open question was whether Punk and Drew could maintain that momentum through to their Hell in a Cell match at Bad Blood next month.

Then came Punk’s promo on Monday night.

Punk delivered the kind of promo the vast majority of WWE fans have probably never heard before, at least not on WWE programming. Speaking in a more subdued, intense and almost gravelly voice, Punk discussed his return to the company, making a mortal enemy in McIntyre, the naivete of believing the feud was over after their strap match, and how he’s too damn stubborn to walk away from this.

Despite saying he has plenty of matches left in his old bones, Punk acknowledged Hell in a Cell is not one of those matches, that his family asked him not to challenge Drew to a cell match, but the devil in him made him do it. And in probably the most non-WWE moment in a long time, Punk promised to make McIntyre bleed, and that Drew would have to kill him to stop him.

Fans have heard that “see you in hell” promo prior to a Hell in a Cell match many times, but they’ve never heard anything like this. Ten stars, no notes. Drew and Punk just have to hope for two things: that they can back up the hype they’ve built in the past month, and that they can land the plane during the next two episodes of Raw before Bad Blood.