4 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (16 February - Results & Review)

2. Punk/Balor Side Quest Heats Up

WWE Raw CM Punk JD McDonagh Finn Balor Dominik Mysterio The Judgment Day
WWE

CM Punk versus Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship is a no-doubt main event at WrestleMania 42, with the clock counting down during these final two months. But with Roman’s status as a part-time performer, Punk needed to do something to fill the time. Enter Finn Balor.

After their tremendous match in Belfast last month, it was only a matter of time before they hooked it up again. That time became Elimination Chamber, with Raw GM Adam Pearce decrying that Punk is jeopardizing the main event of WrestleMania.

Monday night, Punk encouraged fans to boo Pearce, because pissing people off is something he does; it’s part of his DNA, and it’s what makes him who he is – the Best in the World. This brought out Balor, flanked by Dominik Mysterio and a returning JD McDonagh. Finn observed that the real “Best in the World” learned from catch wrestlers in Europe, trained with luchadores in Mexico, and grappled in Japanese dojos before making it to WWE.

Punk dug into Balor, gesturing to “these two idiots” repeatedly while claiming that the Judgment Day holds Finn back and is an anchor to him. He turned his back on Finn, daring him to take a swing, which he did not. This left Balor confused and wanting to dispel the chatter and go it alone at Elimination Chamber.

Sending CM Punk on this side quest before Roman returns for the final push to 'Mania is a great move that fits the character’s own journey.

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.