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Welcome to the English version of Solowrestling Read more
Welcome to the English version of Solowrestling Read more
WWE is celebrating a new episode of Monday Night Raw tonight, this time number 1,710, from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. This will be the first show of the red brand after Elimination Chamber and will be broadcast live on Netflix. Solowrestling will bring you the results in this news as every week.
Tonight's episode will feature several matches and segments of interest, including a defense of the Intercontinental Championship. In addition, Roman Reigns will make a new appearance on his Road to WrestleMania 42. As always, we invite you to comment on the note to give your opinion on what happened in the show.
WWE Raw starts on Netflix!
The show begins with a video recap of Elimination Chamber.
We see the arrival of some of tonight's protagonists at the venue: CM Punk and AJ Lee, The Judgment Day (without Finn Bálor) and Gunther.
The Vision (Paul Heyman, Logan Paul, and Austin Theory) make their entrance to the ring to a loud booing. An upset Heyman introduces his companions before indicating that now is when he should welcome the audience to Monday Night Raw. However, he won't do it because he needs to talk about Seth Rollins, "the biggest thief in history." The fans sing a cappella the theme song of "The Visionary." "I hate that damn song, and I hate Seth Freakin Rollins", says Heyman. He accuses Seth of taking credit for being the co-founder of The Shield and The Vision. But that doesn't matter anymore. What does matter is that Rollins "stole" Elimination Chamber when he attacked Logan Paul to get him eliminated. And, therefore, he also "stole" the main event of WrestleMania, where "The Maverick" was supposed to be. "Ladies and gentlemen, Seth Rollins steals the oxygen from every human being on this planet worth living, and 'Mr. Lynch' is not one of them. We are going to do something about it because the next time Seth Rollins is in a WWE ring, we are going to beat him up. And that's not a prediction. It's not a spoiler! It's a personal guarantee from the three of us in The Vision," he says.
Heyman hands the microphone to Theory. He recalls that he has known Seth for a long time, but now he will pay for what he did to Logan. "You stink! You stink!" chant the fans. "The Maverick" speaks. "Seth Rollins, scum! I eliminated three people in the Chamber before you stole my victory! The last person who did that was Brock Lesnar! That's the kind of company I keep! So the rest of the show won't go on until Seth Rollins comes out here and...!" exclaims Logan.
Adam Pearce interrupts "The Maverick," making it clear that The Vision will not hijack the program. The Raw General Manager will not let them ruin his show as they did last Friday on SmackDown by attacking Jey Uso. "We had nothing to do with what happened to Jey Uso, but if you want, we can plead guilty in advance for what we will do to Seth Rollins!", exclaims Heyman before throwing the mic in Pearce's direction. He dodges it before informing The Vision that Rollins is their problem because he still doesn't have medical clearance. That's why he brought security to the venue to prevent "The Visionary" from doing anything foolish.
Suddenly, a masked man jumps the audience barrier. Security members quickly run towards him. The masked man jumps the barrier again to flee the scene. Security chases after him. Another masked man appears on the scene, threatening to enter the ring. Logan runs after him, starting another chase. A third masked man jumps the barrier to taunt Theory, who quickly runs after him. Heyman is left alone in the ring. Suddenly, a fourth masked man appears on the entrance ramp, preventing "The Oracle" from leaving the ring. Heyman tries to reason with him without realizing that a fifth masked man, armed with a metal chair, has just climbed onto the apron. Unlike the others, this man removes his mask to show his face. It's Seth Rollins! "The Visionary" enters the ring to hit Heyman's back with the metal chair. Paul collapses on the canvas. Rollins watches his once partner as he prepares his next move. Seth finishes Heyman with a stomp! Satisfied, "The Visionary" walks away through the stands as several WWE officials and medical staff rush to the ring to attend to Paul.
Heyman is taken backstage during the subsequent commercial break. "The Oracle" barely reacts, making it impossible for him to walk normally. We see Heyman bleeding from the nose. "You deserve it!" chant the fans.
We move to the venue's parking lot, where Heyman is being loaded into an ambulance. Furious Logan Paul and Austin Theory enter the vehicle to shout at the paramedics. They ask them to leave the ambulance, as they need to leave. A car parks next to them. Austin is about to get in, but soon receives an attack from the driver. It's Jimmy Uso, who has come to get his revenge! Jimmy continues to attack Theory, whom he throws against several production boxes. Jimmy approaches the ambulance, whose driver is LA Knight! "I'll take care of things from here on out. Don't worry, guys, he'll get the help he needs! YEAH!" exclaims "The Megastar" before driving off in the ambulance. LA Knight activates the vehicle's siren as it speeds out of the parking lot.
Gunther makes his entrance, when is attacked by Dragon Lee! The Mexican unleashes a flurry of attacks on the Austrian, who fails to find refuge even in the ring. Gunther escapes to ringside, only to receive the impact of a rope dropkick. Dragon continues to attack "The Ring General," until he finally manages to get rid of his attacker with a body drop. Lee is thrown over the audience barrier to fall backwards onto the ground. Gunther returns to the ring. A pained Dragon follows him, at which point the referee rings the bell.
Dragon Lee vs. Gunther
Gunther wastes no time taking the lead in the match taking advantage of the masked man's pain. The Austrian kicks Lee along the ropes, forcing the referee to intervene. Dragon tries to fight back, but "The Ring General" doesn't allow it. Lee throws a chop, only for his opponent to respond with a much more powerful one. Gunther tries to unmask Lee before the Mexican escapes his clutches. The Mexican gains momentum on the ropes, only to be taken down with a big boot.
Gunther stands up his opponent to kick him. Once again, the Austrian tries to unmask Dragon, but the referee prevents him. Lee tries to unleash an offensive on Gunther, but he stops it with a clothesline. Lee reverses a powerbomb into a hurricanrana to start a counterattack. Dragon dodges a big boot in one of the corners to respond with several kicks.
Gunther falls to ringside. Lee dives with a suicide dive, but the Austrian stops him in mid-motion. Gunther throws the Mexican against the edge of the apron before executing a chop. Gunther returns to the ring, hoping Lee won't. 1..2..3..4..5..6.. Lee returns to the ring. Gunther quickly knocks him down. Dragon tries to react, but his opponent stops him with a painful backbreaker. Lee writhes in pain on the canvas. "You give up!" chant the fans.
Gunther corners Dragon in one of the corners to taunt him. The Mexican responds with fury. Lee surprises Gunther with an enzuigiri before executing a corner dropkick. Dragon tries to perform an Operation Dragon, but his opponent blocks it to reverse it into a side slam. 1..2..NO. Gunther performs a powerbomb. The Austrian stands up his opponent to execute a second powerbomb. 1..2..Gunther interrupts his own count.
Gunther takes Lee to ringside to execute a powerbomb against the edge of the ring. Gunther stands him up once more to execute another powerbomb, this time on the commentator's table. Gunther returns to the ring, waiting for Dragon to lose by count out, but finally decides to go after him. Gunther prepares to execute a new powerbomb, but Dragon reverses it into a Code Red!
Lee returns to the ring, only to launch himself with a suicide dive. Dragon performs an Operation Dragon on Gunther, who impacts the ground. The Mexican returns to the ring, where the referee continues to count. 1..2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9.. Gunther returns just in time, but Lee is waiting for him to launch a new offensive. Gunther blocks an Operation Dragon to catch his opponent in a Gojira Clutch, tearing off his mask in the process! The Mexican quickly surrenders.
Winner by submission: Gunther
The referee covers Dragon's head with a towel as Gunther triumphantly retreats backstage.
Asuka confronts Kairi Sane in Japanese backstage. "You should have been in the Chamber!" Asuka shouts. On the verge of tears, Sane reminds Asuka that she congratulated her last week. "The Empress of Tomorrow" pushes and shakes Kairi while shouting at her in Japanese. After that, she leaves the place. AJ Lee approaches Sane. The new Intercontinental Champion asks "The Pirate Princess" if she needs help, but she remains silent, almost in shock. "¡KAIRIIIII!" shouts Asuka in the distance. AJ Lee startles. With a lost look, Kairi quickly responds to her companion's call. AJ Lee continues on her way. And so we come to the end of this segment.
Furious Austin Theory and Logan Paul appear on the entrance ramp. Both berate Seth Rollins for attacking a defenseless older man and the fans for celebrating it. Logan assures that they are the good guys and that they are systematically attacked by Rollins, Adam Pearce, and Nick Aldis. However, tonight they will prove they are right when Theory finishes off Jimmy Uso. Austin addresses the Samoan directly, promising him that tonight there will be no games, no dances. Just pressure.
Let's Light It Up!
AJ Lee makes her entrance carrying her Intercontinental Championship. The fans greet her with a great ovation. Once in the ring, AJ Lee acknowledges that she doesn't know how they got to this point. She returned to WWE to pull Becky Lynch's hair, but in the end, she ended up pulling her title. And, honestly, she didn't know if she would be able to do this again. "You deserve it!" chant the fans. AJ Lee thanks them for supporting her over the past 10 years because they are the ones who have reminded her that she still has what it takes to face the best (and Becky is one of them) and to hold a championship.
But now that her rivalry with "The Man" is behind her, she must look forward. And right in front of her is WrestleMania 42. However, she has no intention of waiting until the grand event. AJ Lee wants to be a champion who defends the gold and knows that there are some women she named weeks ago who want to get their hands on her. "Well, ladies. If you think you have what it takes to be champions, if you want a chance against your favorite wrestler's favorite wrestler, come get me," she says. AJ Lee promises that the next time she steps into a ring will be to defend the belt. "So, ladies, show me what you've got," she says to end her promo. AJ Lee kisses the belt before posing with it. And so we come to the end of this segment.
We see a backstage video recorded before the show. In it, Original El Grande Americano approaches Penta to wish him luck in his match tonight and to make it clear that he will be the first in line when the Mexican wins the Intercontinental Championship. "You know me, right? And you also know: Zero fear," says Penta as he fist bumps Original El Grande Americano. Penta leaves, at which point Los Americanos (El Grande Americano, Bravo Americano, and Rayo Americano) approach Original El Grande Americano to demand that he end this farce. Original El Grande Americano insists that he is the authentic one. El Grande Americano claims that Original El Grande Americano doesn't deserve that mask, but it doesn't matter because this matter will be settled on March 14 at AAA: Rey de Reyes. Original El Grande Americano points out that they don't need to wait that long. Bravo and Rayo stand in his way. Original El Grande Americano taunts El Grande Americano for hiding behind his friends. That's why he proposes to face one of them. With that said, he heads towards Adam Pearce's office for the General Manager to make it official.
Liv Morgan delivers a backstage promo to address Stephanie Vaquer. Liv wants to explain why she attacked her last week. Stephanie tried to humiliate her, judge her, and even belittle her, but the truth is that the Chilean doesn't know her, nor does she know everything she had to go through to get to WWE. However, "The First" is right about one thing: Morgan is privileged. "I'm sorry that WWE hired me at 20 and that you get rejected at your first tryout. I'm sorry I had the best of the best while you grew up in mud huts fighting in flea-infested rings for 10 years. And do you know why all this happened, Stephanie? Because I'm a star and I don't dig up the past, although it seems like you only talk about yours. But despite everything, I see something of myself in you. You have talent. You worked hard. You're a great champion. So I'm going to do something for you. At WrestleMania, I'll give you the greatest privilege of your life because you're going to share the ring with the best Royal Rumble winner of all time. You'll share the ring with the first Crown Jewel Champion, six-time champion, Money in the Bank winner. You'll share the ring with Liv Morgan. And you'll learn everything you need to know about me," she says to end her promo.
Original El Grande Americano vs. Rayo Americano (with Bravo Americano and El Grande Americano)
Original El Grande Americano and Rayo exchange wristlocks. Rayo grabs the ropes to free himself from one of the holds. He then hits Original El Grande Americano directly in the throat. However, the masked man quickly expels his opponent from the ring. Bravo climbs onto the apron to dance. The distraction allows Rayo to surprise Original El Grande Americano from behind. This leads to Rayo launching himself onto the latter with an apron cannonball.
El Grande Americano confronts Original El Grande Americano, a moment that Rayo takes advantage of to launch himself onto the former with a tope. Rayo throws Original El Grande Americano against one of the posts. Rayo brings his opponent back into the ring to continue punishing him. The referee orders Rayo to stay away from his opponent, a moment that Bravo uses to illegally attack him. Original El Grande Americano dodges a running meteora to counterattack. However, Rayo quickly stops him.
Rayo traps Original El Grande Americano in a crossface. Original El Grande Americano tries to break free, but his opponent slams him down onto the mat. Rayo and Original El Grande Americano exchange strikes in the center of the ring. Original El Grande Americano surprises Rayo with two consecutive belly-to-belly suplexes before applying a Russian Leg Sweep. Original El Grande Americano continues to dominate the match.
Original El Grande Americano traps Rayo in an Ankle Lock, but Rayo escapes by rolling through. Rayo executes a running meteora. The action moves to the top of one of the turnbuckles. Original El Grande Americano surprises his opponent with a belly-to-superplex. Bravo tries to intervene, but Original El Grande Americano strikes him. The referee checks on Bravo, a moment El Grande Americano takes advantage of to deliver a headbutt to Original El Grande Americano. Rayo climbs up high to deliver a diving headbutt onto Original El Grande Americano. 1..2..NO.
El Grande Americano tries to surprise Original El Grande Americano once again, but this time his nemesis doesn’t allow it. Original El Grande Americano traps El Grande Americano against the ropes with the intention of unmasking him, but Bravo stops him with a kick. Original El Grande Americano grabs Rayo to strike Bravo before executing a german suplex hold. 1..2..3.
Winner: Original El Grande Americano
Original El Grande Americano quickly escapes the ring to prevent Los Americanos from getting their hands on him.
Penta delivers a video promo to send a direct message to Dominik Mysterio. Penta promises that tonight he will step into the ring with all the energy and love of his people. "Dominik Mysterio. Nothing and no one will save you, because tonight it’s just you and me," says the masked star before assuring that he will make history when he becomes the new Intercontinental Champion. "Do you know why? Because I am Penta, CERO MIEDO!" he exclaims.
Jackie Redmond interviews Nattie in the crowd area. Redmond reminds her that they’ve known each other for years, but she’s never seen her treat anyone the way she treated Maxxine Dupri. That’s why she wants to know why. Nattie looks directly into the camera to send a message to Dupri. Nattie hopes the hospital room where she is recovering has Netflix and that she’s watching right now, because she wants to apologize. Nattie regrets training her as much as telling her she could become a good wrestler, because it’s not true. Nattie wants to say something no one else dares to: that Dupri is nothing more than a blonde girl trying to convince others she has killer instinct. Nattie advises her to keep filming TikTok videos with Otis and Akira Tozawa. The Canadian insists she’s speaking facts and that the truth hurts. "You don’t belong in my world, and you never will," she says before walking away.
We head to The Judgment Day’s "Clubhouse." Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez chat while playing darts. Morgan congratulates her partner on her great performance at Elimination Chamber, noting that she still has a chance to compete at WrestleMania for a championship: AJ Lee’s Intercontinental Title. Raquel thinks it’s a great idea. Meanwhile, JD McDonagh talks with Dominik Mysterio. Dominik wants to know if they’ll support him in his title defense tonight. JD promises they will. Finn Bálor appears. McDonagh asks how he feels after Elimination Chamber. Bálor admits he’s not happy with the result, but he is satisfied with how things unfolded, so he feels at peace with himself. Dominik once again asks if the Irishmen will be with him tonight because he wants to celebrate his victory with them as the family they are. "Guys, you know you can count on me. I’ll be out there watching you win, Dom," says Bálor. The three men bump fists as Liv and Raquel join them. That brings this segment to a close.
Rusev interrupts a promotional video from Oba Femi. The Bulgarian climbs onto the announce table to make it clear he’s tired of constantly hearing about "The Ruler." He knows they both want the same thing, so he challenges him to come out and face him in a match right here and now. "The Lion of Bulgaria, Rusev, calls out The Nigerian Ruler, Oba Femi. I’m not getting off this table until you come out here. You can go ask your daddy Adam Pearce if it’s okay or not," says Rusev.
Oba Femi makes his entrance!
The Nigerian enters the ring and takes the mic. "You’ve spent all this time talking. Why don’t you come in here and make something happen?" asks "The Ruler" before throwing the microphone onto the mat. The Bulgarian quickly enters the ring. The two men stand face-to-face. Rusev throws a punch to start a striking exchange. Oba gains the upper hand, but Rusev surprises him with several Machka Kicks. Oba stops Rusev’s offense with a chokeslam before knocking him out of the ring with a clothesline. Rusev retreats backstage while exchanging threats with the Nigerian.
Lyra Valkyria and Bayley talk backstage. Bayley admits they haven’t had much luck, something she deeply regrets considering we’re in the middle of the Road to WrestleMania. Valkyria suggests that Bayley challenge AJ Lee for the Intercontinental Championship. A large part of the roster wants to face the veteran after her promo tonight, and she believes "The Role Model" has what it takes to challenge her. Bayley thanks her for that. Lyra advises her to go to Adam Pearce’s office to talk about it. However, something stops Bayley. She remembers that she cost Lyra the title, so it would only be fair for both of them to speak with Pearce. Bayley and Valkyria approach his office, but before they can knock, the door opens. IYO SKY steps out. The Japanese star and Bayley exchange silent stares. "The Genius of Sky" walks away. Bayley and Lyra enter the office. That brings this segment to a close.
Jimmy Uso vs. Austin Theory
Jimmy launches the first attack to take control. Theory responds with several knee strikes. Jimmy kicks Austin in the face to regain control, but a right hand from Theory ruins his plans. Furious, Austin repeatedly strikes Jimmy, forcing the referee to intervene. Jimmy throws Theory out of the ring before launching himself with a suicide dive. The Samoan continues attacking his rival at ringside.
Jimmy delivers several superkicks to Theory, who ends up laid out on the announce table. Jimmy climbs one of the turnbuckles, ready to dive onto Austin, but Logan Paul appears in the ring. Jimmy dives onto "The Maverick," starting a brawl that Austin quickly joins. Logan attacks Jimmy from behind, prompting the referee to call for the bell.
Winner by disqualification: Jimmy Uso
Theory and Paul continue attacking Jimmy when suddenly Jey Uso’s entrance music hits. Austin and Logan wait for him at the entrance ramp, but Jey appears on the opposite side of the ring to hand a crutch to his brother. Armed with crutches, The Usos launch an assault on The Vision. Jimmy and Jey take out Paul before delivering a 1D to Austin. The Vision members remain laid out on the mat as the Samoans celebrate in the ring.
Danhausen approaches Adam Pearce to officially introduce himself and hand over a list of demands, which include a photo with Triple H pointing at him, a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame, and his face on all of the company’s trucks. Pearce asks why the list looks so bad. Danhausen confesses that he dropped it in the toilet. Pearce immediately drops it. Suddenly, he spots The Judgment Day members walking by and stops them. Pearce introduces them to Danhausen and quickly walks away to avoid getting involved. Danhausen greets Dom and Finn, but not JD, as he can’t remember his name. "I already hate this guy," says McDonagh. Danhausen tries to touch Dominik’s Intercontinental Championship, asking if he can have one of those. Dom steps aside. "That’s the closest you’re ever going to get to one. And I’m not happy to meet you. So why don’t you leave before something bad happens to you?" says Mysterio. "Bad things to me? You know what? You’re cursed!" says Danhausen. Mysterio, Bálor, and McDonagh laugh. However, when they look back at Danhausen, he has disappeared.
Byron Saxton interviews Je'Von Evans in the crowd area. After interacting a bit with the fans, Evans recalls his participation in Elimination Chamber. Je'Von notes that he has always been a fan of this type of match, but now that he has competed in one, he can confirm it is brutal and painful. Still, he is happy to have been in there with top-tier wrestlers, future WWE Hall of Famers... well, and Logan Paul was in there too. That said, he makes it clear that his goal is to become a champion in WWE, which is why he will be watching the next match very closely. However, the outcome doesn’t matter to him, because whoever wins, he will be the next to compete for the Intercontinental Championship.
Jackie Redmond interviews RHIYO on the entrance ramp. Rhea Ripley regrets losing the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, especially because of IYO SKY. The Australian reflects on the past year, during which she found in the Japanese star a great rival, a partner, but above all, her best friend. Ripley thanks her for pulling her out of the darkness she was in. IYO assures her she has nothing to apologize for. She’ll be fine, hoping the Australian leaves WrestleMania as champion. Rhea promises that she will. Ripley asks IYO to take care of Raw in her absence, because this Friday she’s heading to SmackDown to confront Jade Cargill. Rhea looks directly into the camera. "When WrestleMania comes, I will walk out as your new WWE Women’s Champion," she promises. Ripley lifts IYO into her arms for a hug. That brings this segment to a close.
Intercontinental Championship Match
Dominik Mysterio (c) (with JD McDonagh and Finn Bálor) vs. Penta
Penta grabs Dom. Dom breaks free with several back elbows. Champion and challenger exchange superkicks. Penta falls to ringside. The masked star stops Mysterio’s suicide dive with an enzuigiri. Penta knocks the champion out of the ring with a dropkick before launching himself with a tope con hilo. Penta continues attacking Dominik in front of his stablemates.
Penta brings Dom back into the ring, where he drops him with a superkick. Penta climbs up high to dive onto the champion, but Dom stops him with a kick. Mysterio repeatedly strikes the challenger before dragging him to one of the corners. Dominik unleashes a flurry of kicks on his opponent, forcing the referee to intervene.
Dom keeps attacking the Mexican, who soon fights back. Penta kicks the champion, forcing him to drop to one knee, then plants him with a faceplant. Mysterio avoids a superkick to start a counterattack. Dominik executes The Three Amigos, but it’s Penta who delivers the third suplex. The action moves to the top turnbuckle. Mysterio prevents his rival from throwing him to the mat. Dom kicks Penta before delivering a DDT onto the apron. 1..2..NO.
Penta and Dominik trade punches. The Mexican throws several kicks, only for Mysterio to drag him onto the apron. Dominik knocks Penta down with a right hand before diving onto him with a tope. Mysterio charges at Penta, sending both men crashing over the barricade. Champion and challenger return to the ring. Mysterio ties Penta’s mask laces to the bottom rope so he can kick him at will. The referee orders him to back away.
Dominik kicks Penta as fans chant for their favorite. "Let’s go, Penta! Let’s go, Dom!" they shout. Mysterio drags Penta to the top turnbuckle, where he tries to rip off his mask. Penta is left hanging upside down. Dominik then hits a dropkick. Penta recovers to surprise Dom with a quick burst of offense that ends with a Pendulum. 1..2..NO. Meanwhile, Finn tells JD to stay calm.
Penta continues attacking the champion, hitting a backstabber. 1..2..NO. Mysterio responds with a Michinoku Driver. 1..2..NO. Dom kicks Penta into the ropes before delivering a 619. Penta blocks the following frog splash to hit a Sacrifice. Penta finishes the champion with a Penta Driver. One...two...thre—NO. A furious Penta unleashes a barrage of kicks on Mysterio, ignoring the referee’s warnings.
Penta keeps attacking Dominik in the corner. Mysterio avoids a charge from the Mexican, causing him to slam his left shoulder into the ring post. The referee checks on Penta. Dominik approaches his partners, asking them to hand him the timekeeper’s hammer. JD McDonagh rises from his chair to retrieve it. However, Finn steps in, grabbing the hammer. "No! He said he wanted to do this himself! Let him do it on his own!" Finn shouts. "He told me to give him the hammer!" JD responds. The Irishmen continue arguing, allowing Penta to dive onto both men with a tope.
Penta catches Dominik with an enzuigiri before returning to the ring. Mysterio avoids a Mexican Destroyer by tripping his rival into the ropes. Now Penta avoids a 619 and finally connects with a Mexican Destroyer. 1..2..3.
Winner and NEW Intercontinental Champion: PENTA
Penta celebrates in the ring as fireworks echo throughout the arena. The new Intercontinental Champion poses with the title to close the segment.
We see a video of what happened after WWE Elimination Chamber, with Nick Aldis announcing that Drew McIntyre will defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes on SmackDown. The news did not sit well with the Scotsman, who immediately confronted the blue brand’s General Manager.
Roman Reigns makes his entrance. "The OTC" raises his index finger, prompting the fireworks to go off once again. Roman takes his time walking to the ring, where he completes his entrance. "OTC, OTC, OTC!" chant the fans. "Indianapolis, ACKNOWLEDGE ME!" Roman shouts to begin his promo. However...
CM Punk makes his entrance!
CM Punk heads to the ring. "CM Punk! CM Punk!" chant the fans. Roman glares at the champion. CM Punk wonders why the Samoan seems so upset, since he only interrupted him to feed his ego and acknowledge him. Punk raises his index finger mockingly to "prove" it. But honestly, CM Punk hopes Reigns came out for more than that; otherwise, he’d be wasting one of his limited appearances before WrestleMania saying something he could have just posted on X. "Did my tweet hurt your feelings, Phil? You seem a little sensitive for a champion. Your skin’s pretty thin," Roman says. CM Punk assures him the tweet didn’t bother him. In fact, he doesn’t care what people say about him online. That said, he shows Roman the dark circles under his eyes, the result of carrying the entire feud during this Road to WrestleMania.
CM Punk reminds Roman that it was in this city where The Shield debuted. In other words, this is where Roman got to debut thanks to him. "Correction: you brought the other two, not me," Reigns replies. "The Best in the World" believes they remember the past differently. Maybe he didn’t choose Roman, but Roman chose him. And now they will face each other in the main event of WrestleMania. CM Punk believes the people of Indianapolis would agree that he has already won the match. Reigns laughs.
CM Punk recalls their last conversation, when Roman said he hated him. The Samoan reiterates that sentiment. Reigns makes it clear that if it weren’t for the World Heavyweight Championship, he wouldn’t care about CM Punk at all. Roman points out that Punk wasn’t brought back to WWE to be champion because it’s too much responsibility. "The OTC" claims that "The Best in the World" can’t be trusted and is a liar. Reigns says CM Punk only performs for the camera, pretending to be a veteran who helps everyone, a locker room leader, when in reality he does nothing but complain backstage. And he knows this because everyone tells him when he’s backstage. That’s why he shouldn’t be champion. "You’re not CM Punk. You’re just a punk-ass bitch to me," the Samoan says before promising to crush "The Best in the World’s" plans at WrestleMania. "When I win that championship, the first thing I’m going to do is put your ass on one of those John Cena farewell tours. We’re going to squeeze you dry. We’re going to make a lot of money off you. And you want to know what happens then? We’re going to send you to NXT, and you’re going to teach the next generation how we do what we do. And when you do, you’ll send them to me, and The Tribal Chief will smash each and every one of them," Roman says before throwing the microphone to the mat.
Reigns tries to leave, but CM Punk stops him by grabbing his arm. Annoyed, Punk makes it clear he’s not finished, and now Roman will listen to everything he has to say. First, he wants to know why Reigns keeps speaking in the plural. "Do you have more Samoan elves in your pockets that I can’t see?" he asks. CM Punk insists Roman is alone. His cousins are no longer with him. He doesn’t have The Shield or "The Wiseman" anymore. "I took him from you," Punk says. CM Punk explains that moments like this offer clarity, and the picture is clear: Roman followed in his footsteps. Punk makes it clear that Roman will main event WrestleMania not because "The Best in the World" is champion, nor because Reigns won the Royal Rumble. He’ll be there because CM Punk is the one in charge now. "You can hate me all you want. I don’t care if you don’t like me. What I won’t allow is you disrespecting me. You’re going to retire me? You’re going to retire CM Punk? Well, brother, you just made the list. You’re no longer a man who will be defeated at WrestleMania, because now I’m going to bury you. And then you won’t be alone, because I’ll bury you next to your father," says "The Best in the World" before dropping the microphone. CM Punk heads backstage while Reigns remains silent in the ring. That brings this week’s episode of Raw to a close.
