CM Punk speaks to crowd after WWE Raw

While he recovers from triceps surgery, CM Punk was backstage at Raw last night.

Punk was in Anaheim, California for UFC 298 on Saturday and WWE Raw on Monday. TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE and UFC, has signed a deal to bring at least three UFC and three WWE events to the Anaheim venue through 2028.

After Raw went off the air, there was a post-show segment where Cody Rhodes and Punk both spoke to the crowd. Punk promised that, the next time WWE comes to Anaheim, he’ll have his ring boots on and will be ready to wrestle.

Punk said:

It is not easy sitting backstage, watching the show, knowing that Anaheim showed up 11,000-strong, and y’all have been hot all night long. Three hours, countless Superstars, awesome matches. I had to come out here and feel this myself. And to let you all know, this is a bump in the road. And I promise you that next time we are in Anaheim, I will be here and I will have my boots on.

Punk suffered a torn triceps during the Royal Rumble this January. It was Punk’s first televised WWE match since 2014. Punk challenging World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins was originally planned for WrestleMania 40, but that is off the table due to Punk’s injury. Punk has undergone surgery and expects to be out of action for 6-8 months. 

In the main event of last night’s Raw, Gunther retained the Intercontinental title against Jey Uso. Interference by Jimmy Uso led to Jey losing the match. Jimmy then laid out his twin brother and vowed that he isn’t going to let Jey win a singles title without him.

Rhodes also lost to Drew McIntyre last night due to interference by Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa. It was Rhodes’ first one-on-one loss since May 2023.