WWE Raw video highlights: CM Punk & Cody Rhodes confrontation

By Joseph Currier
Published: 22 Jan 2024, 23:07

I didn’t have the famous dad. My father was blue-collar. My father was just a regular guy. He was an electrician, which makes it kind of ironic. I’m more of the American Dream than you are. – CM Punk

Everything that you spoke about [in the pipe bomb promo], I literally did. So where you talked, I walked. And what is actually ironic — that makes me more CM Punk than you – Cody Rhodes

CM Punk and Cody Rhodes are standing in each other’s way of main eventing WrestleMania.

Five days away from the Royal Rumble, Punk and Rhodes met for a face-to-face confrontation on last night’s Raw. What started as a friendly interaction turned tense by the end. Punk and Cody each have the same goal in mind. Punk needs to finally headline WrestleMania. Rhodes needs to finish his story and win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Only one of them can win the Royal Rumble.

The segment started with Punk recounting how, in 2007, Dusty Rhodes called Punk and asked him to keep an eye on Cody in OVW. From there, Punk watched Cody grow from a preliminary wrestler into a main event star. Punk said he’s proud of Cody, but he feels like he has to break a promise to Dusty at the Royal Rumble. He’s not going to be looking out for Cody on Saturday — he’s going to be looking for him.

Cody said his friendship with Punk is what makes this moment so bittersweet. There will be no friends in the Royal Rumble match.

Punk and Cody spoke about their differences and the paths they took to get here. Punk claimed that, with his blue-collar upbringing, he’s more of the American Dream than Cody is. Cody said that, while Punk may have rattled off the formula for a revolution in his pipe bomb promo, Cody is the person who did it. Cody claimed that makes him more CM Punk than Punk is.

Things turned tense when Cody bumped into Punk as he was leaving the ring. The two went nose-to-nose and had a staredown but things never got physical.

More coverage from last night —

WWE Raw video highlights —

Seth Rollins promises to defend his World Heavyweight title at WrestleMania