A busy night at Saturday Night’s Main Event carried over into Monday on WWE Raw, with fallout from a new World Heavyweight Champion being crowned. CM Punk captured the vacant title against Jey Uso, and a surprising face got involved in the chaos that followed, along with an even more intriguing booking decision.
Meanwhile, WWE is building toward Survivor Series: WarGames, teasing one of the most compelling singles matches in a family showdown.
With the tournament field set to decide who faces John Cena in his final match, there was plenty at play on WWE Raw.
Logan Paul Takes The Spotlight
CM Punk’s World Heavyweight Championship win didn’t come on a grand stage, but that wasn’t WWE’s original plan before Seth Rollins went down with an injury and vacated the title. Plans change, and WWE adjusted on the fly.
What made the moment even more compelling was the direction the company chose for Punk’s next challengers.
As Punk mocked Rollins’ trademark belt swing and rattled off a list of potential opponents, Logan Paul’s music hit to the shock of everyone in New Mexico. It was a “him, really?” kind of moment, considering he hadn’t been seen on WWE television in months.
Things took an even stranger turn when Paul Heyman arrived with Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, both gunning for the same championship. As The Vision attacked Punk, Paul unexpectedly ran to the ring and made the save. Punk didn’t return the favor, though, as Reed crushed Paul with a Tsunami. Still, it was a surprising twist that suggested WWE might be testing a babyface run for the social media star, or maybe something else entirely.
Later, after a disqualification finish to Punk and Jey Uso vs. Breakker and Reed, the heels swarmed again. Paul came out once more, seemingly to help Punk, and pulled out the brass knuckles. Just as everyone expected him to blast the Second City Saint, he paused for a split second… and did it anyway.
Now it looks like Paul has aligned himself with The Vision, marking a surprise creative shift. While he won’t replace Seth Rollins, it’s a bold move by WWE to position someone they clearly view as part of the company’s future alongside other rising stars. The alliance makes sense, as they head toward what feels like an inevitable WarGames match in the coming weeks.
It also seems to set the stage for Paul to challenge Punk for the title. The 30-year-old could use another win or two to solidify his standing, but based on Monday’s events, all signs point to that match happening soon.
WWE Begins Steady Rollout Of Tournament Matches
WWE began announcing the 16 Superstars who will compete for the chance to face John Cena in his final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event in December. They never promised to reveal the full field right away, though, and on Raw, general manager Adam Pearce confirmed two matchups for the Nov. 10 episode, scheduling Rusev vs. Damian Priest and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sheamus.
SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis will reveal the next two matchups on Friday.
It’s not surprising that WWE is spacing out the announcements. Doing so keeps fans guessing about potential surprises, especially the names Cena hinted at who may not currently be under contract with the company, instead of revealing everything at once.
Rusev, Priest, and Nakamura don’t seem like realistic options to be Cena’s final opponent. However, Sheamus would be a compelling choice given their history throughout the 2010s. If the Celtic Warrior were to capture the Intercontinental Championship from Dominik Mysterio beforehand, WWE could turn this into a high-stakes match between two Superstars chasing Grand Slam status in the same year.
A Family Conundrum
At nearly 51 years old, time is running out on Rey Mysterio’s WWE career. He’s coming off another long-term injury, and it’s fair to wonder how many matches he has left.
In his return after spending most of the year sidelined, WWE immediately paired him with his son, Dominik Mysterio, setting the stage for what appears to be another showdown between father and son at Survivor Series in their hometown of San Diego, California. One would imagine that one, if not both, of Dominik’s titles, the Intercontinental Championship and the AAA Mega Championship, could be on the line, making it their highest-stakes encounter yet.
It could, however, end up being just for the AAA title. Sheamus, who’s, again, chasing the Intercontinental Championship to complete his WWE Grand Slam, brawled with Dominik at ringside during the World Tag Team Championship match on Raw. At this stage of his career, the Intercontinental title would not add much for Rey, but fighting for the AAA belt and the right to be called King of the Luchadores certainly would.
