We’re one stop closer to the Royal Rumble after last night’s episode of WWE Raw streamed live on Netflix. This week, we were at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, and there were plenty of talking points, most notably with one of the most fun promos we’ve seen in years from someone well-versed in roasting their opponents. Here’s what went down.
CM Punk Declares War on Hulkamania

CM Punk took the spotlight with a fiery promo alongside Jackie Redmond, and this was Punk at his absolute best. As Punk hyped his Royal Rumble aspirations, he didn’t hold back from calling out fellow superstars, including John Cena and Sami Zayn, who he said “wasn’t in his league.” Bet that one comes back around.
But the standout line of the night came when Punk threatened to “kill Hulkamania” if Hulk Hogan were to enter the Rumble. “If they put Hulk Hogan in the Rumble, I’d throw his dusty ass out and kill Hulkamania forever,” Punk declared, as he sent the crowd into a frenzy. Hogan received a villain’s welcome two weeks ago on Raw and, with his appearance at this weekend’s Saturday Night’s Main Event now set to be met with even more boos — although Hogan is sure to claim they’re saying “Boo-ogan” — it’s clear Hulkamania is no longer running wild in the eyes of the fans.
Bayley Makes the Jump to ‘Raw’

Everyone’s favorite ex-Hugger has jumped ship to Raw, as was announced by Adam Pierce before the show, and Bayley was rewarded with a match against… oh lord, Nia Jax. Welcome back, B. However, the pair delivered a hard-hitting match that let Bayley’s underdog abilities shine through, even if Jax ultimately claimed victory with her Annihilator finisher. However, the real fireworks came post-match as Rhea Ripley stormed the ring to settle the score with Jax, who had attacked her earlier in the show. The pair go head to head at Saturday Night’s Main Event, while Bayley also found herself under fire from NXT’s Roxanne Perez, who looks set to jump to the main roster.

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This feud has to be settled.

Jey Uso Gets Under Gunther’s Skin

Jey Uso opened the night in the ring, yeeting all over the place as he usually does, and starting a promo to hype up his match for the World Heavyweight Championship at Saturday Night’s Main Event, but before he could start, his opponent, Gunther, came out in loafers without socks. Disgusting heel behavior. Gunther delivered a scathing promo in which he accused Jey of being a “company mascot” and a “flash in the pan,” but Jey had the last word when he pointed out that he had main-evented at WrestleMania, and Gunther hadn’t come close. The segment ended with a heated brawl that saw Jey standing tall after superkicking Gunther out of the ring. The match will most likely see Jey fight hard before Gunther simply pummels him into dust. It’ll be great.
Kevin Owens Messes with Sami Zayn

Possibly the most intriguing moment of the show came when Sami Zayn delivered an emotional promo about his Royal Rumble ambitions, only to be interrupted by Kevin Owens. Owens expressed his belief in Zayn’s potential to win the Rumble and main event WrestleMania, and none of this seemed legit, because Owens is a manipulative b*stard. Owens added that, because of their close relationship, he knew he could count on Zayn to help him out against Cody Rhodes in their WWE Championship ladder match. Psychological warfare, very nice.
WrestleMania Rematch Headlines the Show

The main event of the show saw a WrestleMania rematch between Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre. The pair went at it and had a great television-level match, but McIntyre took (yet another) loss after Rollins rolled him up for a quick pin. Post-match, McIntyre unleashed his frustration and attacked Rollins. Zayn attempted to make the save but ended up kicking Rollins squarely in the face. Oh dear. The dynamic among the top guys in WWE is pretty spicy right now, which means it’s all set for Brock Lesnar to appear out of nowhere and win the Rumble, right?
Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on WWE and exclusive coverage as the road to WrestleMania continues.

Character(s)

Randy Savage
, Chris Masters
, Maria
, Konnor
, Viktor
, Jason Jordan
, Brie Bella
, Nikki Bella
, Mike Knox
, Rod Zapata – Referee
, Harvey Wippleman
, Jamie Noble
, Kalisto
, Dean Ambrose
, Daniel Bryan
, Self
, Chris Jericho (archive footage)
, Michael Cole
, Ric Flair
, Hunter Hearst Helmsley
, BECKY LYNCH
, Uncredited
, JINDER MAHAL
, Randy Orton

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