CM Punk's Effect on WWE WrestleMania 40, Samoa Joe as AEW Champ, More Quick Takes

CM Punk's WWE return at Survivor Series not only sent shockwaves throughout the wrestling world but left fans with many more questions than answers in the final stretch of 2023.

WWE's next major event won't be until the Royal Rumble at the end of January, which is why what the company chooses to do with him in the aftermath of such a massive moment and how it affects the overall road to WrestleMania is of utmost importance.

For as much excitement as he adds to the current product, WWE must ensure that whatever he does next doesn't come at the expense of plans already in place for WrestleMania 40.

AEW has a clear direction it's headed in with the AEW World Championship as MJF will once again defend against Samoa Joe at the Worlds Ends pay-per-view on Dec. 30. MJF has several credible challengers waiting in the wings, but putting the belt on Joe might be the most effective way to shake things up heading into the new year.

This week's installment of Quick Takes will delve into Joe as the next AEW World champion, which popular babyface WWE should turn heel, Randy Orton's positioning on the card coming out of Survivor Series, and more.

WWE Shouldn't Drastically Alter Existing WrestleMania Plans in Light of Punk's Return

CM Punk is undoubtedly an enormous addition to the WWE ranks, and although they didn't need him to maintain the momentum they've had business-wise all year round, he adds a ton to the company's talent depth and has countless options for potential opponents.

Straight out of the gate, he becomes one of the odds-on favorites to win the men's Royal Rumble match. There's a strong chance of him coming out on top and punching his ticket to the main-event of WrestleMania 40 for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Being the caliber of star that he is, Punk belongs in the world championship conversation, but rushing him into such a spot could send the wrong message to the rest of the roster.

The Voice of the Voiceless was the first to make it known he wasn't thrilled about being pushed aside in favor of the part-timers during his last stint with WWE a decade ago, and following the many insults he's hurled their way since then, having him take that prime position away from someone else ahead of 'Mania could be considered a sign of disrespect.

Business is business, and he will absolutely be involved in The Show of Shows in some capacity. If WWE already had Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes as well as Seth Rollins vs. Gunther (or other marquee matches that make sense) penciled in for the event, then Punk's comeback shouldn't cause that to change.

A special attraction match of some sort would suffice.

Seth Rollins Is WWE's Best Bet Among Biggest Babyfaces to Turn Heel

With the returns of Punk and Randy Orton at Survivor Series, WWE now has a surplus of babyfaces across the SmackDown and Raw rosters that include Cody Rhodes, LA Knight, Seth Rollins, Jey Uso, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.

All of them are incredibly over with the audience, and WWE deserves credit for having so many white-hot babyfaces at one time. The issue they face is that they have a stunning lack of credible heels to work with.

Roman Reigns is obviously their biggest star and The Judgment Day and Gunther have been built up nicely, whereas Drew McIntyre's future with the company is uncertain. Regardless, more heels are needed to balance it out and Rollins would be the most logical candidate.

Although he isn't a full year into his babyface run, his character development has been abysmal at best as he has heavily relied on his catchy entrance music to stay somewhat interesting. His in-ring work speaks for itself, but adapting an edge and showing more heelish tendencies could make him a fantastic foil for the beloved Punk.

WWE's other babyfaces are exceling in their current roles, while a gimmick overhaul for Rollins could breathe new life into his World Heavyweight Championship reign.

Who Would Benefit the Most from Winning AEW's Continental Classic?

The announcement of yet another tournament for AEW sounds like overkill on paper, but the Continental Classic's round-robin format and unique stakes certainly make it worthwhile.

The bracket being revealed last week has given fans a better idea of who the favorites will be to win the whole thing. Bryan Danielson, Eddie Kingston and Andrade El Idolo are the standouts from the Blue League and Jon Moxley, Jay White and Swerve Strickland will lead the Gold League.

The ultimate winner will be crowned the unified ROH World champion, NJPW Strong Openweight champion, and Continental Classic champion, defending them as one singular title across the AEW, ROH and NJPW brands. That should eliminate Danielson and Moxley as they're too big of stars to be wrestling anywhere but AEW primarily.

Kingston already holds two of the three titles and could possibly retain them in the end, but it will likely come down to either White or Strickland. AEW is high on both men right now and they need something to keep them busy after wrapping up rivalries at Full Gear.

White emerging victorious while Strickland moves on to bigger and better things would be ideal, but AEW likely wouldn't have put Strickland in the tournament if he was going to come up short in the finals following back-to-back wins over Adam Page, thus giving Strickland the slight edge.

Randy Orton Must Remain in Main-Event Mix Despite Overshadowed Survivor Series Return

CM Punk being the talk of the town among wrestling fans post-Survivor Series was inevitable given the circumstances of his highly-anticipated return, but Randy Orton's comeback deserves an equal amount of attention.

The Viper missed 18 months of action with a near-career-ending back injury but looked better than ever in the men's WarGames main event. He was on offense the entire time and had the crowd behind him as he dismantled The Judgment Day member by member.

Whether it's a program with Shinsuke Nakamura or another heel on the Raw or SmackDown roster, Orton must remain in the main-event mix coming off the strong showing he had at Survivor Series.

WWE turning his return into an afterthought would be a waste of the amazing fanfare he has right now, and there's no shortage of top acts for him to work with. In addition to Nakamura, a rivalry with Judgment Day would be something new, along with challenging Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship.

It isn't imperative he set his sights on world title gold anytime soon, but he's a perennial main-event player and should be involved in something significant toward the top of the card from this point forward.

How a Samoa Joe AEW World Title Win Could Be Exactly What AEW Needs Right Now

Samoa Joe already unsuccessfully vied for the AEW World Championship at the Grand Slam edition of Dynamite in September but will be getting another opportunity to dethrone MJF at Worlds End.

It would have been the right call even at Grand Slam for Joe to take the title, and although MJF has had an outstanding reign overall, switching things up with the championship changing hands could be the way to go and Joe is the perfect person for the job.

The Samoan Submission Machine's career resurgence in AEW has been a treasure. He's risen to the top of every company he's ever worked for and AEW is no different, but it's high time he be rewarded for his efforts with a world title win.

MJF has been a dominant champ for so long that it would be a refreshing chance of pace for him to be back in chase mode if he loses to Joe at Worlds End. It could somehow tie into the reveal of The Devil or feature Adam Cole costing him his precious prize unintentionally.

MJF has done an exceptional job of carrying AEW with his historic run, but he should drop the belt before he becomes stagnant and give Joe his time in the spotlight.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.