CM Punk Brings Out Best in Drew McIntyre, Judgment Day Must Lose, More Raw Takes

The January 8 edition of WWE Raw built forward toward the Royal Rumble on January 27.

CM Punk returned to face the verbal onslaught of Drew McIntyre, who did not mince words in his first interaction with The Best in the World.

Cody Rhodes put an end to his feud with Shinsuke Nakamura by defeating him in a competitive Street Fight.

Rhea Ripley confronted the dominant Nia Jax, setting the stage for a future battle for the Women's World Championship.

Tommaso Ciampa defeated Finn Bálor, setting up DIY to challenge The Judgment Day for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships. This is the perfect moment to move the gold and reset the tag division.

WWE is setting the pieces for an exciting road to WrestleMania 40, beginning with an important Royal Rumble later this month.

CM Punk Already Paying Dividends for Raw Roster

Everyone that has interacted with CM Punk since his return has delivered career-defining promos. Drew McIntyre was no different Monday, continuing his rise as a top heel.

WWE signed Punk on a loaded roster. Many stars would have been lost trying to stand up to stars such as Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Cody Rhodes and others.

Instead, The Second City Saint has actually elevated those around him by association. Rollins and McIntyre have stepped up and cut promos on him that set the internet alight.

And The Scottish Warrior did not mince words: "You're Straight Edge. You don't have any demons. You are a demon, a self-serving narcissistic succubus."

The potential big matches continue to pile up for Punk for beyond the Royal Rumble. A clash with McIntyre could be huge for Elimination Chamber in Australia in February, building toward Punk against Rollins at WrestleMania 40.

Even if the plan is not that concrete, McIntyre immediately got the attention back on him after a frustrating loss last week. Punk just needed to appear to pull the Scot up.

Rhea Ripley vs. Nia Jax Must Headline Elimination Chamber in Perth

Rhea Ripley is the biggest Australian star in all of WWE, and she needs to main-event Elimination Chamber in Perth come February 24.

The best challenger set for her is Nia Jax, who made an example out of The Eradicator in her WWE return and has now challenged her again.

With all the good work that Jax has done since returning to WWE in September, the stage has been set perfectly for Mami to face The Irresistible Force at the Optus Center in Western Australia next month.

The other option would be to save Ripley vs. Jax for WrestleMania 40, but Becky Lynch would be a more natural opponent for either, or both, women at The Show of Shows.

The sets a course for Raw that would make the Road to WrestleMania memorable for the top names in the women's division.

It's Time For The Judgment Day to Lose Tag Team Gold

Tommaso Ciampa pinning Finn Bálor was the biggest win of his career to date. The Blackheart is gaining main roster credibility that could lead to winning gold alongside Johnny Gargano.

DIY can be the tag team to get a division that has been overshadowed by The Judgment Day's presence back on track.

With Damian Priest considering when to cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase, Bálor comes off as the odd man out and in need of a fresh direction. He cannot get there while holding the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships.

The best path forward would be to split up the men's tag team titles so that SmackDown and Raw have separate divisions and champions again.

The first step is DIY capturing the tag team gold, which would be an upset but a welcome one. They can defend the belts regularly, focused on the division rather than any larger drama such as R-Truth's continued involvement.

If Ciampa and Gargano do not dethrone The Judgment Day, another tag team must step up quickly because The Prince and The Punishment will not need the gold to make an impact at WrestleMania 40.

Cody Rhodes Puts Nail in Coffin of Shinsuke Nakamura's Main Event Push

In late 2023, Shinsuke Nakamura seemed to finally put it together as a top heel, but a series of losses to top names has established a clear message: The Artist is not a main event act.

Whether he was working with Seth Rollins or Cody Rhodes, he was all talk. His matches with both men were merely solid, and the result was never in question.

Nakamura was outmatched by the top names in the business and cannot legitimately challenge other top guys such as CM Punk or Sami Zayn next in the same way.

This year is more likely to push The Artist back into the midcard where he has worked much of his career. Hopefully, his presentation can remain the same, even if he will work with lower-level competition.

Rhodes needs to start his journey to WrestleMania, feuding with a heel who can truly challenge him.

Whether he goes after Roman Reigns again or finds a different challenger like Drew McIntyre or Gunther, The American Nightmare needs an angle that will challenge him as he heads toward The Show of Shows.