CM Punk Injury Fallout, Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns Swerve and More WWE Raw Takes

Monday's WWE Raw did not disappoint in building off the Royal Rumble's most important moments.

CM Punk announced he would miss WrestleMania 40 due to a triceps tear he suffered in the men's Rumble match, before Drew McIntyre mocked him and laid him out. The Scot then went on to beat Sami Zayn in cheap fashion in the main event.

Seth Rollins confronted men's Rumble winner Cody Rhodes and urged The American Nightmare to choose him over Roman Reigns as his opponent at The Show of Shows.

Women's Rumble winner Bayley hoped to make her challenge to Rhea Ripley official, but Nia Jax ruined the moment and laid out Mami. The Role Model decided to delay her decision until Friday's SmackDown.

Jey Uso picked up an important victory over Bronson Reed, while Gunther pushed Kofi Kingston beyond his limit in a fantastic Intercontinental Championship match. These two could be set for a collision course.

This week's Raw was a high-energy affair helped by great wrestling and a true sense that the Road to WrestleMania has arrived.

Drew McIntyre Has Best Case to Dethrone Seth Rollins at WrestleMania

Injuries are an inevitability at any time in WWE due to the high pace of competition, but they hurt even more on the Road to WrestleMania.

CM Punk's torn triceps has likely cost him a World Heavyweight Championship tilt and the chance to main-event WrestleMania this year. Hopefully, he will recover fully and get those opportunities again in 2025.

However, opportunity has knocked for McIntyre, who made a statement at Punk's expense and then won in the main event of Raw against potential world title challenger Sami Zayn.

Even though Rollins has already defeated the Scot twice, the champion is vulnerable in a way he was not previously.

As The Visionary continues to nurse an MCL tear, McIntyre can build momentum and take advantage of Rollins' injuries to take the gold.

The Scottish Warrior remains the best character on Raw, and he will be Punk's first target upon his return from injury. WWE can make McIntyre look unstoppable by the time The Best in the World returns.

It all begins with McIntyre officially earning that title shot over potential other names like Zayn, Jey Uso and Gunther and then following up with the most heinous heel run possible to ensure his match with Rollins looks entirely lopsided.

WWE Must Announce Reigns vs. Rhodes at WrestleMania ASAP

While WWE teased Cody Rhodes challenging Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40, the company would be foolish to move away from the match that everyone wants to see.

The goal may be to delay until The Rock's future WWE plans are set, but the company will lose fans by pushing Rhodes toward fighting an injured man he has beaten multiple times over Roman Reigns.

Delaying the right move will only take away from the build and allow for WWE to swerve away from the best angle it can deliver at The Show of Shows.

This also delays the inevitable build to find the WrestleMania challenger for The Visionary. That is not fair to the talent already telling great stories like Drew McIntyre.

Jey Uso is Right Man to Dethrone Gunther

Gunther has run through nearly every possible challenge in his time as intercontinental champion. Unless a top name such as Randy Orton or LA Knight were to move over from SmackDown, the options are limited for The Ring General.

Luckily, there is one man building serious momentum. who makes perfect sense to challenge and defeat Gunther: Jey Uso.

While Jey is a 14-year veteran with WWE, he has never won singles gold. That is his primary goal, and WWE would be foolish to delay his rise. He is massively over and has escaped brother Jimmy's shadow.

Jey has main-evented Raw more than Gunther in recent months, making him arguably a higher profile talent than The Ring General. But he will still be the underdog in their inevitable matchup.

It would be a special moment, particularly on a major stage, to see Jey take down the longest-reigning IC titleholder in WWE history and set his future as the workhorse champion.

Meanwhile, Gunther will be freed up to challenge Cody Rhodes after WrestleMania.

Bayley vs. Iyo Sky Will Be Best Women's 'Mania Story of All Time

While the past few years have seen some of the greatest women's matches of all time at WrestleMania, including Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks, and Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair, WWE has struggled to tell great stories ahead of those bouts.

This should change with WrestleMania 40. Bayley may say that she is challenging Rhea Ripley, but the clear path is The Role Model challenging Iyo Sky.

The two have been building this story since SummerSlam 2022 when Damage CTRL first arrived. Bayley has underestimated the ambition of The Genius of the Sky too many times.

Sky herself has begun to underestimate just how dangerous The Role Model can be, watching the Damage CTRL "leader" fail time and again. Something has to give.

Bayley setting her WrestleMania course at the expense of her Damage CTRL friendships would be a powerful angle. She will soon remind everyone what makes her great.