CM Punk Delivers in Best Raw of 2024, The Rock Brings Blood Back and More WWE Takes

WWE Raw delivered a show to remember for a sold-out crowd at the Allstate Arena in Chicago on Monday night.

CM Punk appeared in front of his hometown fans to make clear that he will appear at WrestleMania 40 by joining the commentary team for the Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre match.

The Rock refused to speak to the Chicago crowd and focused solely on Cody Rhodes. By the end of the night, he delivered on a promise to make The American Nightmare bleed by beating him down backstage.

Sami Zayn hoped to make a statement ahead of facing Gunther at WrestleMania. Instead, he lost clean to a motivated Bronson Reed.

The show also featured Becky Lynch punching Dominik Mysterio, Ricochet delivering a phenomenal opening match, and Andrade showing out in his second singles bout since returning to WWE.

It was a night worthy of a rowdy Chicago crowd that made the WrestleMania feeling palpable.

CM Punk Set for All-Time Great Run Upon Return

CM Punk has two obvious rivals upon his return to WWE, and both look ready to deliver their absolute best against him.

Drew McIntyre is obviously his most dangerous rival, having put The Best in the World on the shelf. The two continue to obsess over each other week to week.

Seth Rollins is the biggest money match for Punk, but WWE will have a tough time delaying for long after the Chicago native returns to the ring. The two have heat worthy of a major premium live event main event.

Beyond that, Punk is even teasing a future rivalry with Roman Reigns after The Head of the Table made some brash comments about him on The Pat McAfee Show.

The possibilities are growing steadily for Punk ahead of his approaching return. These are matches that feel bigger than just about anything he has done before in WWE.

The Straight Edge Superstar has the potential to be a main event attraction in this next run of his career.

The Rock Has Become Biggest Star in WWE

When The Rock walked out in a surprise appearance to interrupt Cody Rhodes on Monday, it felt like the world shifted: The superhero of the people just witnessed the arrival of his ultimate supervillain.

While The Great One is clearly taking some inspiration from his own brief superhero run as Black Adam, this presentation works well in a WWE setting.

Rhodes is trying to be the top babyface in wrestling and is a larger-than-life figure rising to the top.

The Great One is his ultimate foil, the big man in his way who will do anything to smack him back down.

This is all spectacular storytelling for the long-term angle that will eventually lead to The Rock facing Rhodes one-on-one.

However, WWE may be moving a little too fast as The Rock has quickly and decisively eclipsed Roman Reigns at the top of the heel ladder.

The Tribal Chief was the top star in WWE until recently, but both Rhodes and Rock have surpassed him as of late. It has made Reigns come off as a warm-up act for the real match everyone is clamoring to see.

Even The American Nightmare seems to be losing his grip on the top spot. Rock is on the show most weeks these days, and what he does feels more important than anything else with or without Reigns or Rhodes.

WWE Must Loosen Restrictions For Everyone, Not Just The Rock

Professional wrestling at its best has always built stories on visceral presentation. One of the ways WWE has delivered on that in the past is using blood for crucial moments.

However, WWE has shied away from using it over the past two decades in a conscious choice to appeal to a wider audience.

As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder, so seeing Cody Rhodes bleed on Raw felt special. It was the moment when The American Nightmare truly faced the wrath of The Rock.

WWE should not shy away from moments like this in the future. It seems likely Rhodes will bleed again at WrestleMania before his story is complete.

However, it's important WWE does not keep this contained to just The Great One and The American Nightmare.

The latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter has reported that talent backstage are upset that Rock gets special treatment, allowed to curse on TV and social media while no one else can.

If this also extends to using blood in angles and matches, it will further give him a distinct advantage in telling stories that connect to a more hardcore fanbase.

WWE must open up special opportunities to the talent who earn it, selling their rivalries with the same violence and language that once made the company.

Sami Zayn Losing So Close to 'Mania Is Huge Mistake

Sami Zayn has the least momentum of every challenger going into WrestleMania 40.

While his in-ring work is stellar, even a Gauntlet match could not build him up enough to feel like the right man to dethrone Gunther.

WWE is not helping that case by having The Ultimate Underdog lose clean to Bronson Reed less than two weeks before his title match at The Show of Shows.

While the longer-term story for Zayn could be special, there is no reason to diminish a major WrestleMania match for a post-'Mania angle.

Reed is unlikely to get inserted into the Intercontinental Championship contest, and it would be a mistake if he was added.

The focus should be on building Zayn's confidence for the biggest singles match of his career, not tearing him down.

Raw Delivers Best Show of the Year to Sell WrestleMania

The feeling of WrestleMania season is truly in the air. Appearances from The Rock and CM Punk were only the beginning of a night focused on selling the April 6-7 marquee event.

Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch went face-to-face once more, exchanging passionate words ahead of their Women's World Championship dream match.

Ending it with an emphatic punch to the mouth by The Man to Dominik Mysterio continued to amp up the hype for this showdown.

Ricochet delivered one of the best performances of his career against JD McDonagh, staking his claim for a WrestleMania spotlight he still does not have.

Andrade showed out once again, this time against Giovanni Vinci, and he had the WWE Universe talking about how special an athlete he is.

Everything came together on Monday to sell Raw's side of WrestleMania, and SmackDown will need to respond in kind on Friday.

This is the most important time of the year for WWE, and the quality of everyone's performance shows it.