Three feuds for CM Punk on WWE Monday Night Raw

CM Punk is back in the WWE and there are plenty of names that fans would like to see standing across for him in the matches to come. 

WWE shocked the world at Survivor Series last Saturday night when CM Punk made his return to the company after almost nine years. While many hoped for the return to his hometown of Chicago, almost all were at a complete loss for words when it finally unfolded live. Since then, Punk appeared on Monday Night RAW to tell his fans that he’s finally home.

While there were some who found this statement absurd given his choice of words for the company over the last near-decade, many also wonder who will be put in Punk’s path first. There’s a lot of talent on the RAW roster that could pair well with punk in a feud. Not to mention, Punk has a lot of history with some of the current roster, one name certainly comes to mind.

Although many were happy with Punk’s return, Seth Rollins was rather infuriated. Fan footage caught him shouting cuss words up the ramp, enraged by Punk’s appearance that (according to Triple H) no one on the roster knew about. With Rollins having real-life heat towards Punk and being the current World Heavyweight Champion, It’s almost undeniable that Punk’s going to want a title shot against Rollins on a big stage.

Rollins has also said on multiple occasions in the past that despite his ill feelings for Punk, he would still work with him in WWE in the future if it was what the fans wanted. Fast forward to now, and that seems to be exactly what fans want to see. While a Wrestlemania match between the two would be fantastic, time will tell if both competitors can wait that long before clashing backstage.

After leaving AEW as the Real World Champion, it wouldn’t be shocking if Punk wanted to start off his WWE run picking up where he left off. If so, Rollins’ world title will be a top priority for Punk going forward. One can truly wonder how Rollins will feel about giving a title shot to a man who he’s made it clear he doesn’t want to waste any more time on. However, one thing we already know about Seth Rollins is that he’s never one to deprive fans of what they want.

While a feud with Rollins seems likely, it may be a little while before that goes into full gear (oops, wrong promotion.) If they don’t pull the trigger on Rollins Vs Punk just yet, there’s plenty of other talent with Punk instead. Since Punk has left, one of the most prominent factions in the modern era has risen in The Judgment Day. If WWE wanted to keep Punk as a baby face after his heartfelt welcome-back speech last Monday on RAW, Judgment Day is a better choice of rivalry for the returning Icon.

Given that the faction is collectively hated by the WWE Universe, It’s a great way to paint Punk as a baby face rather than pairing him against someone who is also wildly over with the fan base in Rollins. Additionally, there are a lot of choices within the faction that would make for great competition against CM Punk. Balor Vs Punk alone instantly qualifies for a marquee PLE match. Not to mention, watching Punk absolutely destroy Dominik Mysterio on the microphone while the arena erupts.

While Judgment Day seems to be in everyone’s business, it’s possible they leave Punk alone. Looking at the roster and seeing who’s where in terms of story, Drew McIntyre seems to be bouncing around everywhere. While his character took a turn weeks before Survivor Series when he cost Jey Uso the tag titles with Cody Rhodes, Drew’s heel turn is much more organic and even justifiable, given his history with the Bloodline.

With Mcintyre in a gray area, It would make sense to pair him with someone like Punk who sometimes walks the path of the heel and babyface at the same time. While fans are currently split on Drew, Punk’s popularity varies from city to city. These two anti-hero-like personalities would mix well in the ring together. It would also allow Drew to maintain his heel-esk persona without adopting the stereotypical heel persona entirely.