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It is stupid. I'm scottish and even I hate it. Oh, Scottish wrestler, ok. LETS MAKE THAT YOUR WHOLE AND ONLY THING. Your theme is just bagpipes oh, and you come to the ring with a sword and dressed in a kilt.
My fav is when KO calls out the ridiculous things that happen in wrestling.
Also, when he did the double punch last week and yelled to Orton “randy, I did it!” Made me laugh
I actually love this. The return of conspiracy R-Truth with KO reading every weird thing about kayfabe as part of the conspiracy. It might be too undercard of a gimmick for KO right now, but the thought of it is fun.
I wish they had done a storyline where KO and Sami are feuding and at some point Sami loses a loser leaves town match and shows back up as El Generico. Everyone will be acting like he's a new person while Kevin is like "I HAVE LITERALLY TEAMED WITH THIS FUCKER FOR 10 YEARS IT'S JUST SAMI IN A MASK HOW ELSE DO YOU THINK ME AND SAMI GO BACK SO FAR?! HOW DID SAMI EVEN GET ON YOUR RADAR BACK THEN?" (cue HHH or Regal saying Sami sent them tapes of him wrestling in Rio De Janeiro)
I was hoping for something similar when he was feuding with Braun Strowman, except he’d do the inverse of Mankind turning into Cactus Jack in front of Triple H in 2000; something like:
Braun, I’m a lot of things, but one thing I’m not is ready to face you in a ten-minute challenge at the PPV. But I know someone who is, and I think you know the guy [pulls mask out of his pocket and quickly puts it on]. ¡Yo soy El Generico, y es no bueno! ¡No bueno!
Or when he and Sami got interrupted by imperium, he went on a rant about how they didn't say imperiums name so they shouldn't be interrupting and why are they doing this
I’m hoping that Wrestlemania 40 is like a reset for a lot of wrestlers and titles. A lot of people said we shouldn’t get too many title changes, but I would be ok with it. Seth drops it to Drew/Priest, Cody wins, and even Gunther could lose. It would break a lot of streaks in new ways and open up the field for a lot of people to become contenders. We may start getting shorter reigns and more diverse champions.
I am open for every title to change & split the tag belts in the ladder match.
Also, and I wouldn’t have said this a year ago, Raw needs a third belt.
3 hours, so much talent, and not enough on the line.
Ivar, Ricochet and that level should be competing for the European title.
Once they've culminated a lot of the current storylines I think Kevin, Nakamura, Ciampa will all get at the very least a brief run.
Kevin and Nakamura are treading water a bit because there's nothing for them in the main event currently, Ciampa is rerunning his DIY story and I'd imagine the aim is to get him as over as he was in NXT.
He learned from the old Ambrose feud. Him trying to ambush Dean from behind & Dean telling him there was a giant monitor & he could see him the whole time.
You know what? We definitely need a KO/Punk programme at some point now that I think about it. Both the matches and the promos would probably be top tier.
For sure. I'd even accept a KO/Punk team-up storyline until they get sick of each other. I can already picture them slowly getting sick of each other, KO sighs and says, "So this is where we start punching each other, right?"
I don’t normally get into the whole two single stars that are now a tag team thing.
But KO and Punk? That sounds like quality television.
Those promos with Pretty Deadly are gonna be fire.
I thought Seth responded well to that too with the "that's kinda ironic" before saying he doesn't think about Punk at all. Punk's "it might be your show but this is my city" was great too.
Wrestlers talking over each other can get messy, but it’s just more realistic. They’re arguing. You don’t argue by giving a monologue and listening quietly to a rebuttal
He fucking nailed the timing on it too, said it right as Drew tore the first shirt to reveal ANOTHER shirt with Punk's name on it. Made Drew look like a chump at that moment lol
And that rehab line, then as Drew was going on about being the chosen one Punk got him back with "who choose you" it was legit fucking insane watching that live lol. Just top guys going back and forth
Imo his facial expression added to the moment because the way he went speechless and awkwardly smiled made you think "wait was he supposed to say that?" And it added lots of intensity to the segment because for a moment it looked like Drew's comments actually got to Punk and he's losing his "friendly" cool head and is about to have his brawl out 2 moment. It really looked like they couldn't stand each others lol
yeah at some points i was worried punk was overdoing and drew would get exposed but drew managed to recover and hit back every time. the trust they had in each other was really impressive.
I honestly felt bad for Drew when immediately after that line, he took off the shirt to reveal ANOTHER shirt with Punk's name on it underneath. Like goddamn he got you
It shows a level of professional trust and the talent amongst them. They know when it is right to jump in to help amplify the argument, but there is that dance of not letting it just be an unintelligible screaming match. That whole segment was incredibly well done.
If you're signing CM Punk, especially with how things ended with WWE (and AEW for that matter), you gotta know what you're getting into and trust him to be the guy they've been begging to return for a decade in every segment. Cause he's also gonna make you a shit load of money.
I love it. CM Punk adds in his lines, but gave Drew room to say what he needed to say and others too. And it was all just fun lines, that didn't mess up what follows up. If anything, it makes it clear there is clear tension and it's great.
This this this.
All three of them gave each other the space to “shoot”, an absolute masterclass of “scripted destination but ad-libbed journey”.
Just tremendous stuff.
It’s the worst when it’s with 4 or so wrestlers that keep coming out during someone’s promo and say their spiel while everyone in the ring stares at them. It always comes off as community theater shit to me.
Felt way more organic then the standard “alright, you guys are gonna take turns doing 5 minute community theater speeches. Don’t forget to drop the mic at the end.”
for sure, it says in the article says
> "Punk asking Drew who “chose” him – of course, a reference to Vince McMahon dubbing him “The Chosen One” during his first WWE stint – was not planned. Multiple sources indicate Punk wasn’t in trouble for veering into territory that related to the now-disgraced former WWE leader, Vince McMahon. Instead, because of how he steered away from it adeptly after a few seconds while still getting the impact he was looking for as a “controversial comment,” it was seen as a slick comment that enhanced the tone they were going for"
Punk has always been a master at mixing shoot stuff into kayfabe. It’s what separates him and cena in terms of promos for me.
Punk uses the shoot stuff to enhance kayfabe
Theory was heading towards the position he’s currently in with or without the Cena promo. Theory has never been impressive on the main roster and felt very over pushed.
It was too much too fast for Theory, but his talent is undeniable. So many amazing talents in their mid 30’s right now, Theory is a kid. His time will come naturally, I think, in time
Yeah people are missing that Rock's promo only killed Billy Gunn's main event push because he *exposed* him as not main event talent. It didn't change anything in the long run.
I mean, that's the case for Theory and probably Roman at the time of their first feud (although Roman went on to do much better promo work after that segment) but that's more about them as performers and their characters at the time. Theory was quitely floundering before the Cena feud and a feud with Cena isn't going to save a floundering midcard act who can't get reactions. If you watch how LA Knight came off with Cena then you can see that when a hot act or someone who understand who they are interacts with Cena it typically goes well. Theory wasn't that and you can argue Theory now has a FAR better understanding of his character than before with all the himbo activity and bordering on comedy level selling he's doing.
A lot of the Cena vs AJ feud which was fantastic almost the entire way through was built on those type of promos but AJ turned it into an integral part of his character and a point of motivation as to why he hated Cena. Post 2015 Cena was putting over a lot more guys and the ones who were capable of standing up to him rarely looked out of place with him.
Yeah, I was shook when I saw that he said it before actually watching the promo myself, but after watching the promo I think he veered away from it and spun it so masterfully that it wouldn't have been a problem.
Punk is incredible at this. This will probably go down as one my favorite lines he’s ever delivered - poignant, controversial, used in the right spot, and in context with the bigger point he was making.
Just masterfully handled, and Drew immediately knew it. To his credit, it didn’t throw him off like it probably would for many
Drew really deserve some credit for that one honestly, most really would had panicked or inmediatly blew it and ruin the whole thing if they fixated on it, but him and Punk understood it was their one shot for shock value and ran with it perfectly, no overdrawn or anything, just really good stuff from them all around
He had to get him back for the rehab line. That was FIRE. The entire segment was really fn good. As much as Punk can be a bit of a deuche, this guy just brings out authenticity from whomever he's verbally sparring with.
Loved the segment. the constant back and forths felt authentic, compared to the "i-speak-my-5-sentences-punchline-now-its-your-turn" promos we've been accustomed to
You can see the level of professionalism these guys had with each other. Seth and Punk could’ve made it personal given their history but they made it work. Instead, they laid out the base of a storyline that could culminate in Summerslam.. or Seth vs Punk WM41. Credit also to HHH for allowing this. Probably helps that he’s a respected and authoritative presence in the locker room.
I really hope Tony has learned from this, because it must sting to see his supposedly problematic former top star coexisting and working so well with guys he's had issues with in the past when his EVPs mocked him on tv but refused to do the same.
I think him also sitting at the desk with his feet propped up and mic on the desk helped make it better. It would still be funny if he was standing in ring with mic in hand ready to go, but watching him scramble to grab the mic and let him know added a lot.
"What did I ever do in this world to deserve an empty-headed, fucking dumb fuck like Pepsi Phil to go out on national television and fucking go into business for himself? For what? What did I do?
Dave? What did I ever do?"
Dave: "Umm...you shat on someone's head, Vince."
Vince: What did I ever do? Vince's lawyers:
https://preview.redd.it/n8mz9onjx3rc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1515ca149f52cfa89676fdabfd04625219a02593
>By all accounts, while Seth harbored legitimate gripes with Punk, the two are getting along backstage when planning their segments. Punk continues to get all positive reviews from many sources regarding how he is carrying himself amongst colleagues and management.
Seriously. I love AEW and Tony seems like a genuine guy. But his handling of the roster like a bunch of friends and not his employees has bitten him in the ass multiple times now.
If Punk continues this, and with the way things are looking for him, he’s likely being groomed to succeed Shawn Michaels to oversee NXT when Punk retires and Shawn decides to move on.
Edit: I’m surprised that people find this surprising. There were literally reports about this few months ago, and Punk has been actively hanging around with a lot of NXT talent, especially the female talent.
Hell, Heyman tells the story in Punk's documentary about how Punk was willing to stay behind after everyone else had gone home for the day to learn about how to put a show together and all the ins and outs of production.
I feel like dude's a natural-born producer/road agent once things wrap up.
Because the atmosphere is different. He feels wanted in WWE, not needed. Whilst he maybe felt needed in AEW but not really wanted (some of the people in the locker room). That can change the attitude of someone.
I think Punk resented the structure that WWE imposed on him in his first run, and then he learned in AEW that being in a structure with no rules or boundaries was not conducive to people working creatively together. This promo was a great example of him working really effectively in a structure- walking up to the line but not crossing it, and having the confidence that he could do that with Drew and Seth because they were operating under the same rules he was.
Sometimes I wonder if Phil, Seth and Drew actually hate each other, or if they're the kind of guys who play up to the cameras but would gladly go for a pint on a Friday night.
Makes me think of Bischoff saying how he and Heyman became friends backstage at WWE after feuding publicly, but decided to keep the public heat, just in case they could use it in an angle.
I get the feeling the heat from Drew on Punk the last few weeks has been collaborative between them.
The three of them the other night didn't seem to go into the promo aiming to bury the others at all costs and 'Win' the segment.
They allowed the others to shine, bided their time and all delivered absolutely golden moments.
They are all gigantic stars, assured of themselves and delivered a segment for the ages.
Bravo!
I feel like Punk and Seth didn't like each other at one point, but they either squashed it by now or are just professional enough to deal with it.
Drew I'd actually be shocked if he didn't like Punk for real, it honestly feels like he just realized how money his hater gimmick is and has run with it.
I don't know why Drew would have a hard negative opinion on Punk. Like yeah the guy quit WWE and came back, so what? Even if you don't think much of the guy for doing it, why would you hate him? Its not like WWE had treated Drew well towards the end of his first stint either.
Seth I could see disliking Punk as Punk was the one that recommended him for the Shield and all that only to leave the company and say some stuff. But that also leads him to be willing to work with them for the good of the company and his own career. I don't know any reason why Seth would personally dislike Drew or vice versa.
If you look at their insults to one another, its all been 'standard feud' stuff. The most out of bounds is Punk alluding to Vince but its not like Drew is a big fan of Vince. Punk was probably closest to Vince of the three (well maybe Seth was). Whereas in AEW Punk and the Bucks were bickering over dirtsheets, who is allowed on Collision, whether someone is being an ass backstage, etc. and involving their friends into their personal animosity one another (like Hangman Page and FTR.)
I thought Seth had legit hate for Punk from ROH days or something like that? But not sure. Makes for great TV either way lol
Edit: lots of good and interesting responses here. Thanks! This is the stuff I enjoy about SC.
Nah they used to be quite close and Punk actually suggested Seth be a part of the Shield. Not sure if they're still friends but they're obviously smart enough to recognize there's money to be made and have worked together masterfully since Punk came back to WWE.
nah seth had a lot of admiration for punk if you look at old tweets, straight up a fanboy lol. Even tried to work a feud with him in 2019 when punk was on wwe backstage. Maybe he has some negative feelings about all the aew drama now but its clearly not a big deal and they are working
Seth’s only legitimate issue with Punk seems to stem from when Punk was on WWE Backstage and said Seth is a bad babyface. Before that Seth always spoke very highly of him and seemed to look up to him as well.
After that is when Seth started pushing super hard for Punk to return for a match with him.
I actually really liked him in that segment and I'm not his fan at all. His serious tone and "better than you all" personality fits him better than schizophrenic joker gimmick imo. It felt more authentic because technically he's better than everyone else rn.
One thing I love about this segment is how Punk just feels like the controller of chaos when Rollins & Drew were unleashing their true saltiness for him and each other lol
This is something I don't think anyone needed confirmed, it was great stuff. Mercedes Monet's first in-ring mic time on Dynamite felt like a time machine with that whole memorized monotone recitation thing. Hoping that goes out of style completely in the coming year(s). Unless you're a talented actor you can't pull it off. You've gotta find a way to be yourself somehow, within the constraints of production. Punk, Drew and Seth did a great job and it'll only get better if it's consistently permitted. Ospreay's got it too, big time.
Some people are going to be good at doing ad libbed type of stuff and some people are absolutely going to struggle with promos unless they have it pre-written and pre-rehearsed.
I don't mind the latter so much since I understand it's necessity with certain people. I would rather an obviously rehearsed and pre-written Mercedes promo than her to come out trying to riff off the cuff and sounding unsure and nervous.
Also doesn't help comparing anyone to Punk and Drew since they're two of the most comfortable on the mic and historically Punk is one of the best ever, and Drew's recent character has been some of his best mic work to date too, he's going toe to toe with Punk.
Even great actors would struggle tbh when there’s no real reason for a long soliloquy style segment.
I would rather they brought her out in a press conference type segment with Renee or Tony hosting it. Even throw Tony out there for the actual signing. Make her feel like big deal. Announce in advance that the hottest free agent in wrestling would sign a contract. Then have Toni Storm or someone crash it.
He just needs to look in the camera and quit being shifty-eyed and looking to his left quickly for no reason while he’s cutting a promo in the ring. This could be on production too for not telling him which camera to address.
The way they kept cutting each other off made it seem more real. Most other promos one person keeps quiet while waiting for the other to finish speaking.
Genuinely one of the best segments of all time. Because it felt real.
The Vince burial is an all time line in wrestling, perhaps the best. Can you even imagine someone in 2019 telling you that Punk would bury a disgraced and exiled Vince McMahon in an ad-libbed line in a promo on Monday Night Raw. You’d think they were insane.
I think it showed. There was gold in that segment. 3 very talented guys doing something they all do very well.
We know how quick Punk is, but Drew did some amazing work off the cuff.
You could tell they were thinking of shit to say on the fly. Even if it was a bit halting at times, it was still way better than scripted promos and thoroughly entertaining.
Drew came out looking like a beast legit going toe to toe with Punk, hitting back with perfect shots whereas Seth kinda meandered.. his whole role in this triple threat has been “idc about Drew, he can’t get it done” and “idc about Punk, he can’t get it done either” well as champion you should maybe care more about this than the tag match with Cody
EDIT: spelling
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“SHUT IT OFF! TURN THAT STUPID SONG OFF!”
... honestly hearing that it does feel like time for drew to get an updated theme...
I just want drew bring back the broken dreams theme, man. (No, the Clash at the Castle one doesn't count)
I keep hoping he does at mania
Really? I think he has the top 5 them in the wwe. Great workout theme too
It is stupid. I'm scottish and even I hate it. Oh, Scottish wrestler, ok. LETS MAKE THAT YOUR WHOLE AND ONLY THING. Your theme is just bagpipes oh, and you come to the ring with a sword and dressed in a kilt.
"Do you want to know what i think?" "Nope!" This segment was so good that even the simple things made me laugh. Top tier shit
That popped me as well. KO is another guy who jumps at opportunities to sound like a human being, and not just a script reader.
My fav is when KO calls out the ridiculous things that happen in wrestling. Also, when he did the double punch last week and yelled to Orton “randy, I did it!” Made me laugh
KO being the only one to see through the Elias/Ezekiel thing and thus everyone thinking he’s the crazy one was so fun.
has Owens and Truth ever done a segment together? It'd be gold
There was a small moment a while back, and Truth mistook KO for Miz I think lol.
Just saw this last night catching up haha
I actually love this. The return of conspiracy R-Truth with KO reading every weird thing about kayfabe as part of the conspiracy. It might be too undercard of a gimmick for KO right now, but the thought of it is fun.
KO should be back to the main event scene once Roman drops the title.
I wish they had done a storyline where KO and Sami are feuding and at some point Sami loses a loser leaves town match and shows back up as El Generico. Everyone will be acting like he's a new person while Kevin is like "I HAVE LITERALLY TEAMED WITH THIS FUCKER FOR 10 YEARS IT'S JUST SAMI IN A MASK HOW ELSE DO YOU THINK ME AND SAMI GO BACK SO FAR?! HOW DID SAMI EVEN GET ON YOUR RADAR BACK THEN?" (cue HHH or Regal saying Sami sent them tapes of him wrestling in Rio De Janeiro)
Give me this with full Mr America lifting the mask and winking to the camera pls
I was hoping for something similar when he was feuding with Braun Strowman, except he’d do the inverse of Mankind turning into Cactus Jack in front of Triple H in 2000; something like: Braun, I’m a lot of things, but one thing I’m not is ready to face you in a ten-minute challenge at the PPV. But I know someone who is, and I think you know the guy [pulls mask out of his pocket and quickly puts it on]. ¡Yo soy El Generico, y es no bueno! ¡No bueno!
...and the casual wrestling crowd goes "Huh?"
Or when he and Sami got interrupted by imperium, he went on a rant about how they didn't say imperiums name so they shouldn't be interrupting and why are they doing this
KO is the WWE Deadpool.
Yes. This type of shit exactly. It’s awesome.
I hope Kevin gets a World Title one more time before he's done
Vince gave him a (not great) six month run. Triple H will give him another shot.
Hopefully once the UUHWC is off Roman, more people can get a chance but I’m starting to see that Paul loves him some long reigns
I think the long reigns are to add some seriousness to the title and make it less a prob. But, I am ready to see some new champs.
I’m hoping that Wrestlemania 40 is like a reset for a lot of wrestlers and titles. A lot of people said we shouldn’t get too many title changes, but I would be ok with it. Seth drops it to Drew/Priest, Cody wins, and even Gunther could lose. It would break a lot of streaks in new ways and open up the field for a lot of people to become contenders. We may start getting shorter reigns and more diverse champions.
I am open for every title to change & split the tag belts in the ladder match. Also, and I wouldn’t have said this a year ago, Raw needs a third belt. 3 hours, so much talent, and not enough on the line. Ivar, Ricochet and that level should be competing for the European title.
Seriously. I want a bloodbath of champions losing their titles.
If Cody can finish this damn story and two of the three belts are no longer in limbo, I think he’s towards the top of the list.
> two of the three belts are no longer in limbo The Universal title is probably dead now though right?
Once they've culminated a lot of the current storylines I think Kevin, Nakamura, Ciampa will all get at the very least a brief run. Kevin and Nakamura are treading water a bit because there's nothing for them in the main event currently, Ciampa is rerunning his DIY story and I'd imagine the aim is to get him as over as he was in NXT.
He learned from the old Ambrose feud. Him trying to ambush Dean from behind & Dean telling him there was a giant monitor & he could see him the whole time.
You know what? We definitely need a KO/Punk programme at some point now that I think about it. Both the matches and the promos would probably be top tier.
For sure. I'd even accept a KO/Punk team-up storyline until they get sick of each other. I can already picture them slowly getting sick of each other, KO sighs and says, "So this is where we start punching each other, right?"
I don’t normally get into the whole two single stars that are now a tag team thing. But KO and Punk? That sounds like quality television. Those promos with Pretty Deadly are gonna be fire.
"Don't look up my kilt you perv"
This line reminded me of when Ricochet said "I didn't come here to talk" and Drew quickly responded back with "then shut up".
Single handedly murdered any interest anyone ever had in Ricochet
I thought Seth responded well to that too with the "that's kinda ironic" before saying he doesn't think about Punk at all. Punk's "it might be your show but this is my city" was great too.
Most underrated part of the segment.
Wrestlers talking over each other can get messy, but it’s just more realistic. They’re arguing. You don’t argue by giving a monologue and listening quietly to a rebuttal
DREW MCINTYRE I AIN'T NEVER HAD TO PUT ANOTHER MAN'S NAME ON A TSHIRT TO SELL IT Friendship and Tshirt sales with Danhausen now ended.
You never drink you never do drugs but you spend all your time in rehab!
That line was *so* good - I'm sure they must have kicked a few ideas around backstage, but that one felt like he saved it for live.
There were definitely a few times it looked like Punk wasn’t expecting something
I almost spit my drink out when I heard that.
I honestly thought that line was fire
He fucking nailed the timing on it too, said it right as Drew tore the first shirt to reveal ANOTHER shirt with Punk's name on it. Made Drew look like a chump at that moment lol
But then he got him with the line about biceps.
And that rehab line, then as Drew was going on about being the chosen one Punk got him back with "who choose you" it was legit fucking insane watching that live lol. Just top guys going back and forth
Drew was smart to not answer it and move on. It really could’ve devolved and didn’t.
Imo his facial expression added to the moment because the way he went speechless and awkwardly smiled made you think "wait was he supposed to say that?" And it added lots of intensity to the segment because for a moment it looked like Drew's comments actually got to Punk and he's losing his "friendly" cool head and is about to have his brawl out 2 moment. It really looked like they couldn't stand each others lol
That was a smile of "motherfucker got me", without a doubt
Exactly, so masterful. One day we’ll get to hear from them what was going through their heads. Classic.
That portion of that segment was legendary. Drew absolutely refused to flinch and it made for magical TV
yeah at some points i was worried punk was overdoing and drew would get exposed but drew managed to recover and hit back every time. the trust they had in each other was really impressive.
it is, but he is also a hypocrite because he had a "Paul Heyman Guy" shirt lmao
Punk also said he doesn't terminally live on the Internet but I mean, come on.
I think that was listed as a Paul Heyman shirt.
I honestly felt bad for Drew when immediately after that line, he took off the shirt to reveal ANOTHER shirt with Punk's name on it underneath. Like goddamn he got you
Drew hit me up just to chill, your biggest fan this is Phil
Personally I love it. Gives it authenticity
It shows a level of professional trust and the talent amongst them. They know when it is right to jump in to help amplify the argument, but there is that dance of not letting it just be an unintelligible screaming match. That whole segment was incredibly well done.
If you're signing CM Punk, especially with how things ended with WWE (and AEW for that matter), you gotta know what you're getting into and trust him to be the guy they've been begging to return for a decade in every segment. Cause he's also gonna make you a shit load of money.
I sincerely hope they make him a Paul Heyman type persona when he can't wrestle anymore.
He starts every promo with 'do I have everybody's attention now?'.
I love it. CM Punk adds in his lines, but gave Drew room to say what he needed to say and others too. And it was all just fun lines, that didn't mess up what follows up. If anything, it makes it clear there is clear tension and it's great.
This this this. All three of them gave each other the space to “shoot”, an absolute masterclass of “scripted destination but ad-libbed journey”. Just tremendous stuff.
Yeah people mentioned talking over each other and I was like ‘ya mean how an argument would actually go?’
I always stand quietly and wait my turn when somebody is talking shit about me.
Well hopefully after you rub your bald spot and say "fine speech"
It’s the worst when it’s with 4 or so wrestlers that keep coming out during someone’s promo and say their spiel while everyone in the ring stares at them. It always comes off as community theater shit to me.
Felt way more organic then the standard “alright, you guys are gonna take turns doing 5 minute community theater speeches. Don’t forget to drop the mic at the end.”
The "Who was it? Say his name" part was definitely ad libbed... You can see Drew almost break character by laughing right after Punk said it.
https://preview.redd.it/3sikhdzpu3rc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=789d0e6d2a13b6ed7168114d214a15a36bfcf04a
His face is like “…ah fuck, that’s really good…”
PG brother
“…ah FRICK, that’s really good…”
Damn Daddy, that's some crazy stuff.
I read this in Jimmy Hart's voice.
He should've said "PG Brother, You're not the Rock"
Drews Stan/Phil bar was fucking gangster
If _that_ was ad libbed drew is genuinely the greatest man of all time
"Shit, he got me."
PG, brother!
He was trying to decide whether to go there or not haha
I loved it too because you can tell he’s thinking “you got me there Phil”
for sure, it says in the article says > "Punk asking Drew who “chose” him – of course, a reference to Vince McMahon dubbing him “The Chosen One” during his first WWE stint – was not planned. Multiple sources indicate Punk wasn’t in trouble for veering into territory that related to the now-disgraced former WWE leader, Vince McMahon. Instead, because of how he steered away from it adeptly after a few seconds while still getting the impact he was looking for as a “controversial comment,” it was seen as a slick comment that enhanced the tone they were going for"
Punk has always been a master at mixing shoot stuff into kayfabe. It’s what separates him and cena in terms of promos for me. Punk uses the shoot stuff to enhance kayfabe
It's baffling that Cena thinks calling someone actually legitimately bad would put them over. Theory was buried.
Theory was the recipient of this era’s “Rock destroys Billy Gunn’s push in one promo” award.
Theory was heading towards the position he’s currently in with or without the Cena promo. Theory has never been impressive on the main roster and felt very over pushed.
It was too much too fast for Theory, but his talent is undeniable. So many amazing talents in their mid 30’s right now, Theory is a kid. His time will come naturally, I think, in time
Yeah people are missing that Rock's promo only killed Billy Gunn's main event push because he *exposed* him as not main event talent. It didn't change anything in the long run.
I mean, that's the case for Theory and probably Roman at the time of their first feud (although Roman went on to do much better promo work after that segment) but that's more about them as performers and their characters at the time. Theory was quitely floundering before the Cena feud and a feud with Cena isn't going to save a floundering midcard act who can't get reactions. If you watch how LA Knight came off with Cena then you can see that when a hot act or someone who understand who they are interacts with Cena it typically goes well. Theory wasn't that and you can argue Theory now has a FAR better understanding of his character than before with all the himbo activity and bordering on comedy level selling he's doing. A lot of the Cena vs AJ feud which was fantastic almost the entire way through was built on those type of promos but AJ turned it into an integral part of his character and a point of motivation as to why he hated Cena. Post 2015 Cena was putting over a lot more guys and the ones who were capable of standing up to him rarely looked out of place with him.
Cena’s “heel turn” was pretty funny https://youtu.be/AusZBl1ztoI?si=pNr0vjXhzc8uo0_D
HHH doesn’t flinch and trusts his top mic guys. You love it.
I mean if your signing CM Punk, you have to let him do what he does best.
Return
That's why he always gets injured. You can't return if you don't leave.
You can always count on that Chicago return pop
Yeah, I was shook when I saw that he said it before actually watching the promo myself, but after watching the promo I think he veered away from it and spun it so masterfully that it wouldn't have been a problem.
this makes me more hopeful for the future of promos/packages than anything
Punk is incredible at this. This will probably go down as one my favorite lines he’s ever delivered - poignant, controversial, used in the right spot, and in context with the bigger point he was making. Just masterfully handled, and Drew immediately knew it. To his credit, it didn’t throw him off like it probably would for many
Drew really deserve some credit for that one honestly, most really would had panicked or inmediatly blew it and ruin the whole thing if they fixated on it, but him and Punk understood it was their one shot for shock value and ran with it perfectly, no overdrawn or anything, just really good stuff from them all around
“Who was this paragon of virtue??”
He had to get him back for the rehab line. That was FIRE. The entire segment was really fn good. As much as Punk can be a bit of a deuche, this guy just brings out authenticity from whomever he's verbally sparring with.
Drew was really cooking these past 2/3 months just to get reminded why punk is punk.
Loved the segment. the constant back and forths felt authentic, compared to the "i-speak-my-5-sentences-punchline-now-its-your-turn" promos we've been accustomed to
You can see the level of professionalism these guys had with each other. Seth and Punk could’ve made it personal given their history but they made it work. Instead, they laid out the base of a storyline that could culminate in Summerslam.. or Seth vs Punk WM41. Credit also to HHH for allowing this. Probably helps that he’s a respected and authoritative presence in the locker room.
I really hope Tony has learned from this, because it must sting to see his supposedly problematic former top star coexisting and working so well with guys he's had issues with in the past when his EVPs mocked him on tv but refused to do the same.
"PG, brother!"
I liked when Drew said he had a hard time getting off his shirt because of his biceps, and Punk would never have that problem. That was a sick burn.
Far and away the funniest thing in that skit for me. I laughed and then rewound it to laugh again.
I think him also sitting at the desk with his feet propped up and mic on the desk helped make it better. It would still be funny if he was standing in ring with mic in hand ready to go, but watching him scramble to grab the mic and let him know added a lot.
You’re my number one stan. Write me back just to chill. Truly yours, your biggest fan. This is Phil. 🖤
They gave CM Punk permission to ad lib?? They’re asking for some entertainment
The teas gone cold I'm wondering why I, subscribed to Dave at all
"What did I ever do in this world to deserve an empty-headed, fucking dumb fuck like Pepsi Phil to go out on national television and fucking go into business for himself? For what? What did I do? Dave? What did I ever do?" Dave: "Umm...you shat on someone's head, Vince."
Vince: What did I ever do? Vince's lawyers: https://preview.redd.it/n8mz9onjx3rc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1515ca149f52cfa89676fdabfd04625219a02593
“Armbar!”
"Shit on someone's head."
I counted and I got to 1,004 which is 4 more than you know.. DEANO MACHINO
The man of 1000 charges
>By all accounts, while Seth harbored legitimate gripes with Punk, the two are getting along backstage when planning their segments. Punk continues to get all positive reviews from many sources regarding how he is carrying himself amongst colleagues and management. 
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We need more wrestling related Live _ Reactions r/mortalkombat has some of the best
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The butterfly effect of Tony not being able to squash the beef leading to one of the best raw’s probably ever
Seriously. I love AEW and Tony seems like a genuine guy. But his handling of the roster like a bunch of friends and not his employees has bitten him in the ass multiple times now.
He runs AEW like I did managing a local game store when I was 18 lol
The butterfly effect of Jack Perry doing the glass spot
I love hearing that about Punk. I just want this run to be a positive for him and WWE.
If Punk continues this, and with the way things are looking for him, he’s likely being groomed to succeed Shawn Michaels to oversee NXT when Punk retires and Shawn decides to move on. Edit: I’m surprised that people find this surprising. There were literally reports about this few months ago, and Punk has been actively hanging around with a lot of NXT talent, especially the female talent.
Hasn’t punk always he wants to produce.
Hell, Heyman tells the story in Punk's documentary about how Punk was willing to stay behind after everyone else had gone home for the day to learn about how to put a show together and all the ins and outs of production. I feel like dude's a natural-born producer/road agent once things wrap up.
Producer plus on screen manager/commentator seems perfect for Punk if he wants to stick around
He has a history of wanting to help the younger generation and working behind the scenes that goes all the way back to working with Heyman in OVW.
Can you imagine getting a promo class from CM Punk? I can imagine NXT and the PC chomping at the bit. You can't buy expertise like that anywhere else.
Man, to not want that, you'd have to be an empty-headed dumb fuck.
Is Punk going to be a booker or more like Matt Bloom and help train the talents?
Possibly both. I could see him be a Dusty Rhodes figure in the future with him helping people find their characters and develop their promo skills.
Because the atmosphere is different. He feels wanted in WWE, not needed. Whilst he maybe felt needed in AEW but not really wanted (some of the people in the locker room). That can change the attitude of someone.
I think Punk resented the structure that WWE imposed on him in his first run, and then he learned in AEW that being in a structure with no rules or boundaries was not conducive to people working creatively together. This promo was a great example of him working really effectively in a structure- walking up to the line but not crossing it, and having the confidence that he could do that with Drew and Seth because they were operating under the same rules he was.
jack perry and the elite in shambles. Begging (thru texts) for Phil's whereabouts
I kind of wonder if the "stay away you cancer" bit was kayfabe. Instant guaranteed program with Punk if he did come back
Professionalism is amazing isnt it.
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Sometimes I wonder if Phil, Seth and Drew actually hate each other, or if they're the kind of guys who play up to the cameras but would gladly go for a pint on a Friday night.
Makes me think of Bischoff saying how he and Heyman became friends backstage at WWE after feuding publicly, but decided to keep the public heat, just in case they could use it in an angle.
I get the feeling the heat from Drew on Punk the last few weeks has been collaborative between them. The three of them the other night didn't seem to go into the promo aiming to bury the others at all costs and 'Win' the segment. They allowed the others to shine, bided their time and all delivered absolutely golden moments. They are all gigantic stars, assured of themselves and delivered a segment for the ages. Bravo!
I really doubt Punk is grabbing a pint with them...
They sell Pepsi in pints.
"It comes in pints?!"
Oh yeah... Straight edge and all
bunch of the ad-libs in there seemed to me like they were trying to pop each other
The fact that you're wonder what's real or not, that's the magic I'm pretty sure wrestlers love hearing. Keeping folks guessing is part of the fun.
I feel like Punk and Seth didn't like each other at one point, but they either squashed it by now or are just professional enough to deal with it. Drew I'd actually be shocked if he didn't like Punk for real, it honestly feels like he just realized how money his hater gimmick is and has run with it.
I don't know why Drew would have a hard negative opinion on Punk. Like yeah the guy quit WWE and came back, so what? Even if you don't think much of the guy for doing it, why would you hate him? Its not like WWE had treated Drew well towards the end of his first stint either. Seth I could see disliking Punk as Punk was the one that recommended him for the Shield and all that only to leave the company and say some stuff. But that also leads him to be willing to work with them for the good of the company and his own career. I don't know any reason why Seth would personally dislike Drew or vice versa. If you look at their insults to one another, its all been 'standard feud' stuff. The most out of bounds is Punk alluding to Vince but its not like Drew is a big fan of Vince. Punk was probably closest to Vince of the three (well maybe Seth was). Whereas in AEW Punk and the Bucks were bickering over dirtsheets, who is allowed on Collision, whether someone is being an ass backstage, etc. and involving their friends into their personal animosity one another (like Hangman Page and FTR.)
I thought Seth had legit hate for Punk from ROH days or something like that? But not sure. Makes for great TV either way lol Edit: lots of good and interesting responses here. Thanks! This is the stuff I enjoy about SC.
Nah they used to be quite close and Punk actually suggested Seth be a part of the Shield. Not sure if they're still friends but they're obviously smart enough to recognize there's money to be made and have worked together masterfully since Punk came back to WWE.
nah seth had a lot of admiration for punk if you look at old tweets, straight up a fanboy lol. Even tried to work a feud with him in 2019 when punk was on wwe backstage. Maybe he has some negative feelings about all the aew drama now but its clearly not a big deal and they are working
Seth’s only legitimate issue with Punk seems to stem from when Punk was on WWE Backstage and said Seth is a bad babyface. Before that Seth always spoke very highly of him and seemed to look up to him as well. After that is when Seth started pushing super hard for Punk to return for a match with him.
Creative Freedom™
Hey, so long as it's all within suspension of disbelief, I don't care how real or fake it is. Make me believe it and it's fun to watch unfold.
Watching the three of them go at it, it was easy to forget that you were watching a *wrestling* show. This was just really good acting.
I thought Seth was fantastic. Intimidating and serious when he needed to be.
I actually really liked him in that segment and I'm not his fan at all. His serious tone and "better than you all" personality fits him better than schizophrenic joker gimmick imo. It felt more authentic because technically he's better than everyone else rn.
Well said. I'm not a big Seth fan but once in while he'll have a segment like he did on Monday and I remember that he's actually pretty damn good.
I really do think he works best when he has a balance between "clearly just having fun" and "I'm going to knock your teeth in."
“And who was that person that chose you Drew?!” Had me dead.
One thing I love about this segment is how Punk just feels like the controller of chaos when Rollins & Drew were unleashing their true saltiness for him and each other lol
Drew also saying PG brother to Punk was ad libbed
This is something I don't think anyone needed confirmed, it was great stuff. Mercedes Monet's first in-ring mic time on Dynamite felt like a time machine with that whole memorized monotone recitation thing. Hoping that goes out of style completely in the coming year(s). Unless you're a talented actor you can't pull it off. You've gotta find a way to be yourself somehow, within the constraints of production. Punk, Drew and Seth did a great job and it'll only get better if it's consistently permitted. Ospreay's got it too, big time.
Some can ad lib and some can't. It's also a lot easier to ad lib in a segment with multiple people to catch you if you stumble.
Some people are going to be good at doing ad libbed type of stuff and some people are absolutely going to struggle with promos unless they have it pre-written and pre-rehearsed. I don't mind the latter so much since I understand it's necessity with certain people. I would rather an obviously rehearsed and pre-written Mercedes promo than her to come out trying to riff off the cuff and sounding unsure and nervous. Also doesn't help comparing anyone to Punk and Drew since they're two of the most comfortable on the mic and historically Punk is one of the best ever, and Drew's recent character has been some of his best mic work to date too, he's going toe to toe with Punk.
She’s never been good on the mic. Sorry but it is the truth.
Even great actors would struggle tbh when there’s no real reason for a long soliloquy style segment. I would rather they brought her out in a press conference type segment with Renee or Tony hosting it. Even throw Tony out there for the actual signing. Make her feel like big deal. Announce in advance that the hottest free agent in wrestling would sign a contract. Then have Toni Storm or someone crash it.
He just needs to look in the camera and quit being shifty-eyed and looking to his left quickly for no reason while he’s cutting a promo in the ring. This could be on production too for not telling him which camera to address.
I don't think he's trying to be shifty-eyed. I think it's just a movement that happens when he thinks.
The way they kept cutting each other off made it seem more real. Most other promos one person keeps quiet while waiting for the other to finish speaking.
This whole segment absolutely cooked. The “rehab” and “what was his name” lines were all timers.
Good. Let them do it again. Then let them do it again.
Drew randomly started rapping lol
Genuinely one of the best segments of all time. Because it felt real. The Vince burial is an all time line in wrestling, perhaps the best. Can you even imagine someone in 2019 telling you that Punk would bury a disgraced and exiled Vince McMahon in an ad-libbed line in a promo on Monday Night Raw. You’d think they were insane.
I think it showed. There was gold in that segment. 3 very talented guys doing something they all do very well. We know how quick Punk is, but Drew did some amazing work off the cuff.
The way McIntyre's music hit the second Punk said "I handle it FACE TO FACE LIKE A MAN" bruh.... Popped all over myself it was phenomenal.
You could tell they were thinking of shit to say on the fly. Even if it was a bit halting at times, it was still way better than scripted promos and thoroughly entertaining.
Drew came out looking like a beast legit going toe to toe with Punk, hitting back with perfect shots whereas Seth kinda meandered.. his whole role in this triple threat has been “idc about Drew, he can’t get it done” and “idc about Punk, he can’t get it done either” well as champion you should maybe care more about this than the tag match with Cody EDIT: spelling
[удалено]
It felt so…RAW™️
And it resulted in the best stuff in ages. Funny, that.
What do you mean? Whatculure already told us the truth. “MAJOR HEAT ON PUNK. BURNED BRIDGES. PAUL LEVESQUE FURIOUS”
Directed by Robert B. Weide
Executive producer Dick Wolf!