Cody Rhodes Says Raw Promo Segment With CM Punk Was A Very Real Moment
Cody Rhodes has given some insight into what made his memorable Raw promo with CM Punk so special.
During the final episode of Raw before the Royal Rumble match, WWE heavily promoted a face-to-face between former WWE Champion CM Punk and Cody Rhodes, who won the 2023 Royal Rumble.
That segment on Raw featured comments from Punk talking about Dusty Rhodes telling Punk to take care of Cody when Cody started in the business and Cody revealed that he looked up to Punk early in his career.
They also talked about Cody accomplished a lot in pro wrestling outside of WWE so he’s more CM Punk than CM Punk is. That led to Punk saying his success in pro wrestling coming from a dad who wasn’t a wrestler means that Punk is more of an American Dream than Cody.
What made the segment resonate with fans watching is that it felt like it was a real promo between two top WWE superstars vying for the same spot as the Royal Rumble winner.
While talking to Adrian Hernandez at a WWE 2K24 event before the Royal Rumble took place, Cody Rhodes said it was felt special because it was real.
“One of the things I really like about it is, it’s very real. My whole run since I’ve come back to WWE has been real. That’s the story I wanted to tell since I was eight years old.”
“Last year at WrestleMania 39, didn’t get to finish it, trying to close the loop on it and finish it. My departure and going out and doing all those things that Punk had really inspired, Punk really did inspire them. But to be able to do them, and then when he comes back, there’s a natural bit of, I don’t know if there’s jealousy or tension.”
“I feel like if you asked us both on our most honest day, are we jealous of each other, I might be a little jealous of him, and maybe he’s a little jealous of me. We just had very unique paths. We wanted to be the best, and that right now is really indicative of the whole [roster]. That was a very nice and real moment.”
At the Royal Rumble in Tropicana Field, Cody Rhodes and CM Punk were the final two men in the match with Cody emerging as the winner.
Cody Rhodes Goes On To WrestleMania While CM Punk Deals With An Injury
As the Royal Rumble winner, CM Punk will go on to WrestleMania 40 where he will likely challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title. It’s not official yet, but it’s expected to happen.
Meanwhile, CM Punk suffered a torn triceps injury during the Royal Rumble match and he’s expected to miss anywhere from four to six months after having surgery to repair his arm.