WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2024 had a lot to live up to after CM Punk's return in Chicago at last year's show, which took the world of professional wrestling by storm. However, leading up to this year, the anticipation for the annual Thanksgiving tradition wasn't quite the same—at least until a couple of days before the show.
The frequent taped shows leading up to Survivor Series played a part in that. Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens not being advertised for the event probably contributed too. Sure, they're set to main-event the inaugural revived Saturday Night's Main Event (more on that in a bit), and WWE's "problem" of having too many massive, money-drawing matches is one Tony Khan would probably envy. But short pay-per-views—or at least those with fewer matches and more ads—remain one of the few consistent criticisms of the Triple H era.
Note: this article was written BEFORE the December 2nd episode of Monday Night Raw.
The Bloodline Saga & All It Affects: The Rock, Cody Rhodes & CM Punk
Since Bad Blood, 'The Bloodline Saga' has picked up at a startling pace—or at least it feels that way. Fans were confused: Why were Jey Uso and Sami Zayn so quick to reunite with Jimmy Uso and Roman Reigns? Why didn't it take more convincing? Instead, most of the "convincing" in the story was Jey and Sami working tirelessly to find the fifth guy for the OG Bloodline at WarGames. Was the story being rushed? I had those thoughts too, but in hindsight, it didn't really matter.
Here's why: The Bloodline Saga wasn't moving as fast as we thought. Sure, this storyline has had arcs spanning several months, but Roman Reigns has been a full-time presence lately, appearing on almost every SmackDown over the past few months. The story also progressed on RAW. Naturally, this level of exposure accelerated the pace. Plus, everyone in the OG Bloodline is massively over with live crowds. You might not like it, but the people paying record ticket prices matter infinitely more than the fans on the internet. That's just a fact of life.
And finally, bigger things are on the horizon. If Roman Reigns is now firmly established as a babyface, it doesn't make sense for him to have tension with any of the three Usos anymore— yes, including one Sami Uso.
The return of CM Punk proved this. Some of you might not agree, but I think there was sufficient backstory for Punk to be the fifth guy, and it made sense. But more importantly, Punk is the guy you call on to make any major moment as spicy as possible. The dynamic between these two alphas—the Best in the World and the Tribal Chief—delivered, and then some. Their cinematic promo on SmackDown added exciting layers to the classic, sometimes tired, "can they coexist" trope. But much like the Reigns/Rhodes pairing at Bad Blood, two performers of this caliber made it work. With the cherry on top in this dynamic being one Paul Heyman.
In wrestling, the story never ends. And just look at the possibilities these two weeks have opened up. What is in store for the future is more important than all that has happened in the past. The main event picture in WWE is once again unpredictable, and the most interesting man in the equation turned out to be 'The Wiseman.' That's where the story lies. What favor is Punk going to ask Paul Heyman? How will this entire fiasco lead to a full-fledged blood feud between Seth Rollins and CM Punk?
And then there's the man we all expected to see at the end of the show... THE ROCK. Is Heyman going to align with the Final Boss? Who's first on The Rock's radar: Cody Rhodes or Roman Reigns? And how do all these moving pieces tie in with other major names on the roster?
So, to answer your question: WWE didn't milk the OG Bloodline's road to reunion because we all knew they'd reunite anyway. Instead, their stroke of genius was throwing a curveball that left us with even more questions. Even I was a little turned off by the execution of the reunion arc, but then again, it is fun seeing the band back together, and it's those kinds of leniencies you can take when you have a property as hot and as special as The Bloodline.
Three's a crowd: Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens & Randy Orton
Let's talk about the Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes. He's now entangled in a red-hot feud with Kevin Owens, who's proven himself to be one of the most versatile and dependable performers in the industry over the past five years. It's hard not to root for KO right now, especially because he's entirely justified in his frustrations.
Think about it: KO fought against The Bloodline for four years—long before Rhodes ever returned to WWE. He was screwed out of the Universal Championship more times than we can count. He patched things up with Sami Zayn because Cody urged him to. He even helped Cody dismantle The Bloodline in the lead-up to and at WrestleMania 39. And what did he get for all that? Mr. Nightmare teaming up with Roman Reigns at Bad Blood; the same Cody Rhodes that Owens DID NOT pull the trigger on while he was supposedly injured during their Undisputed WWE Championship match at Bash in Berlin.
But here's the kicker: The American Nightmare is the most universally beloved main event babyface wrestling has seen in years. And this feud with KO has brought out a sharp, compelling edge in him that many of us had long been waiting to see.
Meanwhile, Randy Orton is still out of action thanks to KO's piledriver on SmackDown last month. The narrative here is fire, and there's almost no doubt the eventual match at SNME will be anything short of stellar.
Let's be honest, though—we all want to see that Cody Rhodes/Randy Orton feud. That mentor/protégé dynamic? That's a huge money match waiting to happen. The big question is when and how WWE will finally branch into that story. They have subtly laid out the seeds, and the turn is just a matter of when and not if. And don't forget, the Final Boss—The Rock—is still lurking in the background, ready to shake things up. Whatever Rock does could directly impact when and how Rhodes vs. Orton happens.
Now, back to The Prizefighter. One of the most fascinating aspects of Kevin Owens right now is his relationship—or lack thereof—with Sami Zayn. If KO lashed out at Randy Orton just for siding with Cody, imagine how he must feel about Sami at this point. Let's not forget, Sami Zayn helped The Bloodline make Kevin Owens' life hell for months. He low-blowed his long-time best friend at Survivor Series 2022, just so he could gain Jey Uso's approval.
Owens forgave Sami for everything. EVERYTHING. He even forgave Jey Uso because of Sami and Cody. Then he watched as Cody and Jey celebrated with the Undisputed Tag Team Titles. On top of that, KO was forcibly split from Sami, while Jey Uso conveniently got to stay on RAW. And now? Sami didn't just forgive Roman Reigns' crimes—he actively convinced Roman to take him back into The Bloodline. Roman wasn't even keen on the idea! And yet, here's Sami, that sneaky, weaselly little punk, worming his way back into The Bloodline. This isn't even the end of it. He did all this WHILE Kevin Owens was having this monumental crashout.
This entire dynamic is a goldmine of tension, and WWE's got plenty of options to keep this story cooking.
CM Punk: Best in the World
I'll admit it—I'm probably the biggest CM Punk fan out there. Maybe I'm a little biased, but come on! The man is incredible. He gave Drew McIntyre the best feud of his career, delivered the best feud of the year for the fans, and did it all while injured for a significant amount of time. Just CM Punk being CM Punk.
If you had to list the top 5 feuds of Punk's career, I wouldn't even be surprised if Drew didn't make the cut for some people. But now, we've also seen the seeds for a CM Punk/Roman Reigns story planted—and in just one week.
Here's another reason why teaming Punk with Roman Reigns was an absolute masterstroke: Seth Rollins repeatedly refused to team with Reigns leading up to WarGames because of their storied history. And then there's Punk. "Punky Brewster" (let's roll with it) joined forces with the one guy Rollins hates just as much as he does Punk. Rollins vs. Punk feels like the obvious plan for WrestleMania 41, but with WWE, you can never be too sure.
What's still unclear is whether Rollins/Punk at Mania will involve the World Heavyweight Championship—and if it does, where does that leave the reigning champion, Gunther? Under the Triple H regime, Gunther has been one of WWE's MVPs. Among all the massive names who could potentially face John Cena over the next year, Gunther seems like the most likely opponent for Cena's FINAL WrestleMania match.
Back to Punk and Rollins, though. At this point, it seems even more likely that The Architect will turn heel heading into Mania. And knowing WWE, we can probably expect a slow-burn approach with Rollins' eventual turn rooted in genuine, understandable motivations. One of them—either Rollins or Punk—might even head into WrestleMania 41 as the World Heavyweight Champion. With RAW tonight, we might just get some hints about what's in store over the next few months.
What makes all this even more compelling is Punk's unmatched ability to weave layered, nuanced stories. He thrives on tension, history, and subtle details. Whether it's Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, or even Drew McIntyre, Punk consistently elevates anyone he shares the ring with.
Let's see what Punk has to say tonight on RAW.
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