RAW Kicked Off With A Heated Confrontation Between CM Punk And Drew McIntyre Ahead Of ROYAL RUMBLE

Last night's episode of RAW kicked off with Drew McIntyre addressing his recent failure to secure the World Heavyweight Championship after clashing with Seth Rollins.

Admitting he's considered stepping away from WWE for a while, he blamed Damian Priest and his attempted cash-in for ruining his title chances and took a shot at CM Punk by suggesting he take nine years off before returning to a hero's reception. 

That led to the Best in the World hitting the ring for a heated confrontation which kept fans on the edge of their seats throughout. 

McIntyre congratulated Punk for managing to remain in WWE for at least a month and claimed he and some of the other Superstars backstage are betting on how long it'll be before he walks out or is fired. Reflecting on Punk's previous WWE run and the fact he called himself a locker room leader, McIntyre cast doubt on that by saying he never helped him when he was struggling and said he's now the former WWE Champion's leader. 

The Second City Saint was quick to refute that, arguing he always looked to lead by example. In fact, he took credit for inspiring McIntyre to walk out all those years ago before coming back a new man, adding he's not here to make friends or be a nice guy; instead, he plans to win the Royal Rumble match and finally main event WrestleMania. 

The Scottish Warrior reminded Punk that he's done what he never has after previously winning the Rumble and headlining the Show of Shows but is now entering the 2024 match so he can do it for himself this time (unlike the previous occasion when he stepped up as an inspiration during the COVID-19 pandemic). 

Punk decided to walk away before attacking McIntyre but vowed to be a nice guy by making sure he eliminates the heel from this year's Rumble last. 

You can check out some highlights from this heated confrontation on RAW in the X posts below: