WWE Weekly Round-Up: Several promo battles shape Royal Rumble storylines
Picture: WWE
Welcome to the WWE Weekly Round-Up, where Pro Wrestling Downunder brings you the biggest talking points to emanate out of this week’s episodes of Raw and Smackdown.
Logan Paul returns to Monday Night Raw
Monday Night Raw commenced with Seth Rollins staking his claim of winning the men’s Royal Rumble match, before being interrupted by Gunther.
The two had a war of words on who essentially has brought more prestige to the World Heavyweight Championship, with the Visionary explaining he ‘made’ the title and the Ring General proclaiming he’s the better professional wrestler.
They were then both interrupted by Logan Paul, who joined the Raw roster when the brand made the move to Netflix. The Maverick was greeted with a chorus of boos from the Atlanta faithful and declared himself for the men’s Royal Rumble match.
Reports did surface a couple of weeks ago that Paul was potentially lined up as Gunther’s WrestleMania opponent for the World Heavyweight Championship and while it may seem outrageous, WWE have certainly teased it and let the fans know it is a possibility.
Cody Rhodes and CM Punk share intense confrontation
Cody Rhodes and CM Punk came face-to-face on the final Raw before last year’s Royal Rumble and delivered one of the best promo battles of 2024. A year later on the last Raw before the 2025 Royal Rumble, history repeated itself.
The American Nightmare was in the ring after accidentally receiving a helluva kick from Sami Zayn during a brawl with Kevin Owens, as Punk came out to consult Rhodes after and informed him he is his only friend.
The Second City Saint then quickly turned his attention on winning the men’s Royal Rumble, telling the American Nightmare he was going to bury his career in the main event of WrestleMania.
Rhodes returned serve by saying he hopes Punk wins the men’s Royal Rumble, so he can prove that the best in the world is him.
CM Punk and Kevin Owens joust on the microphone
Self-proclaimed Undisputed WWE Champion, Kevin Owens kicked off Friday Night Smackdown this week for an interview with Joe Tessitore.
However, the Prizefighter was not interested and discussed the disrespect he has received from multiple superstars on how they think they are going to challenge Cody Rhodes instead of him at WrestleMania.
Owens was then interrupted by CM Punk, who apologised for bypassing him and said he could capture the title at the Royal Rumble from Rhodes. The Prizefighter then said he does not want CM Punk to win the men’s Royal Rumble match, as it would mean that he does not get his long-awaited WrestleMania main event.
Punk then mocked Owens by saying he has not lost five title matches at the Premium Live Event, has not been defeated by Logan Paul and how he is not manipulating his best friend, Sami Zayn to help him defeat the American Nightmare.
Jacob Fatu stands tall to close Smackdown
A first-time alliance between Damian Priest and LA Knight battled Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga in the main event of Smackdown this week, with the Punisher picking up the victory for his team.
However, Priest could not enjoy his win for too long before being ambushed by the Samoan Werewolf post-match. Fatu laid out the former World Heavyweight Champion with a superkick, pop-up Samoan drop and moonsault to close the show.
It comes after Fatu has been booked dominantly recently, also writing Braun Strowman off television with a vicious assault at Saturday Night’s Main Event last week.
It would also not be a surprise if the Samoan Werewolf has a strong showing in the men’s Royal Rumble match, emerging as a strong contender to either be the iron man or have the most eliminations.
Theo Dimou is a 22-year-old aspiring journalist, passionate for professional wrestling and WWE specifically. He has been a dedicated fan of the product for 14 years, idolising the likes of John Cena, Randy Orton and CM Punk. Previously working for The Inner Sanctum being granted media accreditation for Elimination Chamber in Perth. He interviewed Rhea Ripley, Kevin Owens and Tiffanny Stratton, while he has also spoken with Bronson Reed, Shawn Michaels and Steph De Lander.
