Raw Recap - CM Punk turns Bron Breakker UPSIDE DOWN to retain World Title: Raw Recap, Jan. 5, 2026

0:28Three title matches, two title changes. themed episode of Raw. I was very entertained by all the, I thought they did a great job with all the aesthetics. I was hoping that maybe tonight we could broadcast from the squawk. Yeah, I thought you were going to have this whole place decked out like a van. I was planning on it, but I was banned from the Barclays Center. Yeah, we've got to talk about that. Yeah, we will. We'll talk about that too. We will talk about that for sure. I loved all the chapter markers, you know, that were throughout the show. Each show having a different chapter, just like Stranger Things.

1:00It was so fun. So fun. But we end up the night after seeing two title changes, which we'll get to both of them, with the one that I think, especially towards the end of the match, nobody knew quite where it was going to land. And somehow, someway, CM Punk not only survives, but leaves still the world heavyweight champion. Down a boot. Down a boot. Well, he still had the boot. The boot. You sounded like Jackie Redman for a second there. The boot. A boot.

1:37But CM Punk, yes. The boot literally torn from his ankle. Nuts. Like, hang. I don't even know how it was still attached. It was like trailing off behind him. I've never seen anything like that in all the years of watching wrestling. I've never seen a champion leave a match having won the match with his boot trailing behind him via his ankle. But I guess that's what happens when you defend against Braun Breaker. CM Punk, still the champion, after Braun goes for the spear, catches the knee. CM Punk obviously watching tapes on tapes on tapes of spears because they were all very well scouted. Yes.

2:14He scouted one on the outside of the ring earlier in the match where he jumped up and hit him with that flying chest-out clothesline that Punk does when Braun was going for the spear. Then he hits him with the go-to-sleep. It was like the third or the fourth one in the match. And CM Punk is able to win. Megan, what does this do to Braun Breaker? I think that there was so much riding on this. And the thing about deciding when it's time to realize your potential is that it is a risk. the idea of being the future of WrestleMania, the future main eventer, the future, all of this. At some point, the future has to be the present.

3:02Braun Breaker declared this the present. Last week, we were talking about it. It was a great promo. But regardless of whether Braun Breaker was on a football field instead of wrestling on the indies, CM Punk's the one that won this match. When Braun Breaker had a shot at the biggest title on Raw, he lost. What does this do to Braun Breaker? I mean, it's got to make Braun Breaker angry, hungry. I do think on the big stage, Braun did, while he didn't win, he did. I mean, the spot through, I mean, when he went through the table, right? He's standing on the top. Unbelievable. And there's a moment there where I say, oh my gosh, is he going to make it?

3:52Right? And the fact that Braun Breaker hasn't been doing this that long, and he's in this unbelievable match with CM Punk, but it's not just about being there. When you come out and declare yourself as the future of the business and say that the future is now, and you don't win the World Heavyweight Championship, when you walk backstage, that's tough. Let's go back to the football field. Let's go back to the athlete the Braum Breaker is. 24 hours ago. I hate to bring it up for fans that may still be reeling. The Baltimore Ravens had one of the best games they've had all season, right? But they didn't win.

4:30And what's the headline? Not only did they not win, it was embarrassing. And they're not going to the playoffs. And that's it. That's the whole headline. Is that they missed a kick at the end of the game that was blessed. By the way, the end zone was blessed. That's a whole different story. But they missed a kick, one kick that they missed at the end of a great game. Cost them the season. And that's the headline. That's the news that gets reported. It is very difficult for Brom Breaker to show up to Dusseldorf next week. Yeah. And say, hey, I'm the future world heavyweight champion. Because we watched him get his shot.

5:13And we watched him be maybe the best challenger that Punk has had throughout this reign. One of the great, somebody I would say that Braun Breaker gave CM Punk a better run for his money than just about anybody. Yeah, I'd agree with you. But Braun Breaker cannot show up to Monday Night Raw and go, hey, you guys watch out because the minute I get my shot, I'm taking everything. I'm the future. I'm going to be world heavyweight champion. because we watched him not be able to get the job done. And the only reason he didn't get the job done is because there was one moment, one spear that was scouted just right and then a final go to sleep.

5:58And CM Punk, the guy who is standing in the way of this guy, Braun Breaker, the guy who does not come from the world that Braun Breaker comes from, he's the one that won. he's the one that is the world heavyweight champion. It's not like Braun Breaker can show up and go like, okay, well, I'd like another world heavyweight title match. And by the way, the vision was there to give Braun Breaker a little bit of an assist. Well, yeah, but CM Punk apparently is best friends with every luchador. Good for CM Punk. Look, I'd be best friends with them too because the luchadors were right there. I felt like that was even Stevens.

6:35You know, you're right. The vision was there to help out Braun Breaker, but CM Punk had backup too. But Braun Breaker not capitalizing tonight and not becoming the world heavyweight champion certainly impacts the entire vision. In the sense that it's like, right, because Braun Breaker is, I would argue, the team captain. Yeah. Vision team captain. So it's, again, it's not like, it's not like, I mean, does Austin Theory step forward now? Does Logan Paul step forward now? I mean, I kind of feel like if Braun Breaker couldn't get it done, and maybe he just couldn't get it done tonight. But I kind of feel like if Braun Breaker couldn't get it done, then it's like, okay, when does the vision actually become the vision?

7:17And I think you could see it all over Braun Breaker's face. And he knew it too. And you saw him and it was this amazing moment. That moment in the match when he was realizing, all I have to do is hit this spear. Spear, one, two, three. Spear, one, two, three. He smelled it. He sensed it. And you could feel as he was getting ready for that spear, going, please turn around, because I'm not just looking forward to this spear. If I can hit this spear, then I get to call myself the world heavyweight champion. Rick Steiner was amazing as a pro wrestler. He was never WWE world heavyweight champion. His uncle, Scott Steiner, amazing as a WWE wrestler, never world heavyweight champion.

8:08And Braun Breaker was about to bring it home to the family. And in just one instant, he was not able to bring it home to the family. All the while, CM Punk, not by mistake, is wearing U of M colors on his trunks. Everybody's making a big deal about this varsity jacket that he showed up in. You think CM Punk was wearing Michigan colors by mistake? No. No, he's a student of the game. He ate a Steiner liner in there. he knows who he's dealing with and he knew who he was dealing with and the whole i mean it was really a pretty remarkable match because the whole first 80 maybe of the match it was just brawn breaker with an answer to everything that cm punk had but that's punk right punk is about those moments where it's just when you got this guy counted out just when you think you got him licked he's able to just know just the right thing that you didn't see coming.

9:06He's just a scrappy enough fighter that he's got that one little thing in him and sometimes it's just a matter of lifting up that knee at just the right time because I bet there's nobody else on that roster that would have picked up that knee at that exact time. I don't think there's anybody else on that roster that wouldn't have eaten that spear. And if Punk had eaten that spear instead of gotten that knee up, Punk would not be the world heavyweight champion. That was bronze match. You know what I kept thinking of the entire time I was watching this match unfold and watching Punk come up with the response.

9:36I kept thinking about last week when he said, I'm not ready to give this up. Right. And that's exactly the energy he took in the ring. You felt it with every kick out, with every response that he had to Braun Breaker, that he wasn't ready to give up the world heavyweight title. And that he's still CM Punk and that he's not taking it for granted. And he can still go. I mean, obviously. Yes. But that's what I mean, that he's not taking it for granted. He's not going based on reputation or coasting on that or playing the hits or whatever it is. It's not I was the best in the world. I still am the best in the world.

10:11Actively. And I want to be an active, defending world heavyweight champion. And on an episode of Monday Night Raw, where you have sold an incredible amount of tickets in the Barclays Center, where you've got all of Netflix watching because the Stranger Things are all over the place, where the whole world is, this title match that has been promoted for a month now. You don't want to be the guy, if you're Punk, who's there to usher in the new guard. Punk's not ready to take on that role just yet. And in order to not take on that role, he had to fight and he fought. So, I mean, listen, I almost feel like if I'm Braun Breaker, I've got to bide my time now and just, you know, because there's not like you can sit there and claim anything was unjustified.

11:01And you're right. In terms of the highlight reel, ah, the stuff that Braun Breaker did in this match. Braun Breaker coming off of that top rope. You heard me, we were watching together. I was like, oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Because it's like this could go wrong in so many different ways. Yeah. But Braun coming off the top rope and hitting that clothesline all the way onto that commentator's table. It's a long way to go. Incredible. That's the one that I think ripped his boot. cf punks his boot but i mean for me i'm going like look and i don't know this is just what pops into my head i'm looking at the calendar and i'm going hey let me not make any bold statements let me not act like i was cheated because i wasn't cheated i had distractions from paul heyman i wasn't cheated i lost that match that one match i lost if i'm braun breaker i go okay don't worry about beating punk right now i gotta go beat 29 guys in the royal rumble how do it could because in my mind like i said like there's no justification for a braun breaker to go to an adam pierce and go like okay well now i'd like another title match theoretically they're one and one braun breaker pin punk in the war games yes punk pin braun breaker tonight theoretically that's one and one but i think that this was a definitive win for punk it felt that way and i think if you're a matchmaker i think if you're punk i think if you're any of those people you're looking at okay well who's next in line and it's not braun breaker he had his turn if braun breaker wants another turn and wants to be undeniable i think you got to look ahead at matches like the Royal Rumble.

12:43They're going to put somebody in the position to get a championship match. I'm curious about the dynamic within the vision because last week you and I sat here and we talked about how the vision, a group of people who aren't typically described as team players, have become team players within the vision. Now, Braun Breaker, team captain, if you will, of the vision. I will. He doesn't get the job done with the World Heavyweight Championship. Are we seeing such a cohesive unit within the vision? Are we seeing everybody acting as a team player when the leader couldn't get the job done? I don't think you learned anything from Austin Theory last week.

13:23He'd be furious if you brought that up. Someone's got to point it out, right? You're not wrong. But I would say the only thing is, if I'm playing devil's advocate here, because you're right, that could be something, right? Where they're going, wait a minute. You were the guy that was supposed to get this done. You didn't get it done. I would turn around and go like, Like, okay, but guess what? You guys are the ones that got chased off by Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee, and Penta. I watched Bronson Reed get knocked down by the three luchadors. I watched Logan Paul and Austin Theory. I watched them all get chased out.

13:57So it's like, ultimately, you got to go back to the full planning of the vision and realize that this didn't work on any level. This plan didn't work. if those three guys that you're saying might be looking at Braun Breaker and saying you didn't get the job done if I'm Braun Breaker I'm going to turn around and say well you guys didn't either you guys ran away what happened to you guys and do you really want to sit there if you're say Logan Paul and Austin Theory do you really want to sit there and say well you didn't get the job done it's like okay well apparently you got some beef with Rey Mysterio and Penta so before you go throwing stones in this house made of, you know, the thinnest glass that you've ever seen.

14:42Let's make sure that we take a look at what you're doing. Well, we know that Logan Paul would love a world heavyweight title opportunity. Of course, Logan Paul would love a world heavyweight title opportunity. So? He's got other business. Based on what? What has Logan Paul done? I agree with you. Nothing right now. Except run his mouth. Yes. You can't scam your way into a world heavyweight title opportunity. Well, Logan Paul has scammed his way into, a lot of things. I mean, sure, sure. But I don't see it happening. I mean, I just don't see the justification yet. Now look, if Austin Theory and Logan Paul were to get victories over Penta and Rey Mysterio, now you're talking about big victories.

15:21Now you're talking about stuff that could lead you to this other place. But this idea that CM Punk has to go on this gauntlet mission against everybody in the vision. No, I don't think that. No, I don't think that. I just wonder about within the vision. who's in the let me let me ask you this there's four guys in the vision right not counting paul hayman one of them pinned roman reigns that's right what if that's the guy that wants to step up you know i mean you're not wrong about this stuff i just think that like especially now in the space that we're in as competitive as everything is these title matches have to be earned yeah and i'm sure there are people outside of the vision they're like hey what about me what about something over here you know what i'm saying so yeah i'm very interested to see i'm interested to see what the dynamic of the vision is after this to your point like do they have to retool do they have to get on the same page again and i'm very interested to see what the story of cm punk as the world heavyweight champion is going forward because Braun Breaker has been this cloud that's been looming over the head of CM Punk.

16:33Now, look, I think the last month of everything that we've seen between Braun Breaker and CM Punk, I think Braun Breaker's stock has raised significantly. Yes, even before tonight and then after tonight, what he did in the match, I think his stock rose. Significantly. Yes. And I don't think it dips all the way back down to the beginning because he lost i just don't think i think momentum it's a real thing you know what i mean and we might have a little a little jerk stop in the momentum and what you've got to do now is figure out how to regain that momentum figure out how to make the audience believe that what happened at raw at the barclays center at netflix one year anniversary at stranger things raw what happened there make me believe that that was the outlier make me believe that that was the fluke and that the next time you're gonna get it because like it was a great match and it felt like it came to a result that was deserved by the end of it so how are you gonna make me believe make me believe that that was a fluke braun breaker wins the royal rumble that's one way to do it and comes after CM Punk and by the way if or whoever the world heavyweight champion is by then I mean if you're not losing to Braun Breaker in that match I don't think CM Punk's losing that title I don't think so either but listen no pun intended stranger things have happened you definitely intended that pun because you thought about it for a second and then you're like I'm gonna say it but I'll say no pun intended so people don't think I'm a cheese ball well I think a lot could happen before we get to the Royal Rumble a lot could happen before we get to Wrestlemania but I hope But it's not pun.

18:21How does, how does Brom Breaker get back? Now you got all in my head. CM Punk. No, now how does Brom Breaker get back to that momentum? He wins the Royal Rumble. Possible. And comes after the world heavyweight champion. Easier said than done. You're telling me. We're talking about stranger things. That's why Megan was dropping her puns that she's been working on all night. She was writing down all these puns. That's right. All night. She got her first one off. You're going to have to listen to the whole show. She's got half a dozen. ready to go in the chamber. But Raw went Stranger Things in the crossover.

18:55Well, it doesn't stop on Monday Night Raw. WWE has teamed up with Stranger Things for an exclusive new t-shirt collab. Yeah, look at these things. Available now at WWE Shop and Fanatics. You can rep your favorites like John Cena, CM Punk, Roman Reigns, and more with this new collection. Look at that. That's an Undertaker logo mixed up in the upside down. Check them all out right now at WWE Shop and Fanatics. The WWE Stranger Things collab. Two great tastes that taste even better together. Unbelievable. You're the first person I've ever met that says collab. I always say collab. No, collab. Collab.

19:37Because I'm one of the coolest people you've ever met. Collaboration. So you say collaboration. Collaboration. Actually, the word is based on collaboration. I think that's how it's pronounced. That's what you come across right now. I do not. Yes, you do. I don't sound like that at all. Everybody at Northwestern sounds like that. I'm not nearly that nasally. It's a little nasally, to tell you the truth. But, okay. Let's talk about it. You want to talk about it. We'll talk about it. Another title match. Let's talk about the Intercontinental title match. Well, before we get there, can we talk about a bigger issue?

20:11I've actually had a lot of conversations about this today with everybody behind the glass there. Raw tonight. Even Casey? Even KC. I mean, Gavin is so mad about it. He just didn't show up to work today. He's mad at who? You? You. Me? You. Raw tonight is in Brooklyn. We, Stanford, Connecticut, just a stone's throw away. We should have been there tonight for Raw. But unfortunately, everybody's trying to work out these details. And Becky's lawyers called and they said Raw recap show cannot attend because of you. I'm too associated with the show. That's right. So we couldn't go. So we had to go here.

20:52And I've been talking to all the guys about how I think you're holding me back in my career. That's what you've been saying to them. And they agree. They think I'm holding you back. Yes, they all do. I'm not holding you back. It's unreasonable, by the way. And I do think. I could have been at Stranger Things Raw. No, I wish you'd gone. I do too. I couldn't. Because of me. That's right. That's the power that I have. Just because I'm the one who does the cold opens. Yeah. I did see that. I said, I couldn't believe this. When I saw. I was welcome. I know. I saw it in the tweet. Becky Lynch tweets out that I can't go to the Barclays Center.

21:31No. And I go, well, this is ridiculous. And I call up the crew. I go, what time are we going to Brooklyn? They go, no, no, no. Get back in the Stanford basement, Sam. That's where we're doing the show from. The word has come down. I go, who said this? They go, we're not going to say. I go, I hope it wasn't. They go, we're not going to say. but I mean you're not wrong we're not in Brooklyn and there was a tweet that went out that said under no false pretenses am I allowed in Brooklyn and now I'm not in Brooklyn but but for you to blame me for that instead of an unreasonable two-time intercontinental champion what what is with the tone and two times it's a historic moment I know another two-time intercontinental champion that you came in dancing and said, oh, a two-time intercontinental champion, Dominic Mysterio.

22:23But when Becky wins it twice, you go, two-time. Dominic Mysterio didn't ban me from an arena. Yet. Why would Dominic Mysterio ban me? I don't know. When he gets word about how you're stifling others' careers, maybe you want to keep an arm's length distance away from you, Scam Roberts. Stop calling me that. All I do is try to give people opportunities. Okay, that's it. And then all of a sudden, somehow I become the villain. It's ridiculous. We are in Stanford. We are. There are a lot of context clues here. I don't know how it happened. I don't make those decisions. They're above my pay grade. But I'm so sorry that you had to go to WWE HQ instead of the amazing Barclays Center in the Upside Down.

23:08I could have had boots on the ground to witness history. And I wish one of them had ripped off your ankle. female wrestler of all time become a two-time women's intercontinental champion. No one's ever done that before. I thought you were talking about Liv Morgan. She's never been women's intercontinental champion. That's why I was confused for a moment. Well, Becky Lynch, regardless of tweets, I thought she was not going to win the match because I thought she'd been ignoring it because she'd been tweeting so much, but apparently somehow she's also been, I don't know, doing tape study or whatnot.

23:42not Becky Lynch. And look, I, what can I say? It was, it was a, it was a slick pin. Thank you. It was pretty slick. And I say that because I'm a reasonable person who can call it. Like I see it. Unlike the intercontinental champion. Look, Becky picked up a win tonight. It goes down in the record books as a pinfall victory for Becky Lynch. She did what business called for her to do. You're saying Becky Lynch was standing on business in Brooklyn? That's exactly what Becky Lynch was doing. Wow. And I'm glad that there was no referee corruption. Who was the referee? Danilo? That cheap-ass Danilo. He probably got paid off.

24:29You know what? Honestly, because finally we had no corruption in a match, he should get a raise. Oh, now they got the tweet. They were worried. You know what? They were upset about it. Because why would they have the tweet ready to go? We were all supposed to go to Brooklyn. This is what Becky Lynch wrote. I've asked my lawyers to ensure crooked reporters and so-called, quote, wrestling media be barred from Barclays tomorrow. This was sent yesterday. Awful Ariel Helwani. Scam Roberts. That's right. I wonder where she got that nickname from. I don't know. DeLulu Dave LaGreca. And Pipsqueak Peter Rosenberg.

25:06That one got you. Just calling a grown man a pipsqueak is a totally different deal. You know what I mean? They're not welcome. Oh, wow. This is horrible. This is great. This is the best part. Keep going. Marvelous Megan Morant. I thought she was going to talk about Marvelous Mark Merrow for a second. Marvelous Megan Morant, who, quote, parentheses, who has pledged her loyalty to me as a Becky believer. That's right. is the only news source the WWE universe can trust. Why does she think everybody that talks about wrestling is a journalist? I'm not reporting. It's a podcast. I'm not reporting. I'm not doing this scoops, Roberts.

25:49I'm not here to give you the scoops. I just watch the show and tell you what happened. And usually it's Becky Lynch being an unreasonable human being. Not tonight. Wow. Not tonight. I will say. Oh, you're about to compliment Becky Lynch. Maybe not fully complimented. Certainly not on her social media game, quote unquote. I am concerned that with all this training that Maxine Dupree was doing, I'd love to hear what daddy has to say. Because the idea of putting Becky Lynch in that scenario, Becky Lynch is crafty. You know what I mean? She's a bit of a sneak. She's got a few tricks up her sleeve.

26:32Oh, yeah. She's ready to take advantage of absolutely any scenario. So the idea that Becky Lynch was a and it was a very it was slick, was able to roll back while her ankle was in the ankle lock, realizing I can survive this thing for three seconds. and then she was close enough to the rope to hook the arm on the rope for leverage which somehow Danilo as cheap as he is should buy himself contact lenses or something so he can see what's going on in the ring doesn't see Becky Lynch scooping that rope and gets the one, two, three and Maxine is befuddled by the whole thing that's another one we were talking about Braun Breaker Maxine has been on this trip ever since winning the Intercontinental Championship.

27:18You remember what her vibe was like when we interviewed her when she first won that title in person. You did not want to do the interview, but I insisted at Madison Square Garden. It was a big deal. And I feel like ever since then, she's been all fight. She's been ready for anything. It's been a totally different Maxine than the one that was, you know, kind of like, oh, gee, I don't know. Just happy to be there. Yeah, learning Maxine. It's like, okay, go train. You got the title. You got three victories over Becky. Go train. Go do your thing. Get better. Get better. Get better. When you get hit with a loss like this, where you lose your title, it's on the premiere for Netflix.

27:59And it's in another borough of New York City. Didn't she win the Intercontinental title in Manhattan? She did. Right. So, like, does Maxine now have to go back to the drawing board completely? like does this shake her confidence to the point where it's like oh like I said about brawn breaker it's a momentum stopper does it shake her confidence to the point oh maybe I'm not as good as I thought I was maybe I'm not ready for the matches that I thought I was or does she go no she Becky hooked the rope I'll be able to get her next time you know there is the argument to be made about the fact that Becky did hook the rope but then you take a look at the way that Maxine won the title from Becky.

28:42How's that? AJ Lee interference. Well, she was just in the aisle. Giving Maxine the opportunity to catch the man off guard. Very rare that she's ever off guard. It couldn't be that rare. I mean, AJ Lee didn't even make it to the ringside area. Well, Becky is a very, we all know this about Becky, rule follower. She hooked the rope. Rule following Rebecca is what I believe they call her. She hooked the rope to win the title. you have to do what you have to do stand on business that's against the rules well when she was she's learned since then right because she's always evolving because that's what the greats do is they evolve i've been kind of and so when rule following rebecca was taken advantage of at madison square garden by no manager's license aj lee is that what they're calling her that's it I think Becky has a couple other names for her.

29:36They're not coming to me at the moment, but I'm sure they're all over the internet. So Becky had to take a page out of AJ and Maxine's book. Look, the same way I thought, you know, realistically, Becky Lynch, look at her chest. Look at that Star Trek gear. I mean, she can't believe how happy she is. Like she really accomplished something really great. She did. And look, two-time Intercontinental Champion. I think Maxine should have been ready for Becky to hook the rope. That's how I feel watching that match. All personal feelings aside, Maxine should have been ready. Becky does not have scruples.

30:18She is scrupulous. Well, and the other thing is Becky, we knew how desperate she was to get this title back. Well, she's without morals. Yes. Is that how she lives her life? Yes. Right. Right. She's of a low character. Well, you're going a little far there. She's a low character person. I wouldn't say that. Which is why you have to be ready when you're dealing with somebody that's like soulless. You also have to be ready when you're going up against the greatest female wrestler of all time. I don't know about the soulless and lacking morals and all of that. I don't know about all of that. But I do know you need to be ready when you step in the ring with Becky Lynch.