Tommy Dreamer weighed in on two major segments from Monday Night Raw during his Busted Open After Dark podcast — CM Punk’s confrontation with The Usos over his comments about WWE Hall of Famer Sika, and the violent expulsion of Finn Balor from Judgment Day.
CM Punk Holds His Ground Against The Usos
The show opened with CM Punk addressing the fallout from last week, where many felt he crossed a line regarding Roman Reigns and the Samoan family. Dreamer noted that Punk came out with a humble tone, acknowledging the mixed reception to his previous comments.
The Usos confronted Punk backstage before eventually meeting him in the ring. Dreamer said The Usos looked different this time around.
“First time in a long time for me, I saw the Usos in a whole new light tonight. I was afraid of the Usos. They look like two badass people coming down to kick ass. One was very, very serious. One was very, very angry.”
Jey Uso demanded a straightforward apology. The exchange escalated when The Usos told Punk, “You’re supposed to be the voice of the voiceless, but our uncle has no voice.” Dreamer called it “such a heavy line.”
With the entire arena chanting for Punk to apologize, he appeared to comply — shaking hands and saying he was sorry. Then he flipped the script.
“I’m sorry that Roman Reigns treated the two of you and the rest of his family in The Bloodline like garbage for years and never once came out here publicly to apologize for the way he treated his family that he loves,” Punk told The Usos. “I’m sorry that Roman Reigns disrespected one of my mentors, the great American dream, Dusty Rhodes, the father of my friend Cody, when he called him irrelevant, and is somehow not on the hook for apologizing, but I am.”
Punk closed the segment by calling Jimmy and Jey Uso Roman Reigns’ “young boys.”
Dreamer sided with Punk’s reasoning but acknowledged the risk involved.
“This is a risky move 40 days outside of WrestleMania. This is a risky move for when Roman comes back. Do you think they’re gonna cheer for Roman now?”
He added that while Punk is right in his argument, this marks the second straight week where Punk has “left a bad taste in people’s mouth.” Still, Dreamer said the quality of the work speaks for itself.
“It really does prove what CM Punk said — best in the world. And being best in the world is part of being best on the microphone. I don’t know who could have played that segment any better, outside of perhaps the wise man, Paul Heyman.”
Dreamer called the segment one of the most realistic moments he has seen on Monday Night Raw in a long time.
“It was one of the more realistic situations I’ve seen on Monday Night Raw in a long, long time, and I friggin loved it.”
Dreamer also noted he is now more interested in the follow-up between Punk and The Usos than the eventual Roman Reigns confrontation. He questioned where Jimmy and Jey will stand when Roman returns, and whether a babyface Bloodline reunion could benefit WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman, whose faction has fallen apart.
Judgment Day Turns on Finn Balor
The other major development on Raw was the breakup of Judgment Day. After WWE star Dominik Mysterio lost his title to WWE star Penta, Dominik blamed Balor. The confrontation escalated into a four-on-one assault, with Dominik, WWE star JD McDonagh, WWE star Liv Morgan, and WWE star Raquel Rodriguez all attacking Balor.
Dreamer said he has been enjoying Balor’s recent character work and wants it to carry over into his babyface run.
“I’ve loved this version of Finn Balor. Finn has an edge. Finn having this edge to him, he needs to continue that.”
He praised the execution of the beatdown.
“I love the Frog Splash with the chair. I love the 619 with the hammer. I thought that was very innovative.”
He highlighted a specific moment where JD McDonagh’s clothesline added a different layer to the attack, comparing it to the old-school heel tactic of raising a babyface’s hand before delivering a cheap shot.
Dreamer said this was the first time he felt genuine sympathy for Balor since the original Universal Championship injury in 2016.
“The last time I felt bad for Finn was when they put the world title on him, and then he got hurt and they took it off, and that was when I felt bad for him, because I was like, God, this guy finally made it, and then it all got taken away from him. But I haven’t felt that way in a long time, until tonight.”
Dreamer credited Dominik for continuing to generate heat and warned against turning him babyface too soon. “We don’t need a cheering Dominik,” he said, adding that “one day” the audience will love him, but the current heel run is the best version for his growth.
He also praised Liv Morgan’s heel work. “I love Liv doing Liv things. Her promos are great. They’re very, very reactionary.” Dreamer added that generating real heat is a specific skill. “It’s very, very easy to get booed, but it’s not easy to get heat.”
Looking ahead, Dreamer suggested Danhausen as the first person to align with Balor, and said Danhausen’s turnaround has been remarkable.
“In one week, Danhausen has gotten over from one of the — I would say the second worst debut in the history of the WWE — to Monday doing the curse…He’s the number one seller in WWE. So kudos to you, and kudos to the hiring or the people who suggested him.”
Dreamer also pitched Damian Priest as a candidate to rejoin Judgment Day. He called Priest “a lost talent” who could benefit from the group’s structure.
Dreamer raised the question of where Roxanne Perez fits. She has been out with an injury and absent from the storyline. Dreamer noted that her comeback placement will be critical and suggested WWE may need to hold her return for the right moment rather than force her back into a story that has moved on without her.
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