The closing segment of Monday Night Raw between Roman Reigns and CM Punk was not the original creative direction for the encounter, according to Bodyslam.
The segment closed out the 3:16 Day episode of Raw from the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. Reigns returned to Raw for the first time in several weeks to respond to the ongoing verbal exchange between Punk and his cousins Jey and Jimmy Uso. The encounter between Reigns and Punk grew heated before Punk knocked Reigns down after Reigns called him old, sending a physical message to the man he will face for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 42.
According to Bodyslam, the segment that aired was not the originally planned version. The original creative direction would have seen Reigns respond to Punk’s comments about his father with a darker response involving Larry, a reference that would have deepened the personal dimension of the rivalry between the two men. It is unclear why the direction was changed or when during the day the decision to alter the segment was made.
Both men have leaned into personal elements during their exchanges, with Punk’s comments about Reigns’ father being one of the more charged moments of the build. A darker response from Reigns in that vein would have escalated the feud.
The Raw episode also featured the return of Brock Lesnar, who was confonted and laid out by his WrestleMania 42 opponent in the way of Oba Femi, as well as AJ Lee defending the Women’s Intercontinental Championship against Bayley and a non-title match between Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer and Raquel Rodriguez.
WrestleMania 42 takes place April 18 and 19 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Check out the match order for each night here.
