Dive into the heated debate as we discuss the epic showdown looming at the 2024 Royal Rumble: the clash between two wrestling icons, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes. In this video, we analyze the compelling arguments for each contender, exploring CM Punk's triumphant return and unparalleled experience versus Cody Rhodes' electrifying in-ring prowess and potential to elevate the next generation of WWE superstars. Join the conversation in the comments below and let us know who you think should emerge victorious in this epic battle for Royal Rumble glory! Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more in-depth discussions on all things wrestling.
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#CMPunk #CodyRhodes #RoyalRumble #WWE #Wrestling #Sportskeeda
You can also visit our site: https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe
#CMPunk #CodyRhodes #RoyalRumble #WWE #Wrestling #Sportskeeda
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SportsTranscript
00:00 We may already have an idea of the two main frontrunners for WrestleMania 40.
00:18 It's Sportskeeda Wrestling, I'm Kevin, get into the comments below, let us know what
00:23 you think.
00:24 After the December 11th episode of WWE Raw, we may even know who could win the Royal Rumble.
00:33 As of that episode, there have been only two men to announce their entries into the 13-man
00:38 fracas that is the Rumble match that decides who moves on to main event WrestleMania and
00:43 challenge for a world title.
00:45 And those two men are two of the most talked about in all of WWE, Cody Rhodes and the returning
00:50 CM Punk.
00:51 Incidentally, they're also the two favorites to win the Rumble right now.
00:55 Cody said it best himself, only one of them can finish their story.
01:00 For Cody, it's about capturing the WWE Championship, a title that his father, the Hall of Famer,
01:05 the American Dream, Dusty Rhodes, never actually won, but technically defeated a champion for.
01:12 And that now takes the form of the undisputed Universal title held by the ruthless Roman
01:17 Reigns.
01:18 For CM Punk, it's all about achieving the one goal he stated he wanted in his first
01:23 run in WWE, but can now get upon his return, headlining WrestleMania.
01:28 We're going to make two arguments, one for Cody Rhodes and one for CM Punk, as to why
01:33 each should win the 2024 Men's Royal Rumble.
01:37 And let's get right into it, and you get into those comments and let us know who you're
01:40 picking.
01:41 Let's go into the Cody Rhodes road, possibly to WrestleMania.
01:44 The man who headlined WrestleMania 39 and nearly defeated Roman Reigns, yeah, unless
01:49 Roman Reigns' entire family didn't help him win the match, is rumored to be the opponent
01:54 for Roman Reigns once again at WrestleMania 40 in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia.
02:00 And to get that spot last year, he had to win the Royal Rumble coming off an injury,
02:04 so why should he win it again?
02:06 For one, if Cody Rhodes does win the Royal Rumble, it will be the first time in 26 years
02:12 that anyone has won back-to-back Rumbles.
02:15 The last man to do that was Stone Cold Steve Austin in 1998, and for the women, there is
02:22 yet to be one who has won the Royal Rumble twice, let alone twice in a row.
02:26 That's a whole different topic.
02:28 It would be a good change to have a back-to-back winner who fans truly are endeared to, but
02:32 that in and of itself isn't a strong enough reason to win it.
02:36 It isn't just about the stats, it's about the story.
02:39 Their argument for Cody Rhodes winning the Royal Rumble is that he has been in the driver's
02:44 seat for a while now.
02:45 He has been the guy, perfectly positioned to be the guy, to end this very dramatic and
02:52 well-promoted long title reign of over 1300 days that Roman Reigns has been on, and by
03:00 the time we get to WrestleMania 40, it will be even longer.
03:06 Cody Rhodes has been around and been spiritually connected to the lore of WWE.
03:13 Him winning it would mean a whole lot.
03:16 Given that WWE has invested so much in him to be the next babyface hero, it makes sense
03:22 for them to give him that selective honor of a Rumble win or maybe even a WrestleMania
03:30 win.
03:31 And for the anti-punk party fans who were probably in the comments at some point saying
03:34 you can't trust him, well, it looks like you can trust Cody if you give him that spot,
03:39 all those backstage drama, political issues, whatever.
03:42 Those don't really float around Cody in WWE, at least from what we know.
03:46 It's also worth noting that everything we've heard of CM Punk backstage in WWE has been
03:51 very wholesome, very heartwarming, and he's been welcomed with open arms by almost everyone
03:57 there.
03:58 Cody has proven himself to be a team player for the WWE.
04:01 Wherever he is, he is waving the flag of the company and proving himself to be a front
04:06 face superstar.
04:07 CM Punk by his nature is a rebel disruptor who simply draws in fans, wants to do right
04:14 by the business, but the history is there coming out of AEW.
04:18 Those two blow ups in Tony Khan's face, the fights backstage, we know it's floating over
04:23 him.
04:24 With that said, you could easily argue that Triple H and WWE will be well aware of that
04:29 risk and will do a lot better to keep Punk happy, Punk healthy, and maybe keep those
04:35 issues away from him.
04:37 For one, WWE isn't as dependent on CM Punk, and like Seth Rollins, a man who certainly
04:42 doesn't like CM Punk right now, said in that promo on the big definitive face off,
04:48 this run is essentially CM Punk's last chance in wrestling, and he knows it, and so does
04:54 WWE.
04:55 That narrative alone might be enough to deter him from causing any issues, or maybe it's
05:01 a narrative to set a completely different storyline for CM Punk that doesn't involve
05:05 Roman Reigns.
05:06 This still doesn't change the fact that Cody doesn't have that history, he doesn't have
05:12 that around him, that's an advantage he has built in.
05:15 Another good reason for Cody to win the rumble is the fact that he does face Roman Reigns.
05:22 There's a story there to build on, a rematch to build from, and there's no way he's in
05:27 any spot but the main event of WrestleMania 40 on night two where it seems satisfactory.
05:34 He needs to finish his story, the emotional conviction he has portrayed in that story,
05:39 the history that is undeniable in his family, it all still makes sense.
05:45 It's still something that would be fulfilling to see played out on the grandest stage of
05:49 them all.
05:50 Since it's the most important match on the entire card of the two days that are now a
05:55 modern WrestleMania, it's not unreasonable for the men's Royal Rumble winner to get that
06:00 spot.
06:01 Our last argument for Cody Rhodes is that this rumble is an opportunity to give him
06:06 an Iron Man like performance.
06:09 He didn't really get that so much in his last Royal Rumble win as he was really only in
06:13 there for 15 minutes, though he did have a really great mini match at the end there with
06:16 Kunther, this time he should be given the opportunity to last an hour or a little more,
06:21 even get a bigger win than he did in 2023.
06:24 You always have to up the ante.
06:26 Now let's make the case for CM Punk.
06:28 We have even more reasons why he should be the winner of the 2024 men's Royal Rumble
06:33 match.
06:34 That doesn't mean we have a bias or a preference, but it's just fresh on the mind, right?
06:38 First the Royal Rumble 2024 is exactly 10 years to the day of the infamous 2014 edition
06:44 that saw CM Punk get injured and walk out from WWE.
06:48 Do we need to say how poetically justified it would be for him to win this Royal Rumble
06:53 10 years after his falling out with the company?
06:57 Punk winning the Rumble and proving his detractors wrong with his on display determination and
07:03 will to win in his first big premium live event match back in WWE would be a special
07:08 way to establish this revived narrative with him as the second city Saint pursuing a restored
07:15 legacy.
07:16 Plus he's never won a Rumble before.
07:19 Even as a possible runner up, Cody Rhodes can also find another path to a big WrestleMania
07:24 match, even Roman Reigns by capturing maybe the big prize at the 2024 Elimination Chamber
07:30 match and earning a spot against Reigns.
07:32 That way the Rumble isn't the only path to main event glory at Mania.
07:37 Thirdly, the rivalry between Punk and Rollins is one that fans are already gravitating to
07:43 with his return.
07:45 The hatred between them is believable and likely legitimate and now they have a prize
07:51 to fight for in the new World Heavyweight Championship.
07:55 Punk winning the Rumble is a perfect way to set up a main event for WrestleMania 40 night
08:00 one.
08:01 The next reason of ours is fairly simple.
08:04 CM Punk is red hot right now.
08:05 The numbers are there.
08:07 Tens of millions of people on social media engage by WWE across the board on his return
08:14 at Survivor Series.
08:15 The reports of his merchandise selling six figures within just a few days of his return
08:21 are all factors for why WWE can bet on CM Punk.
08:26 The timing is everything and the timing is on his side.
08:30 He's a bonafide box office star.
08:33 Whether you like him or not, you care about what he's doing and it makes sense to capitalize
08:38 on the momentum by having him win the Royal Rumble match.
08:42 The fifth reason is that winning the Rumble match and choosing Rollins instantly elevates
08:47 the prestige of the World Heavyweight Championship.
08:51 Seth Rollins has done a lot to build the legitimacy of the new world title and has been a fighting
08:56 champion.
08:57 Even then, it's hard to get rid of the perception that it's just secondary to the undisputed
09:01 Universal Championship that Roman Reigns has held for so long.
09:05 Punk winning the Rumble and choosing to go with Rollins in the World Heavyweight title
09:10 would do a lot to dispute that perception.
09:13 Our last case arguing why CM Punk should win is fairly simple.
09:19 He deserves to win a Royal Rumble and headline WrestleMania.
09:22 Apart from winning a US Championship, becoming a Grand Slam champion, there are only two
09:26 real pivotal achievements CM Punk has left in WWE, a Rumble and headlining a Mania.
09:33 He made it clear that his goal is to headline Mania and despite what we said about Night
09:39 2 being a more important match, it doesn't change the fact that main eventing any night
09:45 of WrestleMania is main eventing WrestleMania.
09:48 The two night format of WrestleMania expanded a few years ago, lending itself to the bigger
09:52 appetite and the bigger broadcast potential that a streaming platform gives WWE and Peacock
09:58 has allowed for more superstars to be featured in big time matches on the biggest stage of
10:03 the mall.
10:04 Last year, we had a tag team title match with Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and The Usos in the
10:09 main event.
10:10 The big matches with Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks.
10:13 These are possible because of the two night Mania format.
10:16 CM Punk could benefit from that.
10:19 Superstars who wouldn't have even imagined headlining a Mania before are now getting
10:23 that honor, no doubt a part of the pivotal systematic changes that CM Punk advocated
10:27 for many years ago in his first run in the company.
10:31 Do you think Cody Rhodes and CM Punk should win the Royal Rumble match?
10:35 Which one would you choose?
10:37 Let us know in the comments below.