Backstage Reaction To CM Punk Line About Vince McMahon, More Details From WWE Raw Promo

During CM Punk's recent return to "WWE Raw" in the wake of his injury, he cut a scathing promo against both Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins. Notably, Punk made a reference to Vince McMahon which had the industry holding its breath. Naturally, many have questioned whether this was a planned-out segment, or if Punk went into business for himself.

According to  "PWInsider Elite," there was a general idea of the direction the segment would go, leading up to Punk being the guest commentator for the WrestleMania match between Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre, however, all the talent involved were told to play off each other. The report alleged that the backstage reaction to McMahon's mention resulted in a shared silence, but once things progressed beyond that moment, there was no fallout. Additionally, the spot was longer than originally planned, but nobody involved has gotten any heat for that due to how well it was received. The fan reaction to Punk and chanting for him to be the Special Referee for the match was largely responsible for the positive perception backstage. However, the segments that came after were all cut to account for the lost time. 

The report also mentions that the segment in question was the highest viewed segment for Monday's episode of "Raw," and averaged 2.20 million viewers. The locker room was said to be full of excitement following the angle, as many believed it established more momentum going into WrestleMania 40, as now Punk has potential matches with both Rollins and McIntyre later this year to capitalize on the momentum.