Last night on Monday Night Raw 1/7/13, this happened between WWE Champion CM Punk and The Rock:
CB’s Slant: I absolutely loved this from both guys. CM Punk solidified his true heel persona by turning THAT RAW PROMO on its head and insulting “The People”, which then enabled The Rock to come out and defend “The People”. This was a classic, well-executed setup to an easy-to-follow face vs. heel storyline, and both guys did exactly what they had to do to sell their Royal Rumble WWE Title match as a can’t-miss headlining attraction.
Punk hung tough with Rock on the mic and looked good doing so, which is how the Best in the World should look. Meanwhile, for all his jabs and insults on Punk, The Rock astutely made sure to praise Punk’s toughness and accentuate the impressiveness of his 414-day WWE title reign.
Ultimately, this was a solid start to the Royal Rumble / Road to WrestleMania season, punctuated with a Rock Bottom to Punk that was payback for the GTS Punk nailed on Rocky at Raw 1000.
This one is as even as it gets, and I’m looking forward to more Punk vs. Rock in the coming weeks.