CM Punk WWE Raw Promo Unplanned, Reflects Many Talents’ Legitimate Frustrations

Published: Apr 8, 2026 by Liam | Last Updated: Apr 9, 2026 by Liam

Liam has been reporting & analyzing wrestling news for over eight years, and is currently the Managing Editor at WrestleTalk.com. Immersed in wrestling for 18 years, he has over 11,000 published articles in addition to leading and overseeing WrestleTalk.com's coverage.

CM Punk WWE Raw Promo Unplanned, Reflects Many Talents’ Legitimate Frustrations

New details have emerged regarding the CM Punk promo on last night’s WWE Raw and how many of his comments reflect legitimate frustrations among talent.

Punk opened Raw and made a number of heated comments in a promo reminiscent of the famous ‘pipe bomb’ in 2011.

His remarks included referencing Vince McMahon as a “weird old man,” taking shots at The Rock, referring to Pat McAfee as “Pat MAGAfee,” and calling for TKO CEO Ari Emanuel to lower WWE event ticket prices.

A new report from PWInsider Elite has unearthed some behind the scenes details, noting that WWE had a plan for what CM Punk was going to say on Raw, but he ended up cutting “a different promo from the heart” as opposed to what had been planned for him.

The report notes that many of Punk’s comments echo some very real concerns WWE talent has had as of late, with many having privately expressed that they believe the ticket prices are too high and also having issues with the fact there are so few comp tickets being afforded to them now.

There were also WWE talents “throwing their hands up” about Pat McAfee being inserted into the Cody Rhodes vs Randy Orton storyline, and some of McAfee’s comments on SmackDown only served to exacerbate that.

While Rhodes apparently didn’t communicate any frustration to anyone in particular, it’s noted that there was still a general feeling of sympathy towards him now that he has to “carry the additional weight” of what McAfee said, which was essentially that WWE’s lower ticket sales for WrestleMania this year is because of Rhodes’ performance as the face of the company.

One source – a WWE talent – told PWInsider that CM Punk’s comments “leaned closely into” how some members of the locker room feel about McAfee’s comments. Punk essentially said the ticket sales are down because the ticket prices are too high, not because of Rhodes or anyone else in particular.

Friction Among WWE Higher-Ups?

WWE creative and management were reportedly also not happy about how Ari Emanuel had inserted Pat McAfee in to proceedings.

It almost feels like the McAfee vs Punk & Rhodes issues we’ve seen on WWE TV in a way mirror a behind the scenes struggle and battle between Emanuel and Triple H.

It remains to be seen whether any more comes of that, but that’s certainly what it feels like is happening at the moment.

HHH has had to deal with something similar in the past with Vince McMahon getting involved and overriding him when he was still involved with WWE – a new story today revealed text messages from Triple H to WWE President Nick Khan that voiced frustrations about McMahon’s presence.

There have also been similar situations the past couple of WrestleManias when TKO board member The Rock got himself involved and there ended up being big changes in plans.