OpinionWWE

Why Punk on Team USA Is the Right Fit

Summary: Opinion. This is our view, not news. CM Punk asked to join Team USA on Raw on Nov. 9 and Cody Rhodes accepted. We argue it gives Punk a path back after a bad week, and say what could go wrong.

The WrestlingNews.com Team · 4 min read

Opinion. This is our view, not news.

Opinion. This is our view, not news.

The quick version

  • Our writers argue Punk on Team USA gives him a way back into the title picture without a third match with Kevin Owens.
  • The facts come from Raw on Nov. 9, SmackDown on Nov. 6 and NXT on Nov. 4, as we reported them. The view is ours.
  • The strongest case against us is that the team is filling up before WWE has built a reason for anyone to fear Team Mexico.

Our view is that CM Punk joining Team USA is the best use of him at Survivor Series. It fits the moment he is in, and it costs WWE nothing it needs elsewhere.

The facts first

Punk lost twice in the days before Raw. Kevin Owens beat him in a No Holds Barred match on the Nov. 6 SmackDown with a chain-wrapped punch. See our SmackDown results. Two days earlier, Grayson Waller kept the NXT Championship over him on NXT after a roll-up with a handful of tights. See our NXT results. Punk beat Owens in a street fight at a live event in Bangor, Maine, the same night as SmackDown, per our Bangor results story. On Nov. 7 he said he needs a rematch with Owens. See our Punk story.

On Raw, Punk came out during Rhodes and Rey Mysterio's Survivor Series segment. He addressed his recent losses and said he wants back into the title picture. He said he could beat five men in one night. Rhodes accepted him onto Team USA, per Wrestling Inc and ProWrestling.net. See our Raw results. WWE has not announced the match card, and Team USA's other members have not all been named.

The view

Punk needs a result that is not a rematch. Another Owens match would be a third meeting in about a week, after SmackDown and Bangor. A team match puts him on the same side as Rhodes, who just won the Last Man Standing match at Crown Jewel, and gives him a win to chase that does not depend on Owens. It also keeps the Owens story alive without spending it.

The Rhodes pairing is easy to read. They hugged on Raw and hit the Judgment Day's Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh with a GTS and Cross Rhodes. Fans do not need an explanation for why two top stars share a side against a common target. Survivor Series is the show where that kind of team-up is expected.

The best case against us

The team may be getting built from the front. Rhodes has Punk, and he has offered Je'Von Evans a spot, while Mysterio has Penta. WWE has not said who else is on either side or why Team Mexico should look dangerous, and a five-on-five match works best when the other side feels like a threat. Punk's rematch demand with Owens is also unfinished, and putting him in a team match could leave it hanging.

Our answer is that the rematch is not going anywhere. If WWE wants it, it can run on SmackDown, where Punk is listed for Nov. 13 in Fort Lauderdale, per our Punk story. A team spot does not close that door.

What to watch

Who completes Team USA and Team Mexico, and whether Owens appears on SmackDown on Friday, Nov. 13. We will say so if the team build leaves Punk with nothing to do.

How we know

Source: our own results stories for Raw (Nov. 9), SmackDown (Nov. 6), NXT (Nov. 4) and Bangor (Nov. 6), which cite Wrestling Inc, ProWrestling.net, Fightful, WWE.com, WrestlingHeadlines and Ringside News. The argument is ours.

CM PunkCody RhodesSurvivor SeriesTeam USARey Mysterioopinion

Sources

How we credit sources: Editorial standards.

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