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I've only checked in via social, but I think they've already announced this. As far as I understand it it's Bucks/Okada/Jungle Boy v FTR/Kingston/Bryan. Slightly disappointed we don't have more AEW originals in the babyface team.

Horrible flashbacks to Edge turning up to a Manchester Arena show in a Man Utd shirt, completely failing to understand British football dynamics and just getting booed out of the arena. As a babyface.

Yeah, I think all roads lead to heel for him. Or they should. As to him leaving or blowing out, I don't see it. I think his time in AEW reignited his love for wrestling, even if he didn't get on with the environment/people, and this is the actual last chance saloon. I reckon he'll be on best behaviour until he either chooses to leave or his body gives up. I'm probably coming across very negative, but i'm actually - still - a big Punk fan. I just think he needs to a) tweak his act to avoid it being a greatest hits tour and b) either turn heel, or change the way he works, when it comes to guys like Drew who are just big lads without being monsters. The same would be true of Roman, for example, who just seems so much more physically dominant than a Punk figure. He'll be grand with the Cody's and the Rollins' types, he just needs to find a way of working with those big boys.

I think you've touched on the issue that exacerbates their physical differences; Punk doesn't really wrestle like a small guy, or from underneath particularly. His presentation is that of a physical equal, dangerous because of his MMA, and someone who will beat you with his wrestling acumen. That alone presents a challenge, but the fact that he also isn't particularly athletically impressive in the same way as a Danielson or whoever, and suddenly you're stuck with a Greek God type figure in Drew, versus a guy half his size trying to play his equal, without any of the athletic gifts to make that seem plausible. Drew looks like he could throw him out of the arena from the ring.

I don't usually fall for this sort of stuff when it comes to wrestling, and my favourite guys have often been smaller (hi, Daniel Bryan Danielson 👋) - but is anyone else struggling with the physical comparison between Drew and Punk? Drew looks like he'd fucking murder him.

The worst part about last night, was realising that Punk - the guy who made his name off of intuiting what a crowd wants - had no idea his promo was going nowhere or that his joke divebombed, and Pat McAfee - a former football player and current gob for hire - showed himself to be a much more intuitive performer and had to rescue the dead joke for anyone watching at home who either didn't get it or didn't care. Guillotine indeed, Pat. It's a shame because by and large Punk has had a decent return. Not the blockbuster they envisaged I imagine, but he's willing to do anything and everything, seems to be having a good time and has done some good stuff with Drew in particular. But when he does these angry voiced, long, cynical, 2011 shite bomb promos it just feels so out of place. Like watching a mime going down some imaginary stairs despite the fact talkies have been invented. Just... stop, man. Christ, he's this generations Bob Backlund isn't he? A man completely out of time. Not without value, just an anachronism.

Eurgh. Drunk prick.

Whilst I'm sure Dragunov will end up in Imperium after impressing Gunther in a heroic semi-final effort, I hope they resist. I love the idea of Dragunov losing in a belter of a match, and then tormenting Gunther every time Gunther tries to achieve something to force him into a rematch. A proper Gunther v Dragunov feud across the main show could be an absolute belter whilst Gunther waits for someone to be a World Champion he can challenge. Perhaps let Gunther win the King of the Ring first before Ilja starts trying to fuck his life up, can bill it as the Mad King vs the King of the Ring, then. Like two feuding monarchs trying to establish their claim to be the top European on Raw. I'm in.

DM Hunk to the rescue...

Final Testament vs House of Cack in a 'First Pop' match. Raw would need every second of those three hours.

Who's the spooky boy from NXT who looks like he collects Pokemon cards and fingernails? Isn't he meant to be good? Can't he be the leader? Bo Dallas is basically the personification of the word 'sidekick', so if it's going to have any legs at all, they need to bring a new leader in surely?

I'd love to see the data on how many people have scanned the QR codes teasing the return of Bo Diddly and his band of Spooky dickheads. I've not seen one person talking about the content, or theorising about it.

It'll make for a tough Royal Rumble for him one year if they go down that route. How quickly can a man grow tits?

Oh, I forgot. Shitty promo from Punk. Completely lost the crowd halfway through. You could literally see them walking off for a piss. He's in such a weird spot, as people seem to love the idea of him but don't really stick with it when he grabs the mic. It's as if his brand of grievance and snark isn't built for the sunlit uplands of WWE in 2024. I think he needs less mic time and more opportunities to be a cheeky scamp, winding Drew up and only doing short promos. The extended shite bombs are out of date, I think.

I don't know who's idea it was, but they deserve all the money and cuddles for making the backstage environment feel like a live, dynamic, 3 dimensional workplace for 3 dimensional characters. It's the best thing about WWE at the minute. The backstage isn't just for set pieces, if we're going back there, we're getting a peek behind the curtain at how that world works (in kayfabe terms). It's not all setpieces, meticulously set up to only show us what we need to see. I loved Drew leaving, Punk arriving, Punk sending Pearce to put his music on and just casually walking past Chad Gable giving his team a bollocking. It's good stuff.