Punk opened the segment by making it clear he has no plans to relinquish the World Heavyweight Championship anytime soon. He said the road to WrestleMania goes straight through him and reminded fans how quickly things can change in WWE, pointing to past surprises that caught many off guard. Coming off a hard fought battle with Bron Breakker, Punk said he is ready to move forward as a fighting champion, whether that road runs through the Royal Rumble or Elimination Chamber.
Finn Balor soon interrupted, making it clear he was not interested in waiting for a premium check event to chase the title. Balor noted that his name had already been floated as a potential challenger and said he was there to take Punk up on that opportunity.
Punk responded by questioning where Balor had been over the last two months, accusing him of being distracted instead of focused on competition. He took shots at Balor’s time spent playing video games, dealing with Judgment Day issues, and even joked about him shining Liv Morgan’s boots.
Punk also wondered whether a match with Balor would truly be one on one or if Judgment Day would get involved. Despite that, Punk said he was ready to fight immediately and started heading to the back to gear up.
Balor stopped him and instead proposed a World Heavyweight Championship match for next week’s Raw in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He pointed to the advantage of competing in front of his home crowd, comparing it to Punk’s edge whenever he wrestles in Chicago. Branding the matchup Punk versus The Prince, Balor confidently predicted the rise of a new Irish World Champion.
Punk accepted the challenge. He apologized to the crowd for not competing that night but promised to make it up to the fans in Belfast, adding that he would apologize again next week after putting Balor away with the GTS.
