Raw recap & reactions (Mar. 2, 2026): Roman Reigns and CM Punk battle rap

One thing I don’t like about modern promos is they often devolve into rap battles. For those unfamiliar, it’s when two people go back and forth with the hopes of getting ooohs and ahhhs from the crowd. It’s less about telling a story or painting a picture than it is about getting off a hot line that will etch itself in minds. That’s what Roman Reigns and CM Punk’s latest “face to face” felt like. After their incredible initial meeting that told a story of hatred, envy, arrogance, and revealed so much about both men, this one felt…usual. It didn’t reveal anything new and sounded like a typical war of words between the rather than atypical. It wasn’t special.

Now, that doesn’t mean it didn’t get personal. Punk did say he’d bury Roman next to his father, which is a hell of a thing to say to anyone, scripted or otherwise. I didn’t think it was below the belt as pretty much nothing is off limits in pro wrestling; it’s basic graps. But that’s the rap battle aspect I mentioned a few sentences ago. It’s a cold line that elicited a response from the crowd and some awesome wordless acting from Roman, but it came at the end of what felt standard. Roman did the thing he usually does, sans Punk, where he talks about how much he runs the company. The company needs him on top and Punk is plan B. Everyone hates Punk, they think he’s a liar, he’s untrustworthy, and this is his last ride. Oh, and he threw in a couple “punk ass bitch” lines for good measure. Roman delivered it well but, again, it felt like old hat. Actually? It felt beneath them.

I did like the emotion Punk showed when he stopped Roman from leaving the ring. That showed Roman hit a nerve. I also cackled at “Samoan goblins” because of course I did.

But Punk also hit notes he hit the first time, most notably about Roman not being able to get anything done when solo. He only did it with more volume this time. Neither man was verbally loss or did anything outright objectionable, but it just didn’t land as hard for me as the first time. Part of the problem is Roman’s schedule puts so much weight on one interaction. There’s only but so much development they can accomplish with one meeting whenever Roman’s schedule allows for it. That’s way too much for these segments to carry on their shoulders, especially when it’s just one interaction.

I know their time together will ramp up the closer we get to WrestleMania. I also know I’m asking a lot of two guys who are capable of even more than that. I didn’t dislike the segment but it didn’t reach the level I expected. That’s a me problem.

This was a killer episode of Raw heading into the home stretch for Mania. My conflicted feelings on the ending aside, everything hummed the opening moments.

What say you, Cagesiders? And what do you think happened to Paul Heyman?!