7. CM Punk

Last Month’s Ranking: N/A

Last Month’s Segments: Heading into the Royal Rumble, CM Punk was widely considered the odds-on favorite to win. However, there was no shortage of superstars determined to prevent that from happening. Since his WWE return in late 2023, The Second City Saint has reignited his longstanding rivalry with “The Architect” Seth Rollins, a feud that has spanned over a decade. Their tensions escalated further after Punk defeated Rollins on WWE’s Raw on Netflix debut in January.

In addition to Rollins, Punk also had to contend with Drew McIntyre, who was fixated on avenging his loss to Punk inside Hell in a Cell. More intriguingly, Punk had an undisclosed arrangement with The Wiseman Paul Heyman before Survivor Series in November, which led him to assist The Only Tribal Chief Roman Reigns in his War Games match.

As the Royal Rumble approached, Punk’s in-ring promo with Cody Rhodes on the final Raw before the PLE added yet another layer to his ongoing storylines. With so many narrative threads converging, Punk winning the Rumble seemed like a natural outcome—perhaps even too easy.

Royal Rumble In-Ring Performance: Entering at #24, Punk had a lot to prove. Last year, the former multi-time champion suffered an injury during the match and ultimately finished as the runner-up. This time, he was determined to change the outcome. Upon entering the fray, Punk immediately clashed with Rollins before Drew McIntyre took his turn attacking him. Logan Paul also attempted to ambush Punk but was swiftly taken out with a crisp “Go to Sleep” finisher.

The defining moment of Punk’s performance came when he shockingly eliminated both Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns simultaneously—a feat that few could accomplish. However, his Rumble run came to an abrupt end when he was eliminated by Logan Paul. The chaos didn’t stop there, as all hell broke loose outside the ring. Punk and Rollins continued brawling at ringside before being forcibly separated by a swarm of WWE officials.

Although Punk didn’t win the match, his elimination of Reigns and Rollins set the stage for something even bigger. His story—especially with The Tribal Chief—is just beginning.