WWE Rumors on CM Punk's Off-Script Promo, The Bloodline; Bad Bunny Claims GOAT Status

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Punk Reportedly Went Off Script with Raw Promo

CM Punk reportedly went off the cuff with some of his comments during his promo during Monday night's episode of Raw.

In the midst of an interview segment with Jackie Redmond, Punk discussed his entry into the men's Royal Rumble match and said: "You put Hulk Hogan in the Royal Rumble, I'll throw his dusty ass over the top rope, and I'll kill Hulkamania once and for all."

According to Fightful Select (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), the Hogan mention was not part of the script, but Punk did not get any backstage heat for saying it.

Fightful added that rather than anyone backstage having an issue with what Punk said, he actually drew some laughter.

Hogan appeared on the debut episode of Raw on Netflix a few weeks ago, and rather than receiving the raucous cheers he was used to for much of his career, the live crowd in Inglewood, California, heartily booed him.

The reaction was likely due to a mixture of racist comments he made several years ago, as well as his outspokenness during the latest United States presidential election.

Given the awkwardness of Hogan's segment, WrestleVotes reported on Backstage Pass (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News) that fans "may not see" Hogan make many live appearances moving forward.

There has been no indication that WWE plans on utilizing the 71-year-old Hogan as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match, and it seems unlikely that it could happen even if WWE wanted it since Hogan has undergone numerous back surgeries over the years.

Punk seemingly has more freedom on the mic than most, and it stands to reason that his Hogan comment was simply meant to evoke a reaction from the crowd.

It did precisely that, and perhaps got Punk even more fan support in the process leading up to the Royal Rumble premium live event on Feb. 1.

Sikoa's Bloodline to Reportedly Undergo Change

Solo Sikoa took control of The Bloodline after Roman Reigns lost the WWE Championship to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40 and it molded it into his own vision, but after a major recent loss, Sikoa's group is reportedly moving in a new direction.

According to WrestleVotes on Backstage Pass (h/t Mukherjee), WWE is "moving away" from Sikoa's stable being referred to as The Bloodline.

After WrestleMania 40, Solo kicked Jimmy Uso and Paul Heyman out of The Bloodline, eventually replacing them with Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa and Jacob Fatu.

Solo wore the Ula Fala and claimed he was the new Tribal Chief, which led to a rivalry with Reigns once Roman returned to the fold at SummerSlam.

Reigns' teamed with Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn and CM Punk to beat Solo's new Bloodline in a WarGames match at Survivor Series, which led to Tribal Combat between Reigns and Sikoa to determine the true Tribal Chief.

Reigns beat Sikoa on the debut episode of Raw on Netflix, and The Rock bestowed the Ula Fala onto Reigns.

Sikoa and his group have continued to make appearances on WWE programming since then, but he has not been called the Tribal Chief, and the announce team has seemingly avoided calling them The Bloodline.

It isn't yet clear if WWE intends on coming up with a new name for the quartet of Sikoa, Tama, Loa and Fatu, but that could potentially be in the cards.

The bigger question relates to what is next for Sikoa and Co. leading up to the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 41 now that The Bloodline is behind them.

Bad Bunny Calls Himself Best Celebrity Wrestler

Confidence is paramount in the world of professional wrestling, and despite his lack of experience, Bad Bunny has it in spades.

During an appearance this week on Hot Ones, Bad Bunny said it was a "fact" when interviewer Sean Evans called him the best celebrity wrestler of all time:

The world-famous musician is a longtime wrestling fan, and he first tried his hand at sports entertainment in 2021 when he teamed with Damian Priest to beat The Miz and John Morrison at WrestleMania 37.

Bad Bunny went on to compete in the 2022 men's Royal Rumble match as a surprise entrant, but his most notable match came in 2023.

At Backlash in his home country of Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny faced Priest in a street fight, and it ended up being not only the most entertaining match of the night, but one of the most entertaining matches of the entire year.

Bad Bunny of course benefited from working with a seasoned veteran like Priest, but he deserved plenty of credit in his own right for putting on such a strong performance in his first one-on-one bout.

While it is now trending toward two years since Bad Bunny last wrestled, his return may be on the horizon.

Earlier this month, Bad Bunny told Julyssa Lopez of Rolling Stone (h/t Mukherjee) that he wanted to get back in the ring, saying:

"I want to do it one more time. I want to put my life at risk in the ring. I felt like I didn't risk it enough in the ring, and I want to do it. I want to scare my mother When? I don't know. We stay in contact with the people at WWE, we're always paying attention to what's going on. But when, I don't know. I hope there's a time where I can really get ready, like I did the last few times. And I'd love to take more time to get ready physically."

Shortly thereafter, WWE head of creative Triple H tagged Bad Bunny in a post on X, writing: "Congrats on the new album. ... After listening, I can see it clearly, new tracks echo through the stadium while you make your way down that aisle to the ring. EPIC! Talk soon!"

WWE has never shied away from utilizing celebrities, and when they show have a love and ability for the business, the company will go back to them on multiple occasions.

That has been the case with Logan Paul, and Bad Bunny seems to have put himself in the same category.

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