WWE Raw results, recap, grades: CM Punk and Cody Rhodes exchange words ahead of the Royal Rumble

Punk and Rhodes shared both respect and insults as tension mounted ahead of the Rumble

With the 2024 Royal Rumble less than a week away, WWE used Raw on Monday night to put the focus on their second-biggest event of the year. That included putting CM Punk and Cody Rhodes in the ring and giving both men microphones.

Punk and Rhodes came face-to-face on Raw, cutting promos that both complimented and took shots at the other man. The tension nearly built to the two coming to blows, but cooler heads eventually prevailed.

The other big news coming out of Raw featured world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins confirming recent reports that he'd suffered a knee injury against Jinder Mahal. Despite the injury, which will require surgery, Rollins vowed that he would carry his title into WrestleMania.

CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Smoothie King Arena in New Orleans.

Cody Rhodes and CM Punk come face-to-face

The much-hyped face-to-face between Rhodes and Punk kicked off with Punk telling Rhodes he hopes they're still friends come Sunday morning, but that they should enjoy the moment they were sharing. Punk then shared a story of Rhodes' father, the legendary Dusty Rhodes, asking Punk to look out for Cody when he came to Ohio Valley Wrestling. Despite his pride, Punk said, he would still have to handle Rhodes in the Royal Rumble.

Rhodes echoed the same sentiment, appreciating Punk's time when he was getting started but echoing that there are no "friends" in the Royal Rumble. Punk then talked about how they come from vastly different upbringings, Rhodes being the son of a wrestling legend and Punk being the son of an electrician, which makes him more of an "American Dream" than Rhodes. Rhodes then called out Punk for his famous "pipe bomb" promo and then leaving without passing the torch but instead dropping it on his way out. Rhodes said he picked up the torch and ran with it, following through on Punk's words, which makes Rhodes "more CM Punk" than Punk himself. The two traded a few more words before Rhodes bumped Punk's shoulder on the way out of the ring, leading to a brief staredown.

Shockingly, when you put the two best promos in the company in the ring and tell them to talk, it goes well. Both men delivered great lines. Both men made valid points. And both men came out of the segment looking strong and only boosted any potential interactions in the Rumble. This was good work all around. Grade: A

Seth Rollins confirms injury, says he intends to defend title at WrestleMania

Seth Rollins opened WWE Raw on Monday night by coming to the ring to address his future after reports that he'd suffered a knee injury the previous Monday in a match with Jinder Mahal. 

Rollins said it was after his match with Mahal, when he sat down in the locker room and said that he knew then he might be out for a long time, and that it had become a real possibility he may miss WrestleMania. Rollins then explained that an MRI revealed a grade two tear of his MCL and a partially torn meniscus, which the doctors told him meant three-to-four months on the shelf.

As Rollins said that he was taking things day-by-day and week-by-week, Imperium's music hit and Gunther made his way to the ring with Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci. After some compliments, many backhanded, Rollins interrupted and said that Gunther didn't allow him to finish and that no matter how hard he has to work and rehab, he will take the title to WrestleMania and walk out still world heavyweight champion. Gunther said that Rollins is doing the exact same thing he would, but that he'll win the Royal Rumble and take Rollins out at WrestleMania and will target his knee and back to get what he wants.

Rollins deciding to push through his injury to wrestle at WrestleMania makes sense when you know the kind of guy he has always been. Driven to the extreme, Rollins will do what he feels he has to do in order to cap off his title reign, especially after that reign involved so much talk about being a fighting champion who never backs down, even in the face of injury. Tying Gunther in was a nice touch as it added another "big player" for the Rumble into the overall story. Grade: B

What else happened on WWE Raw?

• The New Day vs. Imperium ended in a double countout. New Day jumped Imperium after the opening segment featuring Rollins and Gunther, getting the match going immediately. Things eventually broke down with the action spilling from the ring and all four men brawling until the referee's count reached 10. The brawl continued around ringside and in the crowd before all four men crashed from equipment cases through a table. Kofi Kingston later announced that he would challenge for Gunther's intercontinental championship next Monday.
• Ivy Nile def. Valhalla via pinfall with a Pitbull. Nikki Cross was shown pacing at the top of the entrance ramp during the match, though it was not acknowledged by the commentary team.
• Becky Lynch, Nia Jax and Bayley brawled after each woman cut a promo about winning the Royal Rumble. This ended with Jax throwing Lynch over the top rope and dropping a leg on Bayley.
• Dominik Mysterio def. The Miz via pinfall. After the match, Mysterio, JD McDonagh and Finn Balor continued the attack on Miz until DIY ran in to make the save.
• Drew McIntyre def. Damian Priest via pinfall with a Claymore. The main event ended when R-Truth came to ringside in another misguided attempt to help Judgment Day, leading to enough distraction to allow McIntyre to hit the Claymore and win the match.