WWE Raw video highlights: CM Punk & Drew McIntyre confrontation

In his first WWE appearance of 2024, CM Punk got into a promo battle with Drew McIntyre.

A face-to-face confrontation between Punk and McIntyre took place on Raw last night. Punk and McIntyre both have the same goal in mind: winning the Royal Rumble and going on to main event WrestleMania. It looks like they'll need to go through each other to get there. Punk and McIntyre both vowed to eliminate the other in the Rumble.

One week after failing to win the World Heavyweight Championship from Seth Rollins, McIntyre kicked off Raw last night. McIntyre didn't take the blame for his loss to Rollins, instead blaming Damian Priest for trying to cash in during the match.

McIntyre mentioned Punk during the promo and took a shot at him, saying that maybe he should leave WWE for nine years and then come back to a hero's reception like Punk did.

That brought out Punk, who warned McIntyre that, if he had something to say to him, McIntyre should say it to his face.

McIntyre said he doesn't care about the anti-WWE comments that Punk made while Punk was gone from the company. What McIntyre cares about is how Punk has treated him personally. He saw the real CM Punk when Punk was in WWE the first time. McIntyre claimed that Punk would call himself WWE's locker room leader. But when McIntyre was in a dark place and needed a leader, Punk saw him as a threat instead of helping him.

"I've spoke to Randy Orton about this before, and I understand that Randy couldn't have helped me because he had his own demons," McIntyre said. "You're straight edge. You don't have any demons. You are a demon."

McIntyre said that, when he got fired from WWE in 2014, he figured things out himself and didn't need a leader. McIntyre said he's Punk's leader now.

Punk refuted McIntyre's claim that he ever called himself a leader. Punk said he always led by example. Punk did admit that he is trying to follow McIntyre's path by coming back to WWE better than ever, winning the Royal Rumble, and headlining WrestleMania.

"And as far as being a demon, I'm not a demon. When pushed, I'm Satan himself," Punk said. "And if you were one of the people that saw that side of CM Punk, that says way more about you and where you are in your little dark places than it does about me. Because I'm a real, real nice guy -- until it's time not to be. And it looks like it's getting to be that time. I am not here to be a nice guy. I am not here to make friends. I'm here to win the Royal Rumble and main event WrestleMania."

McIntyre said that, when he headlined WrestleMania in 2020, he did it because WWE needed someone to step up. This time, he's doing it for himself.

Punk and McIntyre each vowed that nothing will stop them from winning the Royal Rumble.

More coverage from last night --

• Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic matches announced for WWE NXT
• World title match, Gunther return set for next WWE Raw
• Giovanni Vinci out 'a number of weeks' following WWE Raw injury
• Drew McIntyre declares for WWE Royal Rumble
• WWE Raw live results: CM Punk appears

WWE Raw video highlights --

CM Punk & Drew McIntyre confrontation