WWE got people talking when they announced that CM Punk would be part of the NXT premiere on The CW, but tonight he revealed exactly what his role would be during the big event. Punk actually tried to announce it earlier in the episode, but he was interrupted by Roxanne Perez and ended up in the middle of a fight between her and Giulia. Later he would appear again, this time after the match between Trick Williams and Ethan Page for the NXT Championship was made official. Punk finally got to make his announcement in full, revealing that he would be the special referee for the match, a match that would define the direction for NXT moving forward.
Second Time’s a Charm
After Tyrese Haliburton got Williams and Page to come out and agree to the match, he had one more thing to share. Punk’s music hit and he came out and finished his announcement that was interrupted by Roxanne Perez. Punk said a match this big wasn’t just about the NXT Title, but would decide the direction that the brand goes in next.
Punk said a match that big doesn’t deserve, but it needs something special. The crowd started chanting referee, and Punk said he agreed that the match needed a special guest referee. Punk then revealed that he would be the special referee of their NXT Championship match during the CW Premiere. Then he said since he’s the official, they can just start fighting right now, which they did immediately. The brawl was broken up by officials, butPunk was quite happy with the chaos.
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Roxy’s Not a Fan
Punk tried to make this announcement earlier in the night, and he was warmly greeted by the crowd. Punk said that he’s been in NXT at several points, but he’s never had a chance to be in the ring in front of the crowd like this, and then went on to talk about the superstars of today and tomorrow being forged in NXT, highlighting Lexis King, Carmelo Hayes, Ethan Page, and Bron Breakker. He then brought up Je’Von Evans before transitioning to his announcement, but Roxanne Perez had some things to say to Punk before he could get to it.
Perez said that 13-year-old her would be freaking out right now as she shares the ring with the best in the world and her fave wrestler of all time. She said she looked up to him and followed in his footsteps, the voice of the voiceless, and while she did give him credit for being her voice, she added “I always did prefer your wife.” Perez then brought up how excited she was about his return at Survivor Series, but then she shifted gears.
Perez said “10 years of me impatiently waiting for you to come back, and now you’re finally here. I just wanted to tell you, I finally realized I should have been a Drew McIntyre fan. And I know why you’re here. I know exactly why you want to show up in Chicago, and that’s because you want one final moment of glory before Drew ends your career at Hell in a Cell. Just stay home with Larry, I don’t want you there, I don’t need you there. Because, when I beat Giulia, Chiago’s not going to be your town anymore, it’s going to be mine. You need to realize that this isn’t about you. This isn’t about Giulia. It’s about one person and one person only, and that’s me.”
Punk was pretty entertained overall, and wasn’t upset that she interrupted his big announcement. “Well you’re certainly on your way to being hated, aren’t you? I think you assume I’m upset that you stepped on my big announcement. The balls on Roxanne. I love it kid. Maximieze your minutes. If anybody can appreciate an overconfident champion, it’s me. And that chip on your shoulder, man I used to have one just like it. It was actually the size of you. That chip is what made me the best in the world. This chip is what makes you the best, maybe not just in NXT, maybe in WWE. Because ladies and gentlemen, I was in Portland last night, watched Bianca and Iyo Sky tear the house down, and I was thinking you know who would fit in? Roxanne. You know who might be better than these two women, Roxanne? None of that’s going to matter when you get your ass handed to you by Giulia.
That was Giulia’s cue, and the challenger came out to the ring. Giulia said, “Roxanne, the countdown is on. You have two weeks left.” Perez tried to attack Giulia but Punk broke it up, and it seems he has certainly picked a side.
Are you excited for Punk being the special referee? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!
