What's Your Story? with Steph McMahon
Raw Recap - Finn Bálor assaults CM Punk during Punk’s match with AJ Styes: Raw Recap, Jan. 26, 2026
27 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What happened during CM Punk's match with AJ Styles?
Oh, what a time coming off of a Monday Night Raw that exists in this climate where so many of us here stateside and in Canada, where the WWE was tonight, are getting bombarded with snow. We use that as an opportunity to bring to you the most high-tech episode of Raw Recap. Honestly, in the history of podcasting, it's tonight for the first time ever.
We bring you the Raw Recap from three different locations all at the same time. This is a WrestleMania 2 level episode of Raw Recap. Of course, I am Sam Roberts. I'll be here in the Not Sam basement in an undisclosed location.
Megan Morant is here in an incredible living room in an undisclosed location and in yet a third undisclosed location with some of the most gorgeous wallpaper man has ever seen. Big E is here on the Raw Recap. Welcome, guys.
What's going on, Big E? I love that peel and stick, baby. Looks good.
Thank you very much. I did not do the work myself, but it's pretty.
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Chapter 2: How did Finn Bálor's assault impact the match outcome?
It's pretty.
Yeah. That's all it looks. As long as you look good in front of it, it doesn't matter who did the work.
Thank you.
Thank you, sir. That's how I've always said. Megan, are you surviving? You don't have a lot of snow near you, I would imagine. No, no, no. Northern California has been spared. That's great. That's great. Megan, Connecticut, not so lucky?
Oh, you just disclosed my location.
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Chapter 3: What are the implications of AJ Styles' potential retirement?
No, Connecticut's one of the big states. I didn't say.
Big state.
Big state. One of the biggest.
Yeah, we're surviving over here. Look, I mean, it was a different night. It was very bizarre not watching Monday Night Raw with you. We've done so every single week for countless amount of weeks. That is right. I did not expect to see a World Heavyweight Championship match tonight.
Okay. Yeah, we have to talk about this, okay, because you're right. I did not expect to see a world heavyweight title match on Raw myself, especially CM Punk versus AJ Styles. To me, this is one of the conversations that I heard a lot.
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Chapter 4: What issues are ongoing between Raquel Rodriguez and Stephanie Vaquer?
When AJ Styles put that stip up, when he announced that he would accept Gunther's challenge, he would put his career on the line in this match against Gunther. And the what if conversation started immediately. Because when you're talking about Gunther, there's a pretty good chance that he's going to win. And if he's going to win, AJ Styles is done one month before
into the year that he said was going to be his last year in professional wrestling. And one of the matches that people kept bringing up, either in the sense that like, oh, wouldn't it suck if we didn't get, or no, AJ can't actually retire at the Rumble because we haven't gotten with CM Punk versus AJ Styles. That was the match that I heard.
And when this match gets made out of nowhere, at first I go, oh, number one contender. That's going to be an interesting wrinkle because as you're watching Gunther and AJ, you know, on the other side of this, there is some, there's some light for AJ Styles. If he can get through this, he's the number one contender.
When Punk turns it on its head and goes, no, no, no, we're going to do the championship match tonight. I got a text from this Morant lady immediately. Oh, my God! We're getting a title match tonight? AJ's going to get the title.
Chapter 5: Who are the participants announced for the Royal Rumble?
AJ's going to get the title. And I've got to tell you, I feel like a fool. Because, Megan, you were there last week. E, I'm sure you were listening. We said, oh, Finn Balor, he reminded us. Finn Balor, he's got to be a hero again. He's got to be the old Finn Balor. It's just the best having the old Finn Balor back. And of all the things to ruin...
For Finn Balor to ruin, you want to be a bad guy, to ruin AJ Styles versus CM Punk and to give us that as a finish, I mean, it destroyed. It destroyed the whole buildup of the night.
Yeah, I was like, oh my gosh, we're gonna have AJ Styles as your new World Heavyweight Champion, and then we're gonna have maybe CM Punk, he enters the Royal Rumble, and then what could possibly happen? Like, my brain was going a million different directions trying to figure out what's gonna happen Saturday at the Royal Rumble, and meanwhile, Finn Balor
just surprises all of us after backstage earlier in the night, we saw him, you know, recognizing CM Punk and having that interaction. But shortly after that, we also saw him with Liv Morgan.
Chapter 6: What led to Finn Bálor's unexpected actions during Raw?
He got me, he got me. I was so excited for this new turn, a new Finn Balor getting to be, and I think of him as a peer of a CM Punk, of an AJ Styles. Those guys, they really changed the game. What they did on the indies really helped shape what wrestling looked like in WWE for years to come.
And the thought of Finn breaking from the Judgment Day, carving out his own path, making a world title run as a beloved, you know, even just getting to see glimpses of his old entrance the week prior and, and seeing the way the fans in Ireland took to him. Like that was such a beautiful moment. And I thought for a split second, we were going to get that Finn Balor again. And we were robbed.
We were all robbed. Yeah. Yeah.
Not only were we robbed of getting that Finn Balor, but that Finn Balor robs us of that Finn Balor. And then also robs us in a real finish of,
to this CM Punk AJ Styles match you know like in one fell swoop we're sitting there going on two levels and E I'm sure you were right there with me going like oh this is great like looking forward we're either gonna get CM Punk and this great title retaining moment or like Megan you just said AJ Styles walking into the rumble now is champion and now we're sitting there like is Gunther gonna be the world champion is he gonna retire AJ Styles and get the belt is he not
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Chapter 7: How did the hosts react to the events of Raw?
going to be able to retire AJ Styles now somebody wins the rumble and fights AJ Styles and maybe Finn Balor will do this and he's going to be a good guy now and this is going to happen and like everything that you were just excited for just poof went up in a cloud of smoke at the end of the show
Splashed in front of your eyes in mere moments. And it was funny because, you know, during the AJ-CM Punk match, I was thinking a lot about that Finn Balor-CM Punk match that we talked about, Sam, on the show last week. And we were talking about how Punk, he always just seems to capitalize on one moment. And that's really been...
the story of cm punk's title reign and i was just so intently watching waiting for this moment that cm punk was going to be able to take advantage of aj's towels and and hit the go to sleep and retain his title and out of nowhere like finn ballard just i did not see it coming all throughout the night it complete me it completely threw me for a surprise
And I need to know the motivation. Like, why? Why are we doing this? Because Punk was cordial to you? Because he raised your hand last week? Because he suggested that maybe breaking away from the Judgment Day could be really great for your career? He gave you his flowers? I want... Give me the reason, Finn.
Chapter 8: What predictions are made for the Royal Rumble winners?
I need to know the reason because you disrupted an incredible match. Maybe the last time we ever see CM Punk and AJ Styles in a ring together. And to be robbed of that finish, I need to know the reason. Give me the reasons. What are the reasons? And interestingly, too, you know, I was waiting to see if Finn would go back and attack AJ, what his motivations were, if it was both of them.
But he was really laser focused on Punk. And it seems like this feud with Punk is just beginning between him and Balor.
Well, a couple of things to what you just said, E. Number one, you're right. If that was the last Raw, and by the way, we could talk about this, but AJ Styles looked particularly emotional starting that match. He looked like one of those, I'm soaking this in now. Because this might be the last one on a Monday night. That's what it looked like.
Not like a wrestler telling a story, but like a man soaking it in and going like, this is my moment. And these are all details that we're going to be paying attention to when you've got a stipulation like you've got in the match with Gunther.
And really over the last seven days, that thought of this could be the last for AJ Styles has really started to feel like more of a real possibility, especially after Saturday night's main event and that match against Shinsuke Nakamura, both of the entrances.
Just the way the match played out tonight, getting the match against CM Punk, it really has me questioning, oh my gosh, is AJ Styles' career going to be ended by Gunter? at the Royal Rumble. And when he's making his entrance, you're thinking like, shoot, this could be AJ's last Raw ever.
And I will say the one thing I respect, if this is it, we're not seeing a diminished version of AJ Styles. We never saw a diminished version of it. I don't even think he missed a beat a little bit. There was some discussion with Cena and his run, whether he still had it at some point, still put on great matches. But you started to wonder if he wasn't quite the same Super Cena we were used to.
I haven't had that question once with AJ. I've seen someone who, you know, I've had a chance to talk to him about, you know, about this being the last year in the locker room. And he's someone who takes so much pride in his work. He is someone who refuses. He doesn't ever want fans to see even a slightly diminished version of AJ Styles. And the thing is, like, man, he...
He could go into his 50s. I really think so. With the way he takes care of his body, he still has the same athleticism he had when I first was in the ring with him, what, a decade ago? His run is really, truly remarkable. To be at his age in his late 40s and to still be so crisp, man. It'll, if this was indeed his last raw, what a run, what an incredible run.
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