BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND – JANUARY 19: World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk makes his entrance during Monday Night RAW at The SSE Arena Belfast on January 19, 2026 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Andrew Timms/WWE via Getty Images)
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With Saturday Night’s Main Event now in the rearview mirror, WWE has a quick turnaround to reach the Royal Rumble on Saturday, Jan. 31. The build has felt oddly subdued for much of the month, largely because the focus shifted toward promoting the quarterly Peacock special instead. That is atypical for this time of year, though the Royal Rumble is one of the rare events that largely promotes itself.
That brings us to the Jan. 26 episode of WWE Raw, which served as one of the final stops on the road to the over-the-top-rope matches, as well as the potential retirement of AJ Styles, who is set to face Gunther at the Royal Rumble. The episode also featured the return of Bron Breakker and a six-woman tag team match pitting Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, and Stephanie Vaquer against Raquel Rodriguez, Liv Morgan, and Roxanne Perez.
So, what went down in Toronto? Let’s dive in.
Finn Balor’s Persona Keeps Swaying
On a night that was very much shaped around CM Punk, Finn Balor acknowledged that he did not fully accept Punk giving him his flowers after coming up short in his World Heavyweight Championship match last Monday.
Punk’s response felt less like encouragement and more like a challenge. He told Balor to seriously consider the legacy he wants to leave behind, suggesting that whatever comes next may require stepping away from Judgment Day. Punk then put it plainly: win the Royal Rumble and take control of the rest from there.
Not long after, Liv Morgan questioned Balor’s approach with Punk, which helped spark the chaos that closed the show. That sequence appeared to pull the former Bullet Club leader back into a more aggressive, desperate heel role. Maybe that shift is temporary, meant to satisfy Morgan, but it feels like a missed opportunity. A babyface Balor run would have been far more interesting, especially since it has been a long time since he last occupied that role.
Even if it was amplified by being on home turf last week, the crowd reaction suggested something fresh was there. Balor back in the main event picture is a positive development, but if this path keeps him firmly heel, it risks feeling a bit stale.
AJ Styles Gets Perhaps His Final World Title Shot
For all of their shared history, AJ Styles and CM Punk have largely missed each other for nearly 20 years. Outside of a brief overlap in Ring of Honor in 2004, the matchup never happened, despite Punk’s runs in WWE and AEW and Styles’ defining stretches in TNA, NJPW, and eventually a decade-long run in WWE. Even after sharing a locker room for more than two years, the window somehow never opened.
That context made Styles’ appearance on Raw feel heavier than it might have otherwise. Coming off his match with Shinsuke Nakamura at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Styles spoke as someone trying to convince both himself and the audience that 2026 could still be the year of AJ Styles. That confidence was undercut, however, by Nakamura’s post-show tweet, which strongly suggested the Royal Rumble may be the point where Styles calls it a career, unless it was all a swerve. We’ll see.
Styles made it clear he wants one last world title reign, which brought out Punk, whose response felt less like a challenge and more like a reality check. He questioned why Styles would put his career on the line against Gunther, pointing out that there is still time left to make moments. He also openly wondered whether Styles can even defeat Gunther at the Royal Rumble.
That naturally led to the larger question hanging over the segment: what happens if Styles loses, and whether that would mean the two never get the chance to face each other. Styles tried to keep control of the situation by suggesting he would become the No. 1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship if he defeated Punk that night. Punk, however, escalated things by insisting on putting the championship on the line instead.
Historically, WWE has not been afraid to move world titles to raise the stakes ahead of major events. The WWE Championship changing hands from Jinder Mahal to Styles ahead of Survivor Series 2017, or Goldberg defeating Kevin Owens before WrestleMania 33, are clear examples, even if they came under a different regime. This time, though, WWE resisted that move.
Punk and Styles had a very good match, but it ultimately ended in a disqualification, courtesy of Finn Balor. It was a familiar WWE finish when the goal is to protect both men, and it served more to position Styles for what could be one final world title opportunity than to provide closure. It also gave fans a matchup they had not seen since the Bush administration.
As it stands, Styles may have one last match left to fulfill in WWE. Maybe he wrestles again elsewhere down the line, but Saturday could very well be the final time he steps into a WWE ring.
Meanwhile, Punk and Balor now appear headed toward a rematch. Whether that happens on Raw or is saved for Elimination Chamber remains to be seen, but establishing that rivalry during WrestleMania season is notable, and something worth keeping an eye on.
What’s The Endgame For Adam Pearce And The Vision?
WWE has been building tension between Raw general manager Adam Pearce and The Vision for months. He received a call last week from… someone who influenced him enough this week to apologize, lift Bron Breakker’s suspension, place all four members of The Vision in the Royal Rumble, give Austin Theory a retribution match against Rey Mysterio, and not call for security when The Vision interfered in the match and ambushed Dragon Lee and Penta afterward.
Pearce acted fine and normal otherwise backstage.
It’s hard to know where this goes right now. It doesn’t appear like Breakker is the favorite to win the Royal Rumble, for now, and Theory, Logan Paul and Bronson Reed aren’t being positioned for something major at WrestleMania, for now.
There’s also the looming presence of Brock Lesnar, who hasn’t been seen since Survivor Series and figures to play a part over the next few months. Perhaps that’s who was behind the scenes making this call to Pearce?
It’s hard to know where this goes for now besides a sustained push for Breakker. Maybe it leads to the reintroduction of Seth Rollins, but as of now, there’s been no new reports on when he’s coming back to the ring, and it might be too soon from the shoulder injury he suffered in October.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/robwolkenbrod/2026/01/26/wwe-raw-results-jan-26-2026-takeaways-from-toronto/
