WWE’s two battling Bloodlines came face to face to close out SmackDown, with an ultimatum from Solo Sikoa drawing out Roman Reigns and the original crew. The problem was that with the addition of Bronson Reed to Sikoa’s group, the OG Bloodline was outgunned, and Reigns eliminated some names from contention earlier in the night. After the confrontation, Sikoa’s call for surrender was broken up by the long-awaited return of Paul Heyman, and he had some news to share. That’s because Heyman revealed that it would indeed be five vs five at WarGames, but it wouldn’t be Seth Rollins or Cody Rhodes. Instead, it would be CM Punk joining the OG Bloodline, and a brawl ensued to close SmackDown with a bang.
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After the OG Bloodline headed to the ring, Sikoa pointed out the crew’s obvious shortcomings, saying, “You don’t have a fifth man. You don’t have a wiseman, and you don’t have no choice. So surrender yourself. Join my team or the four of you will die where you stand.
Sikoa handed Reigns the microphone to respond, but he actually never had the chance. That’s because a very familiar voice rang out through the arena, introducing himself as the one and only wiseman Paul Heyman.
“Excuse me, but I’ve been put through a table in Madison Square Garden, so maybe my math is a little off,” Heyman said. “But there’s no way to do WarGames four vs five. That math does not compute to your wiseman. No, no, no, no, no. So it’s not going to be four vs five, it’s going to be five vs. five. That’s when CM Punk’s music hit, shocking the crowd as well as Roman, Jey, Jimmy, and Sami. There wasn’t much time to process it though, as Punk bolted to the ring and immediately jumped into the full-on brawl that began in the ring between both groups.
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Punk went after Bronson Reed, while Reigns and the rest of the group looked to clear out everyone else. After Sikoa’s group was cleared out, Reigns and Punk had a semi-contentious standoff, with Reigns asking why Punk was there. Punk made it clear it was because of Heyman, and Heyman looked incredibly happy with his role in finally bringing these two together in the same ring.
Now the match will happen at WarGames and the teams are set. It will be Team OG Bloodline (Roman, Jey, Jimmy, Sami, and Punk) vs Team New Bloodline (Solo, Jacob, Tama, Tonga, and Bronson), and it should be a truly entertaining battle. Having Punk is far more surprising than bringing in Rollins or Rhodes, but it also makes sense with the Heyman connection, especially with Heyman and Punk’s various interactions with the Bloodline during Roman’s absence after WrestleMania 40.
Whether or not Rollins does end up involved somehow thanks to Reed’s presence remains to be seen, and this could also be an entryway into a fight between Reigns and Punk down the line, but all that’s in the future. For now, this is another thrilling chapter in one of WWE’s greatest sagas, and I can’t wait to see how it plays out next week.
What do you think about bringing Punk into the Bloodline saga? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb and on Bluesky @knightofoa!