CM Punk and Cody Rhodes' interaction on SmackDown could have implications on the Royal Rumble, feels wrestling veteran (Exclusive)

Veteran wrestling journalist Bill Apter shared his thoughts on the CM Punk-Cody Rhodes backstage segment on SmackDown.

After a stellar promo, Punk was seen backstage on SmackDown. In fact, he met fellow former AEW star Cody Rhodes. The American Nightmare told Punk that if he wanted to face Roman Reigns, he needed to win the Royal Rumble.

This week on Smack Talk, Apter stated that the backstage interaction added more color to CM Punk's SmackDown appearance. He pointed out the promo was good but went on pretty long.

"I wasn't sure where CM Punk was going with this promo after a while. It seemed to go on and on, quite a bit. He mentioned a lot of names, he was very friendly toward the audience... I don't know how much time he did tonight. I was looking at it as there was just a lot of talk, there weren't any points, until, he and Cody, which I loved that moment, were together in the dressing room."

Bill Apter also mentioned that it was an interesting dynamic to see the two former AEW stars together on WWE TV.

"They haven't been together on camera since the AEW days. And Cody talked to Punk, 'If you want Roman Reigns, you're gonna have to win the Royal Rumble.' I think putting Cody and Punk, declaring, he hasn't yet, to be in the Royal Rumble is gonna really amp the Royal Rumble feelings up here. It does for me." [From 10:40 onwards]

You can watch the full video here:

With the Royal Rumble just a few weeks away it will be interesting to see if CM Punk and Cody Rhodes cross paths at the event.

What did you think of Punk's appearance on SmackDown? Let us know in the comments section below.

You can catch the full results of SmackDown here.

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