On the latest episode of WWE Raw, World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk laid out his plans for the Road to WrestleMania and confirmed his next title defense, setting the stage for a major showdown next week.

Punk opened the segment by making it clear that he has no intention of giving up the World Heavyweight Championship anytime soon. He said the road to WrestleMania runs straight through him and pointed out how quickly plans can change in WWE, referencing how unexpected shifts have happened to others in the past. Fresh off his recent battle with Bron Breakker, Punk said he is ready to move forward as a fighting champion, whether that path includes the Royal Rumble or Elimination Chamber.

The champion was soon interrupted by Finn Balor, who said he had no interest in waiting around for premium live events to chase gold. Balor reminded Punk that his name had already been mentioned as a potential challenger and said he was there to take him up on that offer.

Punk fired back by questioning where Balor had been for the past two months. He accused Balor of being distracted rather than focused on competition, taking shots at his time spent playing video games, dealing with Judgment Day drama, and even joking that he had been shining Liv Morgan’s boots. Punk also raised doubts about whether any match with Balor would truly be one on one or if Judgment Day would get involved. Even so, Punk said he was ready to fight right then and started to head off to gear up.

Balor shut that down and instead proposed a title match for next week’s Raw in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He claimed home field advantage, comparing it to Punk’s edge whenever he competes in Chicago. Labeling the bout Punk vs The Prince, Balor confidently predicted the crowning of a new Irish World Champion.

Punk accepted the challenge. He apologized to the crowd for not wrestling that night but promised he would make it up to the fans in Belfast, saying he would apologise again next week after putting Balor away with the GTS.

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