The April 1, episode of WWE Raw served as a compelling go-home show before WrestleMania 40 but also had a segment that TNA fans may have found familiar.
Raw saw the Superstars of the red brand try and build momentum ahead of WWE WrestleMania 40. The fifth-annual two-night WrestleMania will kick off on April 6 from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA.
Drew McIntyre’s Funeral for CM Punk
On Monday Night Raw, Drew McIntyre was at a funeral home where he gave a eulogy mocking CM Punk’s ‘dead’ dream of headlining WrestleMania. McIntyre ridiculed Punk as an “out of shape has been” whose “fragile” body failed him in the Royal Rumble match (when Punk got injured) worse than when he was in the UFC. Not done there, McIntyre also gave a eulogy for Seth Rollins title reign that McIntyre hopes to finish at WrestleMania 40.
A Familiar Venue
Funerals in wrestling are not uncommon and fans who watched Raw may have found this segment eerily familiar. As fans on social media pointed out, this funeral home featured on Raw has been used by TNA Wrestling in the past. The same location was used in 2005 when there was a funeral for Team 3-D, known to WWE fans as the Dudley Boyz.
Years later, the same funeral home would be used for a segment in which the Aces & Eights faction was laid to rest.
TNA Involvement in WWE
WWE is host to several ex-TNA names, both on-screen and working behind the scenes. In 2018, Jeremy Borash joined WWE and works with the NXT brand. His official role in the company is as Senior Director of Content and Development and he was specifically chosen to help produce the 2020 Boneyard match between AJ Styles and The Undertaker.
Chris Park also works for WWE after spending years in TNA as Abyss. Park currently serves as a producer and appeared in a segment with fellow TNA alum AJ Styles on SmackDown in August 2020.
