CM Punk wins Undisputed WWE Championship in WWE return

CM Punk made his return to WWE programming and won the undisputed title on Raw against Sami Zayn.

It was supposed to be Sami Zayn defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes on "Monday Night Raw."

But an attack from Gunther to start the show forced Rhodes off the card as he was left bloodied. WWE officials ruled Rhodes out. Zayn thought he was in a clear, but Raw General Manager Adam Pearce made clear to him that he would still be defending the title.

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CM Punk and Sami Zayn face off during "Monday Night Raw" at Allstate Arena on July 6, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois. (Melina Pizano / WWE via Getty Images)

The fans waited with bated breath to see who would walk to the ring to take on Zayn. The crowd hoping, guessing, it would be CM Punk. Lo and behold, the garage door opened up, and Punk walked through it.

It had been months since the pro wrestling world saw him. He had just lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns, and he reminded Rhodes to "stay ready because you never know when a championship opportunity is just gonna fall out of the sky." The sky must have been falling in Chicago, and Punk walked in as an automatic challenger.

Punk took off his shirt and the match was on. There were questions about how Punk was going to fare against Zayn after having nearly three months off. But he took advantage of the momentum that the crowd gave him.

Zayn, however, was showing why he was a champion. Even though he was tossed out of the ring, he got back the advantage in the match with a series of stomps and a double axe handle from the top rope. Both competitors were giving it their all in the main event of the show. Zayn hit Punk with a Blue Thunder